"Only chance against Djokovic is play my best & wait that he not gonna have his best day": When Rafael Nadal spoke about taking on Serb in Miami final
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal faced off in the 2014 Miami Open final, and the Spaniard openly discussed his strategies for defeating his opponent ahead of the match.
Djokovic and Nadal both advanced to the summit clash after receiving walkovers from Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych, respectively. Before that, Djokovic had defeated Jeremy Chardy, Florian Mayer, Tommy Robredo, and defending champion Andy Murray without dropping a single set.
Meanwhile, Nadal's journey to the final was slightly tougher, as he had to overcome opponents such as Lleyton Hewitt, Denis Istomin, Fabio Fognini, and Milos Raonic.
Before encountering Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal expressed in a press conference that his chances of winning against the Serb would depend on either playing his absolute best or hoping his opponent had an off day.
"Only chance to win against Novak [Djokovic] is play to the limit, play my best, and wait that he not gonna have his best day. I will see. I know I have to be solid with my serve. I need to play aggressive, no doubt about that," Nadal said.
"That's it. We are playing in a court that today probably is his favorite court. That's hard. He arrives to the final with good confidence after winning in Indian Wells," he added.
The Spaniard then stressed how "important" it was for him to reach the final of the Miami Open as he enjoyed strong support from the crowd.
"For me is very important result to be in the final of Miami, too, after Indian Wells be able to win the final and compete for the title in the tournament that I have a lot of friends, a lot of Latin crowd that support me a lot every day, and that's very important for me," Nadal said.
"To be in the final already are 600 points that for me, at this part of the season, are very important," the 37-year-old added.
Djokovic ultimately secured a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Nadal in the championship match, clinching his second Sunshine Double after triumphing at the Indian Wells Masters earlier.
Novak Djokovic leads Rafael Nadal by 2 Grand Slams
Novak Djokovic is ahead of his arch-rival Rafael Nadal by two Grand Slam titles, having won 24 compared to the Spaniard's 22.
Djokovic has won the Australian Open a remarkable 10 times (in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023). He has also claimed Wimbledon seven times (in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022), the US Open four times (in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023), and the French Open thrice (in 2016, 2021, and 2023).
Meanwhile, Nadal has been a force on the claycourts, winning Roland-Garros a record 14 times. He achieved this feat in consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008, then from 2010 to 2014, and again from 2017 to 2020, with an additional victory in 2022. Besides that, he has four New York Slam trophies, along with two each at the Melbourne Slam and the grasscourt Major.