This week’s Rome Masters promises to be full of action with the return of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic returns to the clay court in defense of his Internazionali BNL d’Italia title.
The Serbian is currently on a 17-match winning streak having lost only twice in 2015. Despite missing out on last weeks Madrid Masters in order to prepare himself for his ultimate goal of winning the French Open, he will be on a mission this week to claim the Italian Masters for a fourth time–having won in 2008, 2011, and 2014.
Djokovic’s impressive record in Rome will undoubtedly make him the hot favourite and given his most recent clay-court form in Monte-Carlo it will be hard to look much further than the World No. 1, who is in search for his fourth masters 1000 title in a row–having won Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte-Carlo all earlier this year.
Djokovic, however, will not be alone in his quest for clay-court success ahead of his final preparations for Roland Garros, which starts in 3 weeks time. Andy Murray is hot on his heels after winning back to back clay-court titles in Munich (d. Kohlschreiber) and Madrid (d. Nadal); the first Brit to do so in over 36 years.
Djokovic’s absence from Madrid opened the door for Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal to shine on the red dirt, with Nadal edging back to his clay-court best one match at a time. However Djokovic will defiantly hold a distinct advantage over the rest of his competition this week in the Italian capital as he will enter the tournament in a state of peak physical fitness; something which Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal will be struggling with given their recent clay-court exertions in Madrid.
Djokovic has been drawn into the same half as Andy Murray, with the Scot potentially lurking as his semi-final opponent, a match-up many people will be wanting to see. In addition to Murray, Djokovic could face an early threat from clay-court specialist Nicholas Almagro in his opening round. The Serb could even meet Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals, with Nishikori also showing some excellent form on the clay in recent weeks, claiming the Barcelona title and reaching the semifinals in Madrid.
Should he progress from his early rounds, Djokovic wouldn’t have to face the ultimate test, Nadal, unless they both reach the final stage of the draw–a final most people will be anticipating this weekend.
The Spaniard looked in fine form in Madrid making it to the final without dropping a set, eventually falling short to Murray at the last hurdle. However, it is still clear to see that Nadal’s level is still far from where it needs to be to see off Djokovic on any surface, with their most recent clay-court encounter proving a white-wash for the Serb in two easy sets.
His 17 match winning streak and three Masters 1000 titles in a row coupled with his determination to win the fast-approaching French Open make Djokovic a heavy favourite for the title; doubting him this week would be unwise, no matter who he may face along the way.
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