TENNIS Live

Hamburg Masters - Semi-finals - Men

Nationality Player Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
SpainR Nadal726--
N Djokovic562--

Head to Head

Player Record
R Nadal 3 Wins
N Djokovic 6 Wins

Rafael Nadal

Nationality ESP
Date of Birth 03/06/1986
Height 1.85 m
Weight 85 kg
ATP Ranking 1
Player Info Left-handed; Two-handed backhand

Novak Djokovic

Nationality SRB
Date of Birth 22/05/1987
Height 1.88 m
Weight 74 kg
ATP Ranking 3
Player Info Right-handed; Two-handed backhand
 

Live Comments

  1. - - So it is Nadal and Federer in the final once again - and Nadal also holds on to his world number two spot. If they final is half as good as this match you won't want to miss it - so join us again tomorrow from Hamburg.

  2. 2-6 - AND NADAL HAS WON - and what an end to an AMAZING MATCH. The final game brought us eight deuces. Nadal had four match points, and Djokovic saved them; Djokovic had four break points and Nadal saved them. But on match point number five Nadal finally wins the match as Djokovic goes just short with a drop shot. Three hours and three minutes of tennis bliss. Every person in the arena in Hamburg will remember this match - a true classic!

  3. 2-5 - NADAL BREAKS AGAIN - and breaks to love - it looks as if he might finally have worn down Djokovic. He will now serve for the match but at least Djokovic will have time to clear his head at the change over. He doesn't deserve to go out with a whimper.

  4. 2-4 - Nadal holds to love - AMAZING winner on the first point of the game as Djokovic puts a ball into the corner. Nadal has to scramble back from the net to reach it and not only does he do that but he ALSO then lobs it over Djokovic. The greatest match I think I ever saw was Michael Chang vs Ivan Lendl at Roland Garros in 1989 - this is up there with it.

  5. 2-3 - Nice easy hold from Djokovic though to put the pressure right back on Nadal. So tense out there. A real epic match this and the two players deserve enormous credit. They have both been exceptional.

  6. 1-3 - We have just had what could prove to be the key game of the match. Djokovic was 15-40 in front and then on 30-40 a forehand hit the net chord. It could have easily bounced in for a winner but instead it dropped out. Nadal goes on to win the game and deserves enormous credit for playing some really aggressive stuff on the break points.

  7. 1-2 - Djokovic back on the board - a rare easy hold for either player. He holds to 15.

  8. 0-2 - Djokovic slams his racket to the ground as once more Nadal just seems to outlast him in a game. Djokovic was 15-40 up and looked like he was going to break straight back but again Nadal just went about his business and clawed back the game.

  9. 0-1 - NADAL BREAKS IN THE FIRST GAME OF THE THIRD SET - another long game with a couple of deuces but the world number two (for now) takes it with a pass as Djokovic slips while trying to get to the net. So many twists and turns in this match.

  10. 6-2 - DJOKOVIC HAS WON THE SET. He breaks again to 15, he is returning the ball so well and that is putting him in contention for every point. One delightful point came when he put in a drop shot - Nadal countered with a drop of his own, then Djokovic got the better of a little exchange at the net. The crowd are absolutely loving this and can you blame them? If there has been a better match played on Tour this year then I must have missed it.

  11. 5-2 - MASSIVE HOLD FROM DJOKOVIC - He was 0-30 down and also had to survive a couple of deuces but he has moved to within a game of levelling the match. So many good quality rallies in this match - very few cheap points being given away. A lot of fist punching going on by both players too - they know how important it is.

  12. 4-2 - DJOKOVIC BREAKS !! - He was 0-40 up and had a great chance with a forehand but pushed it wide. Nadal then got back to 40-40 but again Djokovic manages to get his fourth break point of the game. A quality return then sets him up as Nadal fires a baseline shot long. HE HAS TO BACK IT UP WITH A HOLD NOW.

  13. 3-2 - Another really enjoyable game and Djokovic manages to hold despite going 15-40 down. Some great points from both players. Nadal won one of the earlier points in the game by executing an exceptional lob, and he nearly caught the Serb out again later in the game but this time Djokovic just managed to get up high enough to smash it in the corner.

  14. 2-2 - Great stuff again from Nadal as he comes back from 0-30 down to win four points in a row. He is playing the game on his terms now - staying at the baseline and trying to get Djokovic to do more of the moving and shifting from side-to-side.

  15. 2-1 - Djokovic looks relieved as he holds to 30 - he wins another tough point by coming to the net. He does look a little tired though - an exhausting match out there. Nadal of course is a physical beast and will be so hard to stop over five sets at Roland Garros

  16. 1-1 - Djokovic gets back to 40-30 after going 40-0 down but then Nadal takes the gap when the Serb is just short with a drop shot. They have to land just after the net when you are playing Nadal which is what makes the drop such a tough shot.

  17. 1-0 - Inredible first set, that...pant-wettingly exciting at times...Here's Djokovic, serving at the start of the second set...bit of a sloppy game from both players...won by the Serb when Nadal fires long

  18. 5-7 - OUT OF THIS WORLD TENNIS FROM NADAL - He wins the game to 30 with every single one of his points being superb winners. Three lovely passes and a drop shot to counter a drop shot from Djokovic himself. The Serb looked at the skies after winning one point with a winner of his own as if to say 'thank you finally' but Nadal has been superb since going 3-0 down. Really high quality first set.

  19. 5-6 - NADAL JUMPS INTO THE AIR WAVING HIS FIST - he breaks once again - the third break in a row - Djokovic comes to the net while trailing 15-40 and but Nadal finds the smallest of gaps to fire home a gem of a winner down the line.

  20. 5-5 - DJOKOVIC BREAKS BACK!!! A double fault from Nadal puts him in an 0-40 hole and while he saves the first point, Djokovic catches him out with a lovely drop to make it 5-5.

  21. 4-5 - NADAL BREAKS TO LOVE !! He is really on top of things now after his sluggish start and Djokovic just hasn't been able to keep up his early momentum. The winners he was hitting earlier are going a little longer or a little wider now.

  22. 4-4 - Comfortable hold to 15 for Nadal - there haven't been too many easy holds in this match so far but that was probably the easiest.

  23. 4-3 - Djokovic finally gets back on the board with a hold to 30 but his body language is not the same as it was at the start of the match. He is not bouncing around as he was. Nadal has ground him down a bit already you feel.

  24. 3-3 - Djokovic attacks up at the net to earn another break point but again Nadal manages to save it and grind out a service game. His third game in a row. From 3-0 down to 3-3.

  25. - - Eurosport commentator Sam Smyth is in the Eurosport office covering the WTA Rome event and she has just informed me that the clay in Hamburg is a little heavier than in places likes Roland Garros and Monte Carlo, which is one of the reasons why some players can get a little more change out of Nadal in this event. Remember this is where Federer beat Nadal last year.

  26. 3-2 - A MARATHON game goes to Nadal - so typical - he breaks back. Djokovic defended two break points but on the third Nadal fires a forehand down the line to win it. It is so difficult to shake off Nadal and he is back on serve now after Djokovic's amazing start. Only five games gone but already the match has been going 35 minutes. Both players take a well earned sit down.

  27. 3-1 - Nadal finally gets a game on the board but only after he had saved two break points after going 15-40 down again. On the second of those Djokovic had a chance to break but pushed a driving forehand wide after moving to the centre of the court.

  28. - - A delay in the match as some VIPs come back into the stadium to take their seats. They are, rightly in my opinion, whistled by the crowd. VIPs? Pah - who needs them!

  29. 3-0 - This is very, VERY impressive from Djokovic - he holds to 15 by dominating the points once more - Nadal needs to make some adjustments here because Djokovic looks in the mood. He wins the game with a cracking forehand down the line - blink and you would have missed it.

  30. 2-0 - MAGNIFICANT game of tennis from Djokovic - he breaks to 15 with some delightfully aggressive play. Quality returning set him up and then he just started pounding Nadal into the corners. Such powerful ground strokes that just left the Spaniard constantly on the back foot.

  31. 1-0 - Djokovic holds to 15 in the opening game of the match. He was 30-0 up but then a couple of unforced errors saw Nadal get it back to 30-30. Djokovic then got the points he need and that is a decent way for him to start the match.

  32. 0-0 - And here we go Djokovic serving in this opening game.

  33. - - Both players now on court warming up.

  34. - - Nadal leads the head-to-head between the players 6-3 and is also 3-0 over the Serb on clay. However, in their one meeting this year Djokovic crushed the Spaniard 6-3 6-2 in the semi-finals at Indian Wells.

  35. - - Welcome to the big one - Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal in what is arguably the biggest match so far this year after the Australian Open final. Why? Because the prize for the winner is massive - the world number two spot. Nadal has held it for 147 weeks but Djokovic can wrestle it from him today.

ATP Race 2008

Points
1 Rafael Nadal 1265 stay
2 Roger Federer 921 stay
3 Novak Djokovic 899 stay
4 Andrew Murray 520 stay
5 Nikolay Davydenko 417 stay
6 Andy Roddick 354 up
7 David Ferrer 337 down
8 James Blake 309 stay
9 Juan Marin Del Potro 307 stay
10 Stanislas Wawrinka 286 stay

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