Will We See a Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal Showdown at 2014 US Open?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 18, 2014

commentComment        

It’s actually quite remarkable that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have met in the U.S. Open final as the top two players in the world in two of the last three years. While it should be the odds-on-favorite matchup, recent history shows that No. 1 vs. No. 2 rarely happens at the U.S. Open.

What makes it so difficult for the top two players to endure to the U.S. Open final? Conversely, why is New York’s final now unable to stop the exceptional tide that is Nadal vs. Djokovic?

 

No. 1 vs. No. 2 at the Majors

We recently featured Andre Agassi’s 1995 duel with Pete Sampras as the top two players in the world. They both met in the U.S. Open final. One year later, No. 1 Sampras and No. 2 Michael Chang met for the title. From 1997-2010, 14 years, the top two seeded players did not meet in the U.S. Open final.

This is particularly surprising because of the dominance of the current era’s champions, Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. When Federer was rewriting the record books at Flushing Meadows, Nadal failed to get through his half of the draw. Since, Nadal has been a finalist in all three years he has participated (injured and unable to play in 2012). He and Federer were ships passing in the night.

Nadal's rise at the U.S. Open has coincided with Djokovic's ascension to the top of the tennis world. The Serbian has appeared four straight times in the final.

Just how tough is it for the top two players to survive in New York?



By comparison, Wimbledon featured No. 1 vs. No. 2 seven of the last 11 years. (2004-2005 Federer vs. Andy Roddick; 2006-2008 Federer vs. Nadal; 2011 Nadal vs. Djokovic; 2013 Djokovic vs. Murray.)

The French Open has seen the top two seeded players meet five of the last nine years. (2006-2008 Federer vs. Nadal; 2012 and 2014 Djokovic vs. Nadal.)

The Australian Open also shows hard courts to b...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!