DUBAI SATURDAY PREVIEW
The top two seeds clash in the final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday as No. 1 and four-time winner Roger Federer meets No. 2/two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic. This is the third time in the tournament’s 19-year history the top two seeds are playing in the final. In 2006, No. 2 Rafael Nadal defeated Federer and in 1997, No. 2 Thomas Muster beat Goran Ivanisevic.
Federer has a 13-7 career advantage over Djokovic, including a 3-2 mark in finals. The Serb won the last meeting in the semi-finals at the Australian Open on Jan. 28 en route to the title. In their previous match here in the quarter-finals in 2007, Federer prevailed in three sets. Federer is trying to capture his fifth Dubai title in six finals and second ATP World Tour title of the season (Doha). Djokovic is trying to join Federer as the only players to win this title three straight years. Federer won from 2003-05 and in ’07. Djokovic has won his last 14 matches in Dubai and overall is on a career-best 13-match winning streak going back to December’s Davis Cup final. Djokovic is also attempting to earn his 20th career title on the ATP World Tour.
WHAT’S AT STAKE –
Winner: $386,000 and 500 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points
Runner-up: $181,500 and 300 South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking points
FINALS HISTORY –
Federer: Appearing in his 96th ATP World Tour level final……….He is 67-28 in finals (1-0 in ‘11)
Djokovic: Appearing in his 33rd ATP World Tour level final.………He is 19-13 in finals (1-0 in ’11)
HEAD 2 HEADS –
(1)Roger Federer (SUI) vs (2) Novak Djokovic (SRB) Federer Leads 13-7
2006 ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo Clay R64 Roger Federer 6-3 2-6 6-3
2006 SUI v. SCG WG PO (Switzerland) Hard RR Roger Federer 6-3 6-2 6-3
2007 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R16 Roger Federer 6-2 7-5 6-3
2007 Dubai (U.A.E.) Hard QF Roger Federer 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3
2007 ATP Masters Series Montreal Hard F Novak Djokovic 7-6(2) 2-6 7-6(2)
2007 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard F Roger Federer 7-6(4) 7-6(2) 6-4
2008 Australian Open (Australia) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3 7-6(5)
2008 ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo Clay SF Roger Federer 6-3 3-2 ret
2008 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard SF Roger Federer 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2
2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami Hard SF Novak Djokovic 3-6 6-2 6-3
2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Clay SF Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-3 6-3
2009 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati Hard F Roger Federer 6-1 7-5
2009 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard SF Roger Federer 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5
2009 Basel (Switzerland) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-4 4-6 6-2
2010 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto Hard SF Roger Federer 6-1 3-6 7-5
2010 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 5-7 6-1 5-7 6-2 7-5
2010 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard SF Roger Federer 7-5 6-4
2010 Basel (Switzerland) Hard F Roger Federer 6-4 3-6 6-1
2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard SF Roger Federer 6-1 6-4
2011 Australian Open (Australia) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 7-6(3) 7-5 6-4
Roger Federer Novak Djokovic
Sets Won: 37 22
Tie-break Sets Won: 3 5
Match Wins By Surface:
Clay: 2 1
Hard: 11 6
Federer FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
W: Doha (d Davydenko); SF: Australian Open (l Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 14-1
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 67
Date of Birth: August 8, 1981
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 2
• Federer, 29, is making his sixth career final appearance in Dubai (4-1)…Has a 29-3 lifetime mark and has not dropped a set this week in posting wins over Somdev Devvarman 63 63, Marcel Granollers 63 64, Sergiy Stakhovsky 63 64 and Richard Gasquet 62 75…Leads the tournament in service games won (95%, 37 of 39 games) and break points saved (13 of 15)
• He is making his eighth tournament appearance and captured titles in 2003 (d. Novak), '04 (d. Lopez), '05 (d. Ljubicic) and '07 (d. Youzhny) while finishing runner-up in 2006 (l. to Nadal in three sets)…The other times he lost in the 2nd Rd. in his debut in 2002 (l. to Schuettler) and to Murray in the 1st Rd. in ’08
• The Swiss superstar has a 14-1 match record on the season and he opened the campaign with his 67th career title in Doha (d. Davydenko)…Since losing to Djokovic in last year’s US Open semi-finals, has compiled a 35-3 match record, reaching final in six of eight tournaments during that span (four titles)
• Has a 67-28 mark in finals and has won at least one ATP World Tour title for 11 straight years, best among active players along with Roddick…His 67 titles rank No. 4 on the Open Era titles list
• His only loss this year has come in the semi-finals at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic)…Has not won a Grand Slam title in his last four tournaments since capturing ’10 Aust. Open (d. Murray)
• He has 757 career match wins in ATP World Tour level play and is No. 8 on the Open Era list…His next target is No. 7 Pete Sampras (762)
Djokovic FastFacts:
2011 Highlights:
W: Australian Open (d Murray)
YTD W-L: 11-0
YTD Titles: 1
Career Titles: 19
Date of Birth: May 22, 1987
South African Airways 2011 ATP Ranking: 3
• Djokovic, 23, the two-time defending champion, comes in with a 19-2 career mark in Dubai in his fifth consecutive appearance…In his first two visits, he lost in the quarter-finals in 2007 (l. to Federer) and the semi-finals in 2008 (l. to Roddick)…Since that loss, has won 14 straight matches here with titles in 2009 (d. Ferrer) and last year (d. Youzhny)
• The Serb is on a career-best 13-match winning streak in ATP World Tour level play (33-3 in sets) going back to last season when he posted two wins in the Davis Cup final vs. France…His last loss came to Federer in the semi-finals at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London on Nov. 27, 2010
• At last month’s Australian Open, he rolled to the title dropping only one set, that coming to Croat Ivan Dodig in a second set tie-break in the second round…After that, beat countryman and No. 27 Viktor Troicki (now No. 18), No. 14 Nicolas Almagro, No. 6 Tomas Berdych, No. 2 Federer and No. 5 Murray
• Has a 19-13 career mark in finals and has won at least one ATP World Tour title every year since 2006
• He is trying to become the sixth active player on the ATP World Tour to win at least 20 career titles:
No.
Federer 67
Rafael Nadal 43
Andy Roddick 30
Lleyton Hewitt 28
Nikolay Davydenko 20
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Djokovic 19
Courtesy: ATP
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