Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on Saturday set up their third Monte Carlo Masters final meeting, with the Serb top seed the last obstacle to the Spaniard's pursuit of a ninth title.
Nadal is one win away from a record triumph at the Mediterranean venue and has already defeated World No 1 Djokovic in the tournament in 2009 and in 2012. Djokovic had a stress-free semi-final win over Italian Fabio Fognini, crushing the outsider 6-2, 6-1 in 52 minutes.
Knuckles bared: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. PICS/AFP
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Earlier, Nadal survived a storming comeback attempt from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before finally holding off the French sixth seed to win 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).
“I'm going to try to play my best match and try to get a chance to win the final,” said Nadal, who has now won 46 successive matches at the tournament.“He’s not the perfect opponent (for my game).
But if you don’t feel a special feeling when you are playing the final of Monte Carlo, you’d better go back home, play golf and go fishing.”
Both finalists have made huge strides this week, with Djokovic playing better each day on an injured ankle and Nadal regaining his confidence on clay, a surface on which he has dominated for nearly a decade.
Nadal has the edge in meetings between the pair and won three of their four clashes in 2012. u00a0Nadal stands one win away from an historic ninth straight trophy in the principality.
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