Kei Nishikori is just one win away from claiming his maiden Masters 1000 title as he prepares for his 12th meeting with Novak Djokovic in the final of the Rogers Cup.
The world No.6 strolled into the final after overcoming an erratic Stan Wawrinka 7-6(6), 6-1. Nishikori’s win was his first over a top 5 player since the 2014 US Open, when he stunned Djokovic in four sets. Since that momentous occasion for Japanese tennis, Nishikori has suffered eight consecutive losses to the world No.1.
“I think it’s going to be interesting.” Nishikori said about the upcoming final.
“I haven’t beat Novak for a long time on a hard court.”
Sunday’s encounter in Canada will be an historic occasion regardless of who takes the title. A win would make Nishikori the first player from his country to win a Masters title. Meanwhile, Djokovic has a chance to become the first player in history to win 30 titles in the category. With a lot at stake for both players, the third seed is hoping that he will be able to redeem himself following his straight sets loss to the top seed at this year’s Miami Masters.
“I think it’s going to be a great challenge for me to play Novak again in the final, because we played in Miami and he kind of dominated that game. So I hope I can hey revenge this time.” The 26-year-old said.
Nishikori isn’t the only player seeking redemption. Djokovic is also eager to clinch the Canadian title to re-establish himself as the world’s best after his shock third round loss to Sam Querrey at the Wimbledon Championships. Looking ahead to his clash with the world No.6, the Serbian is quietly confident about dashing the hopes of his opponent.
“Kei is one of the quickest players we have on tour. He loves to play very close to the line. We played a couple times this year.” Djokovic said about the Japanese player.
“I know what to do tactically. I have played him many times. I will try to prepare for that match and eventually get a win.” He later added.
In their head-to-head, Nishikori trails 2-9 to Djokovic. Besides his US Open triumph, the 26-year-old has also defeated Djokovic at the 2011 Basel Open. Nishikori’s task of grabbing his third win in Toronto is a tough mission, but it is certainly not an impossible one.
The men’s final is scheduled to start at 21:00 GMT.
