One of the fiercest rivalries to ever exist in Tennis has to be between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The fight between these two from the big three was one to ever lookout for during the Tour. It has been an equal battle between the two every time.
However, as amusing as it may seem, Nadal has never managed to outplay Djokovic at the Miami Masters. The scorecard between them reads 30-29 in favor of Djokovic. Yet, when it comes down to the Miami Open, there’s no comparing the two.
Reflecting on the 2014 Miami Masters, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic clashed in the finals. That was Nadal’s fourth time reaching the Miami Masters finals, while Djokovic was making his fifth appearance in the finals.
Djokovic had already bagged the title three times out of his previous four attempts, unlike Nadal, who hadn’t secured a title win at the Miami Open before.
Yet again, Djokovic overpowered Nadal with ease, sweeping the match in straight sets of 6-3, 6-3, clinching his fourth Miami title. He didn’t stop there; he went on to snatch the title for the next two years, 2015 and 2016.
Following his 2014 duel with Djokovic, Nadal had some rather striking comments about his adversary, unlike anything he had said about any other competitor in his notable career.
After the match, Nadal admitted, “He was better than me in everything. He was able to find the right spot, the right position. Playing against him is the worst thing that can happen to me because he has a better return than mine, he has a better serve than my one, especially on this surface,” reflecting on his defeat to Djokovic.
This marked the second time Nadal fell to Djokovic in the Miami Open finals, having previously lost in 2011. It was also his third encounter with Djokovic at the Miami Open, ending in defeat each time. Perplexed by his continuous losses to the Serbian in this tournament, Nadal voiced his confusion.
Continuing, Nadal expressed, “In no tournament have I lost this many finals. Maybe you tell me. There is no mental block on something you have won 26 times. Need to find another excuse.”
Djokovic, buoyant after his victory, shared, “I played a great match everything was working really well. I didn’t give him a chance to come back in the match. I am really excited,”
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic announces withdrawal from Miami Open
Novak Djokovic declared on Saturday that he will not be participating in the forthcoming ATP-WTA Miami Open, following his surprising early departure from Indian Wells.
Through a statement released on social media, the 36-year-old Serbian tennis icon pointed to calendar conflicts as the reason behind his decision to miss out on the Miami event.
“Unfortunately I won’t be playing the @MiamiOpen this year,” Djokovic announced on X, formerly Twitter.
Hi Miami!
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 16, 2024
Unfortunately I won’t be playing the @MiamiOpen this year. At this stage of my career, I’m balancing my private and professional schedule. I’m sorry that I won’t experience some of the best and most passionate fans in the world. I’m looking fw competing in MI in future!
