Two of the greatest to ever play the sport of tennis met Saturday, as the world's number one tennis player Novak Djokovic faced fifth ranked Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
It was the 48th meeting between the two tennis greats, and while Nadal had been struggling in tournaments over the past year, his play at Indian Wells and against Djokovic shows that he is returning to form. Nadal would put up a strong effort in the first set on Saturday, but he would eventually lose to tennis' top star 7-6(5), 6-2.
The win gives Djokovic a 25-23 career record over Nadal, and he has now beaten the fifth ranked tennis player in six consecutive matches, including 13 straight sets. Despite the loss, Nadal continued to prove that he is still one of the best that the sport has to offer and had taken down the world's sixth ranked tennis player Kei Nishikori in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to reach the semifinal.
"I think I played well for a set and a half; then I think he played well the last part," Nadal said. " I played bad again with my serve at 3-2, and then he finished playing well the last two games. Played at high level."
Djokovic's win sets up Sunday's championship match against 14th ranked Milos Raonic. Canada's top tennis star took down David Goffin in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the finals, and he faces a man looking to claim a record five BNP Paribas Open titles. Djokovic has won this tournament the past two years, and despite his 5-0 record against Raonic, he is not taking this championship match lightly.
"Milos is probably playing the best tennis that he has ever played," Djokovic said. "His serve was phenomenal before the start of this season, but this season it seems like he has improved even more, especially the second serve. He's going for it more. He's not giving you the same look."
"Even though he hasn't played too many Master finals, he's still very strong mentally," he added. "He's very calm on the court He's very composed. He's showing virtues that are characteristic for some more experienced and older players. That's one of the impressive things about him."
