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2/27/09 6:36 PM | Ricky Dimon
Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer will go head-to-head on Saturday for the Barclays Tennis Championships trophy. Both players are seeking their first title of 2009.
Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer will do battle for the seventh time in their careers in the Dubai final on Saturday. The match will not only break the 3-3 tie in their head-to-head series, but it will also give the winner his first ATP World Tour title of the season.
While Djokovic is the clear favorite on paper as the No. 1 seed, he has not enjoyed as much success in 2009 as he did in 2008 (a year in which he won both the Australian Open and the Masters Cup). The world No. 3 lost to Ernests Gulbis in the first round of Brisbane, fell to Jarkko Nieminen in the Sydney semifinals, retired against Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, and got bounced from the Marseille semifinals last week by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. So far in Dubai he has taken out Flavio Cipolla, Jan Hernych, Marin Cilic, and Gilles Simon. Only against Cilic, however, was Djokovic playing inspired tennis.
The Serb will have to raise his level against an on-fire Ferrer. Dubai's No. 4 seed collapsed in the second half of 2008, but he is turning things around this year. Ferrer reached the semifinals in both Auckland and Johannesburg (and lost both of those semis in third-set tiebreakers), and so far this week he has ousted Ivan Ljubicic, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Igor Andreev, and Richard Gasquet. The world No. 14, who was as high as No. 4 early last season, has not come close to losing a set since dropping his opener against Ljubicic. He destroyed Gasquet 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 15 minutes in Saturday's semi.
If Djokovic isn't careful, there is a good chance he will suffer the same fate as Ferrer's previous Dubai opponents. Djokovic has only looked good in one match this week (against Cilic) and his forehand has been all over the place. Ferrer, on the other hand, has been on cruise control. He should be able to dictate play from the baseline and pick on his opponent's forehand all day long. Djokovic will have to compensate for that with an huge serving day.
Djokovic is 3-1 against Ferrer on hard courts, so it's hard to predict that he goes down in straight sets. Nonetheless, if he doesn't serve well, we could see a final eerily reminiscent of the Nikolay Davydenko vs. Rafael Nadal title match last season in Miami, in which the underdog manhandled the favorite in every possible way.
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As you know as a reader of TennisTalk, we (ALL of the writers) predict every match when we preview it.
A prediction has nothing to do with being biased. It's an educated guess based on how the players are playing.
I like Djokovic. I have ever since the 2007 US Open and I loved what he did at the 2008 US Open as well. I simply think he is playing bad tennis this season, whereas Ferrer is on fire. That's why it won't surprise me to see Ferrer destroy him.
RickyDimon , 2/27/09 10:48 PM
Also let me explain one more thing about journalism. It would be unprofessional to write an article that says "Ferrer is going to destroy Djokovic" and NOTHING else. That would suggest that I am biased.
Responsible journalism is writing five paragraphs explaining WHY I think Ferrer is going to win.
RickyDimon , 2/27/09 10:53 PM
I think djokovic will be able to raise his level above ferrer tomorrow. He tends to play much better in these kind of matches. The real question for him is what he can do against nadal on clay just a few days later
orion , 2/27/09 10:53 PM
That question is for a later day. Djokovic won't get caught looking ahead; this is a big title at stake.
And for what it's worth, there's no question about what he will do against Nadal on clay next week.
RickyDimon , 2/27/09 10:58 PM
Ricky, I don't like predictions but I would not put my money on Ferrer tomorrow.
HogarTheHorrible , 2/27/09 11:36 PM
Ricky, I really appreciate your elaboration, thank you so much!
Well I guess your job this year is taking care of Novak's PR, since the majority of the articles about Novak are written by you! I just hope he has time your articles, because, let's not forget, Novak's performace is driven by reversed pshychology and proving people wrong! Come to think of it, you are probably doing him a "huge favor". Whenever you predict his loss, he wins. "Keep up with the good work Ricky!"
arailic , 2/27/09 11:40 PM
Yep, he will probably make it three in-a-row where I pick against him and he wins.
I actually think this is the first tournament I've covered this year in which Djokovic has played....
RickyDimon , 2/28/09 12:26 AM
Ferrer was in "the zone" today. Gasquet just, AHHHH, let Ferrer tie him in knots - came close to eating a bagel in both sets. This sort of clarity by Ferrer is extremely rare and I doubt he will be able to duplicate that mindset tomorrow. That being said, anticipate testosterone driven final. Would be fun to see.
tenisbebe , 2/28/09 12:29 AM
If Djokovic wins how much points will he gain ??????????????????????
tomnjerry2 , 2/28/09 4:57 AM
This match will surely be most interesting. Apart from my bias in favour of my fellow countryman Ferrer, I believe (and hope) that Djockovic will play very well today; better that in any other previous match in the tournament. So, if Ferrer mantains the increasing confidence and precision shown lately, I look ahead for one of the best matches of this year. And may the best win!
firstwanderer , 2/28/09 6:56 AM
I like Ferrer better than Djokovic (I'm really not fond at all of Djokovic's attitude at times), but I do want Djokovic to do well. I've been so disappointed by his matches this year, because he's obviously so much more capable at what he does than what he's been showing.
Either way, tomorrow's match is going to determine someone's first title of the year, and I hope we'll get to see a good match.
faem , 2/28/09 7:22 AM
tomnjerry2 - this is an ATP500 event. Hence the winner earns 500 points.
tenisbebe , 2/28/09 4:12 PM
novak will gain 500..but will also lose abt 360...making it a gain of 140!
vamosrafa , 2/28/09 5:14 PM
vamosrafa - Looking solely at the ATP website, I can only see 270 pts coming off (from last yr's Dubai). Where do the other 90 pts come from? Thanks.
tenisbebe , 2/28/09 9:21 PM
oops then...may b i committed i mistake..what was the total number of pts for last year's semi-finalist in dubai?? i thot it ws 180!! may b i got this wrong!! apology..but do let me know wht was the total # of pts for last year's semi-finalist
vamosrafa , 2/28/09 10:51 PM
vamosrafa - He earned 270 pts for the Dubai SF which will come off on March 9th. So by calculations he'll be net up 230 points. FYI - Dubai had more pts last year (before the ATP revised the point schedule). Roddick earned 600 pts for the win.
tenisbebe , 3/1/09 12:21 AM
yeah..winner earned 300...losing finalist ws around 220....fine ...thnx
vamosrafa , 3/1/09 10:05 AM
Novak Djokovic
David Ferrer
Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships
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I hope we get to enjoy some good tennis from both players tomorrow and may the best win! On a different note, just out of curiosity, Ricky why do you have to be so biased in your articles and why do you have to make predictions? Do you get paid extra for that? Journalism is such a noble, responsible career, why do you have to portray an unprofessional image about yourself? I believe that by now everybody in the world knows how eager you await for Novak's defeat at all times! I thought your job as a journalist/writer is to create a positive aura around this beautiful sport without instigating arguments and fan controversies!
arailic , 2/27/09 10:38 PM