Rafael Nadal wants to forget his latest Doha match. Novak Djokovic knows why
Rafael Nadal will compete in Doha in a couple of weeks, returning to the prestigious ATP 250 event for the first time since 2016. The 2014 champion kicked off the 2016 season in Doha after shaky results in 2015, missing a Major or a Masters 1000 title for the first time since 2004!
Nadal earned four wins in Doha en route to a place in the final, not playing at his best against rivals from outside the top-60 but arranging the title clash versus world no. 1 Novak Djokovic. Rafa most likely forgot the encounter as soon as they finished following a crashing 6-1, 6-2 defeat in 73 minutes!
Novak embraced his career-best season in 2015, earning many records and extending his run at the beginning of 2016 against an opponent who could not follow his level.
Djokovic and Nadal fought for the tenth time after the 2013 US Open final, and the Serb beat the Spaniard for the ninth time, expending his dominance over a great rival and lifting the trophy.
Djokovic served at 75% and dropped ten points in eight service games. World no. 1 saved the only break point offered to his rival and kept the pressure on the other side. Nadal stood miles away from that pace, giving away half of the points in his games and suffering four breaks from seven chances offered to his rival.
Playing with confidence, Novak landed 30 winners and drew almost 20 mistakes from Rafa, taming his strokes nicely and sailing toward the title. Djokovic dominated every segment, outplaying Nadal in the shortest, mid-range and most advanced exchanges, finishing his day at the office in under 75 minutes.
Rafa made a good start and created a break chance in the first game of the encounter after Novak’s wayward forehand. The Serb saved it with a forehand winner, avoiding an early setback and gaining a boost. Djokovic secured a break at 15 in the second game, attacking and forcing Nadal’s backhand mistake for an early advantage.
Novak cemented the lead with a hold at 15 in game three, firing a service winner and forging a 3-0 lead after 14 minutes. Djokovic fired a backhand winner for 30-30 in the fourth game before Nadal landed two winners to wrap up the game and get his name on the scoreboard.
Rafael Nadal claimed three games against Novak Djokovic in Doha 2016.
Novak produced another fine hold in the fifth game, hitting an unreturned serve and moving 4-1 in front. World no. 1 cracked a forehand down the line winner in the sixth game, creating a break point and painting a backhand crosscourt winner for another break and a 5-1 lead.
Djokovic served for the opener in game seven, landing two service winners and creating three set points with a forehand winner. The Serb converted the first with a powerful serve, wrapping up the opener 6-1 in 31 minutes and gathering a massive boost.
Firing from all cylinders, Novak cracked a forehand winner in the first game of the second set, earning two break chances. Nadal saved them before experiencing the third following Djokovic’s drop shot winner.
Rafa sprayed a forehand error, losing serve and finding himself a set and a break down.
Novak cemented the lead with a hold at 15 in game two after a forced error before Rafa reduced the deficit to 2-1 with a service winner a few minutes later. Djokovic hit a smash winner in the fourth game and closed it with a mighty forehand winner for a 3-1 lead.
The Serb attacked in the fifth game and punched a backhand down the line winner for a break point, hitting in full throttle in every point. Novak seized it with another fine attack and a smash winner, dominating his great rival and earning another boost of confidence.
Djokovic secured the sixth game with a crafty volley winner, opening a 5-1 lead and forcing Nadal to serve to stay in the match after 64 minutes. The Spaniard held at 30 in the seventh game, prolonging the battle and hoping for some chances on the return in the next one.
Instead, Novak painted a forehand down the line winner at 5-2 for three match points. He seized the second with a powerful serve, completing one of his most dominant victories over Nadal and kicking off the season with a trophy.
Rafa will not think much about this duel when he returns to Doha in a couple of weeks, hoping to play injury-free and boost his confidence after many setbacks. Nadal missed a year due to a hip injury, ruining his 2023 season and dropping out from the top-600!
Rafa made a comeback in Brisbane at the beginning of this year, eager to embrace competitive matches after the most extended break of his career.
Nadal took down Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler after rock-solid tennis before facing Jordan Thompson in the quarter-final. The Spaniard experienced a massive blow, wasting three match points in a 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 loss in nearly three and a half hours!
To make things even worse, Nadal felt the pain around his hip again, revealing a micro tear in his muscle and skipping the Australian Open. The Spaniard should be ready for Doha, returning to the desert for the first time in eight years.
Naomi Osaka makes telling statement on her confidence after third consecutive loss
by Dzevad Mesic
Naomi Osaka admits she is feeling “less confident” in her game following another frustrating loss but highlighted that she is also “not too unconfident” that she can go out there and deliver a good performance.
Through the opening nine games of the match, Osaka held a 5-4 up lead over Danielle Collins and didn’t allow the American any break points in her opening five service games. But then, Osaka’s game just shut down as Collins went on to win the next nine games and register a 7-5 6-0 win over Osaka.
After beating Tamara Korpatsch in her first post-pregnancy match, Osaka has lost her last three matches. Following her latest loss, Osaka was asked if she would contemplate playing in a WTA 250 tournament or even in some qualifying events.
“I think I’m going to finish out the hard-court swing and then figure it out. I’m less confident but I’m not too unconfident to think that I can’t play really good tennis,” Osaka told Reem Abulleil.
Where will Osaka play next?
In the next two weeks, the opening two WTA 1000 tournaments of the year in Doha and Dubai will be taking place.
Osaka, who is currently ranked at No. 757 in the world, will also be competing in Doha despite being far away from the top-50 as she used her protected ranking of No. 46 to enter the tournament.
In Doha, 26-year-old Osaka will be making her second appearance and also her first appearance since 2018. In her Doha debut in 2018, Osaka made the second round as a qualifier before losing to Anastasia Sevastatova.
Since Doha is from the WTA 1000 category, pretty much all of the top players will be competing there. For Osaka, doing well in Doha could certainly do wonders for her confidence but could also further decrease her confidence levels if she again loses early.
Gasquet stunned by Djokovic: “There has never been anything in sport like Nole”
by Lorenzo Ciotti
After losing in the first round in the Montpellier tournament, Richard Gasquet, ATP No. 131, gave an interview to l’Equipe, speaking about the awareness that his body can no longer assist him as it did when he was young.
“My body is destined to get worse. Apart from Djokovic, who wins the Slams at almost 37 years old. Has there ever been anything similar in sport, apart from perhaps Michael Jordan? Lionel Messi plays in Miami, the others in Saudi Arabia , but Nole is the world number 1. I can’t understand why someone like Djokovic is so strong at that age,” said Gasquet.
“At 37-38, you’re usually not as good as you were at 25. I know that well. I never thought I’d be playing at 38. It was unimaginable,” explained the Frenchman.
Gasquet towards the end of his professional career
Gasquet then explained how his current physical condition makes the task of taking to the court difficult.
“You can’t suffer that much on the pitch. This is what will make me stop: physical pain. If I feel like I can’t win a match anymore, if I feel pain, if I can’t bear it anymore, if I can’t make the effort… It’s a little more difficult than last year.
In 2024 I have not achieved good results so far. When you’re French, either the French Open or Bercy. As did Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon. I’m thinking about it a little, but not too much,” he told.
Time passes for everyone, or almost everyone. Even for a champion like Gasquet. The French tennis player, after a long career that lasted until the age of 37, is seriously thinking about when he will stop playing tennis.
Boris Becker Steps Down as Holger Rune’s Coach, Ending A Brief Stint
by Jovica Ilic
Boris Becker ended his collaboration with Holger Rune after working with the young Dane at only a couple of tournaments! Holger appointed Boris as his coach in October, and they shared the same jersey for three and a half months.
Boris can not follow Holger at many events this year, deciding to step down and take care of other professional and private things.
The news came a couple of days after Holger lost another coach, with Severin Luthi stepping down from the coaching position after working with the young Dane at the Australian Open.
Kenneth Carlsen remains in Holger’s coaching staff, with his mother Aneke most likely making the critical decisions. Holger is 7-3 in 2024, reaching the Brisbane final before two setbacks in Melbourne and Montpellier. We should highlight that Rune functioned with another high-profile coach in the past, working with Patrick Mouratoglou until an early US Open exit last year.
After a short stint with Lars Christensen, Rune’s team brought Becker and Luthi, and they are both gone a couple of weeks since the start of the year!
Holger Rune and Boris Becker parted ways!
The Dane started the season in Brisbane, reaching the final and settling with the runner-up prize after falling to Grigor Dimitrov 7-6, 6-4 in a tight duel.
World no. 8 could not his Australian Open loss after a 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 loss to world no. 122 Arthur Cazaux. Holger felt the pain in his knee and played below his best against an inspired opponent, who performed like having numerous notable matches in his legs.
Cazaux fired 18 aces and 50 winners with 30 unforced errors, attacking and keeping the points on his racquet at any cost. Holger produced a decent level, getting broken three times and ending on the losing side despite taking the third set.
Eager to chase victories, Rune reacted quickly and asked for a wild card at the ATP 250 event in Montpellier, competing there for the second straight year.
The Dane took down Pablo Llamas Ruiz 7-5, 6-2 in the second round, performing well since the closing stages of the opener and moving into the quarter-final. Holger ousted Michael Mmoh 7-6, 6-4 before falling to Borna Coric in the semi-final, struggling with an arm injury and retiring in the second set.
If he recovers, Rune will play at next week’s ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, standing as the third seed behind Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev.
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