Surging Djokovic takes aim at March title brace
Print Edition
WORLD No. 1 Novak Djokovic will try to put extra distance between himself and the chasing pack, taking confidence from his weekend title in California into the Miami Open.
Djokovic won the Indian Wells trophy for a second consecutive year by beating Roger Federer and will try to repeat his March trophy double from last year at the ATP and WTA hardcourt event, which began yesterday.
With Federer not playing Miami by choice and instead taking his family skiing before a fortnight’s training back home in Switzerland, the way is open for Djokovic, second seed Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Andy Murray to add ranking points before the switch to European clay next month.
With more than half a decade of rivalry between the “Big Four,” any edge is welcome in the heated competition among the elite. “We still keep on pushing and moving the borders,” said Djokovic, winner of eight grand slam titles to 17 for Federer, 13 for Nadal and two for Murray. “We are playing better than we did a few years ago, and it’s because of these rivalries. That’s something that is special in our sport.”
All 16 men’s seeds open with byes, with Djokovic to play the winner between Martin Klizan and Paolo Lorenzi.
Nadal was unable to impress at Indian Wells, with the Spaniard a constant complainer about the balls being used. But with a 2014 final run to defend, he will need to bury his worries if he hopes to win his first Miami crown. “Sometimes with losses like I had few times in the last couple of weeks, maybe you are going down, but is not my case. I think every week I am better,” Nadal said.
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