Djokovic Handles Nadal First Hard Court Loss This Year

By hugree on October 6th, 2013

Novak Djokovic lost his top ranking to the resurgent Rafael Nadal, but lost no time in gaining some consolation with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over the Spaniard to claim the China Open on Sunday for the fourth time in five years. The victory marked the first loss this season on hard court for Nadal in 2013 after winning his last 26 matches. He was also on a 22-match winning streak since losing in the first round at Wimbledon on June 24. “Rafa deserves to be number one this year with the season he’s had. I’m happy to be playing well,” Djokovic said after his victory. Both men are seeded to meet in the final in Shanghai, a Masters 1000 where Roger Federer will be playing for the first time since the US Open.