Rome Masters: Novak Djokovic to take on Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final
Novak Djokovic to take on Rafael Nadal for an incredible 57th time and sixth time in the Italian capital; the world No 1 leads the Spaniard 29-27 in head-to-head meetings; they will clash for the first time since last year's French Open final
Saturday 15 May 2021 21:10, UK
World No 1 Novak Djokovic will take on nine-time winner Rafael Nadal for the 57th time in their storied history when they take to the court in the final of the Rome Masters on Sunday.
Djokovic and Nadal will meet for a sixth time in the Italian capital after the Serb backed up a dramatic victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas by seeing off home hope Lorenzo Sonego.
The top seed returned to the court in the evening against Italian Sonego, who continued his giant-killing run on Saturday morning by knocking out Andrey Rublev.
This looked set to be a more straightforward outing for Djokovic but he saw two match points come and go in the second set before finally clinching a 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 victory.
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Speaking on Amazon Prime Video, Djokovic said: "I only have myself to blame for not closing the match in straight sets. I need to recover, that's what I'm focused on.
"I don't have much time and I've played a lot of tennis so hopefully I'll have fresh legs, because that's what I'll definitely need and it's necessary in order to have a chance against Rafa."
Now the world No 1 will face Nadal for a 57th time, looking for a first win on clay over his great rival since the quarter-finals of the same event five years ago.
Nadal holds the edge with three wins to Djokovic's two in previous finals, while the Spaniard is bidding for a 10th title in Rome and his opponent a sixth.
The pair have shown once again this week why they have dominated the sport for so long with their physical and mental fortitude.
Nadal's straight-sets victory over giant American Reilly Opelka came in his 500th match on clay and extended his record to a ridiculous 458 wins and 42 losses.
It maintained the Spaniard's perfect record in semi-finals in the Eternal City, and he said: "Rome is such an important tournament for me. To be in the final again is so important for me.
"In terms of preparation for Roland Garros, I consider the job done. Tomorrow is not at all preparation. It's a final, an important one, and I want to be competitive. I want to play a good match and let's see."
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Britain's Joe Salisbury is through to his first Masters final after he and American partner Rajeev Ram won twice in a day in Rome.
Last year's Australian Open champions first defeated fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 10-2 in a match held over from Friday because of rain.
They then returned to the court to face Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop, winning 6-4 6-4 to book a place in Sunday's final.
There they will face all-conquering Croatian duo Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, who have won five titles already this season.
Salisbury and Ram's record in 2021 is more modest, although they did reach another Australian Open final in Melbourne in February. They are bidding for a fourth title together.
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