The world’s top two players will meet in the final of the Barclays ATP World Finals today after Novak Djokovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka to set up a showdown with Rafael Nadal.
It was a bad day for Switzerland, with Nadal a convincing 7-5 6-3 winner over six-time champion Roger Federer at London’s O2 Arena.
Djokovic and Wawrinka had played two of the best matches of the year at the Australian and US Opens, the Serbian winning in five sets both times.
Djokovic also won easily in Paris last week and, unfortunately for the crowd, this match was much more in that mould as the second seed ran out a 6-3 6-3 winner.
It was a 21st straight win for Djokovic and the defending champion said: “It was a very enjoyable match. The performance was definitely the best I had so far this tournament. It came in the right moment.
“It’s going to be a great final. I hope all the crowd will enjoy it because we definitely do on the court. It’s always a thrilling competition between me and Rafa.”
Djokovic and Nadal have met 38 times before, more than any other two men in the Open era, with the Spaniard leading 22-16.
Nadal also leads 3-2 in their five matches this season, including both Grand Slam contests, but this tournament is the one major title he has yet to win.
The 27-year-old said: “The most important thing is on the toughest surface for me to play I was able to win four matches against top-eight players. That’s great news for me. It’s a very good way to finish the year.
“Now remains the last match. I hope to be ready for that. I know it’s going to be a difficult one. But I will try my best. I need to play my best match to have a chance tomorrow.”