RICKY DIMON’S PREVIEW AND PICK FOR THE DUBAI FINAL: DJOKOVIC VS. FEDERER

Assuming not another injury, Saturday’s title match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will be the World Tour Finals final that wasn’t. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are set to square off for the 37th time in their careers.

 

Federer leads the head-to-head series 19-17, including 14-13 on hard courts. Djokovic had a chance even their records at 18-18 last fall in the Shanghai semifinals, but Federer cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 victory. The 33-year-old Swiss was later forced to withdraw due to a back injury at the O2 in London. Djokovic is 11-6 in 17 encounters since the start of the 2011 season. Federer is 2-1 against the Serb in Dubai and prevailing 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in last year’s semifinals.

 

Federer’s Dubai success is pretty much the stuff of legend. He is 46-5 lifetime at the event with six titles. The world No. 2 has been in cruise control this year while getting the best of Mikhail Youzhny, Fernando Verdasco, and Borna Coric without the loss of a set.

 

“He was just way too good for me,” Coric admitted. “I was feeling so rushed. I didn’t have any time to play my gameplan. I was just trying to hold in the rally as long as I could.”

 

Djokovic went on a mental vacation midway through what was once a dominant performance against Tomas Berdych on Friday, but he regrouped for a 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 win. The top seed previously dispatched Vasek Pospisil, Andrey Golubev, and Marsel Ilhan. Djokovic is 13-1 for his 2015 campaign with another Australian Open title to his credit.

 

“When you play Roger, it’s always a great challenge,” Djokovic cautioned. “If you want to win you have to play your best tennis, especially against Roger in the final of any event, but here particularly. Because I feel like this is the kind of a surface and conditions that it suits his game the best.”

 

The crowd support suits Federer, too, as he obviously spends plenty of time in Dubai throughout each year. Having the fans on his opponent’s side has often adversely affected Djokovic, just as it did at times earlier this season in Melbourne. It may not be the deciding factor in Saturday’s outcome, but it also won’t help the world No. 1. Federer, who as been the best player this week, has served at no less than 63 percent in all four of his matches. More of the same could see him through to the title.

 

Pick: Federer in 3

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Atp, Borna Coric, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai final, Novak Djokovic, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Tennis News, Tomas Berdych

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