Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-4 at the Madrid Masters on May 8, 2011.
Was it expected?
Yes and no.
Yes, because Nole is on an unbeaten streak, second only to McEnroe’s 42 in 1984.
No, because it was in Spain, on clay and against Rafael Nadal.
You think that maybe he’s vulnerable , that maybe, just maybe, the challenge of Djokovic and the younger brigade is too much to push back; it’s just too much pressure to hold on but then along comes clay season, and Rafael Nadal rises to the occasion, undulating effortlessly to the top.
“You can’t touch me here, I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” is what the Majorcan sings out, scything through the field like a knife through melted butter.
This Sunday, it was the Barcelona Open making it two out of two for the Spaniard on his favourite surface this year.
Once again, it was his compatriot David Ferrer who succumbed to the No. 1’s might.