Novak Djokovic is one win away from achieving tennis history as he prepares to play Roger Federer in the final of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Djokovic’s route to the final has been a troublesome one with the world number one staging a dramatic comeback in his semifinal match against Alexandr Dolgopolov. Dolgopolov was two points away from causing a sensational upset before Djokovic battled back to win 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. The encounter wasn’t the first test that the Serbian has experienced this week. During the third round, he was a break down in the final set against David Goffin.
Despite his bumpy journey to the final, Djokovic is now one win away from winning his first title at the tournament. If he achieves this he will be the first player in history to win all 9 Masters 1000 titles. The world number one has admitted that his past failures at the tournament has played on his mind as he strives to finally achieve the Masters milestone.
“Obviously the last couple of years it was always in the back of my mind, the potential history making, and obviously that motivates me even more”. He said.
Awaiting him in the final will be Roger Federer, a player who has the best record in Cincinnati in the Open Era. The 6-time champion is yet to drop a set this week as he produced comprehensive wins over Kevin Anderson, Feliciano Lopez and Andy Murray. Djokovic has played Federer twice in the final of the tournament before in 2009 and 2012. On both occasions he lost in straight sets to the mighty Swiss player.
The final will be the 41st time that the two players have played each other in what is one of the greatest tennis rivalries of all time. The head-to-head currently stands at 20-20. Djokovic is aware of the threat he faces in the final. Federer said after his win over Andy Murray that he will ‘try to stop’ the historic bid.
The final will be their fifth meeting in 2015 with Djokovic dominating three out of their four most recent matches. The last time Djokovic lost to Federer was in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in March.
Highlights of the 2012 Cincinnatti final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic
