Road to Roland Garros Ends: The final two clay court tournaments before Roland Garros get underway on Sunday in Nice and Geneva. Between both tournaments 10 of the Top 30 in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in action. This will be the culmination of 12 clay court tournaments over seven weeks leading into the second Grand Slam tournament of the season.

Open De Nice Cote D’Azur (Nice): The seventh edition of the Open De Nice Cote D’Azur is held at the prestigious Nice Lawn Tennis Club, featuring five of the Top 30 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Nice is one of five ATP World Tour tournament held in France, along with Marseille, Metz, Montpellier and Paris-Bercy.

Leading the way is Austrian Dominic Thiem, who is the top seed followed by Gilles Simon, Kevin Anderson, Benoit Paire and Joao Sousa. The other seeds are Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi and Alexander Zverev.

Thiem Top Seed/Reigning Champion: Reigning champion Dominic Thiem is the top seed in an ATP World Tour tournament for the second time in his career (‘15 Kitzbuehel – won). The 22-year-old Austrian is putting together a career-best season with two titles (Buenos Aires, Acapulco), a runner-up (Munich) and two semi-finals. He enters Nice with a 32-10 match record, second-most wins behind Novak Djokovic. Last year he came into Nice ranked No. 42 and dropped only one set en route to his maiden ATP World Tour title (d. L. Mayer).

Next Generation Stars: There are four teenagers of the Next Generation group making their Nice debut: Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Hyeon Chung and Quentin Halys (WC).

Frenchmen Lead the Way: There are a tournament-high five Frenchmen in the main draw, leading with No. 2 seed Gilles Simon and No. 4 Benoit Paire. Simon is 5-3 in Nice, reaching the semi-finals in 2012 and 1014 and quarter-finals in 2013. Paire is looking for his first main draw win (0-3).

Baker is Back: Brian Baker, who reached his first career ATP World Tour final in Nice in 2012 (l. to Almagro) as a qualifier, is playing here for the first time since then. He was ranked No. 216 at the time and later that year in October he reached a career-high No. 52. The 31-year-old American is playing on a protected Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 56. This is his third ATP World Tour tournament of the season. He lost in the first round at the Australian Open and ATP Masters 1000 Miami. He also reached the second round at two Challengers on clay.

Turnaround on Clay: Jiri Vesely struggled with a 1-7 hard court record but since switching to clay last month, the Czech left-hander has compiled a 9-3 record with a semi-final in Marrakech and quarter-finals in Istanbul. He also beat No. 1 Djokovic at Monte-Carlo.

Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open (Geneva): The Geneva Open is being held for the second straight year time at the Tennis Club de Geneve at the Parc des Faux-Vives, the oldest and largest tennis club in Switzerland. Last year the tournament returned to the ATP World Tour for the first time since 1991.The tournament, which relocated from Duesseldorf. With the addition of Geneva, there are three Swiss tournaments on the ATP World Tour calendar (Gstaad, Basel). Leading the way in the field as the top two seeds are Stan Wawrinka and David Ferrer, a wild card entry. The others are another wild card: Marin Cilic, John Isner, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Federico Delbonis, Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey.

Stan the Man: This is the second straight year Wawrinka is the top seed in Geneva and the 15^th overall time in his career (third of the season). He’s won three of his last six titles as the top seed in 2015-16. He has five career titles as the top seed.

Bellucci Reigning Champion: Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci returns as reigning champion. Last year Bellucci defeated Joao Sousa 76 64 in the final to capture his fourth career ATP World Tour title, third on Swiss soil (2009, ’12 Gstaad). Bellucci is coming off a third-round showing ATP Masters 1000 Rome where he lost in three sets to Djokovic. Bellucci’s best result of the year is a finalist in Quito (l. to Estrella Burgos).

Cilic, Isner Return to Action: Marin CIlic and John Isner are playing in their first European clay court tournament of the season after being sidelined with knee injuries. In fact, this is Cilic’s first clay court event of the season and his last tournament came at ATP Masters 1000 Miami in March. Isner’s last tournament came in Houston (SF) last month. The top American is two match wins away from 300 in his career (298-184).

Ferrer Top 10 Streak Ends: Ferrer’s streak of 291 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 Emirates ATP Rankings came to an end (May 16) after his third-round exit in Rome (l. to Pouille).  The last time Ferrer was not in the Top 10 was Oct. 4, 2010 at No. 11.

Janko Continues Comeback: Former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic is playing in his first ATP World Tour tournament of the season and first at this level since last year’s US Open. His only activity this year were at the Ostrava and Heilbronn Challengers. Tipsarevic returned to action last April in Houston after being sidelined nearly 18 months from the end of 2013 and all of 2014 due to a persistent foot injury.

In Case You Missed It

Birthday boy Andy Murray topped Novak Djokovic in the Rome final. Read

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan overcame Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock to claim the Rome doubles title. Read

A decade ago, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played a match to remember in Rome. Read

Novak Djokovic ran into an unusual problem during his semi-final win in Rome. Read

#NextGen star Karen Khachanov is using the ATP Challengers Tour as a stepping stone. Read

Birthdays

16 May – Grigor Dimitrov (25)

18 May – Kevin Anderson (30), Tatsumo Ito (28)

22 May – Novak Djokovic (29)

Milestones

Geneva Singles

John Isner – 298

Nice – Singles

Andreas Seppi – 297

Joao Sousa – 99

Dominic Thiem – 96

Nice Doubles

Andreas Seppi – 99

Chris Guccione – 96

Rankings Movers

+27 – Juan Monaco (87)

+22 – Sergiy Stakhovsky (96)

+21 – Lucas Pouille (31)

+14 – Stephane Robert (89)

+3 – Nicolas Mahut (45)

Andy Murray finally dropped the hammer on Novak Djokovic.

On a slow clay court under rainy skies in Rome, Murray dialed up more power, improved his court position, and attacked the net in crucial moments to soundly defeat Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3 in the final of International BNL d’Italia.

It was a commanding performance from the Brit, displaying a clear change in his defensive tactics that have only yielded one victory in the last 13 matches against the Serb. In the Madrid final last week, Murray totaled 22 winners in 26 games, losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to Djokovic. In Rome, he hit two more winners (24) in eight less games. The offensive switch was clearly flicked to ‘on” for this gladiatorial battle.

Groundstroke Superiority
Murray hit eight forehand groundstroke winners, with six standing inside the baseline, finishing off the point with commanding court position. Djokovic only had four forehand winners for the match, while committing 22 errors (15 groundstroke / 7 return).

In the Madrid final a week ago, which is more conducive to hitting harder in the higher altitude, Murray’s average groundstroke speed was 106km/h (66mph). With Murray leading 6-2, 1-1 in the Rome final, his average groundstroke speed was ramped up to 114km/h (71mph). It’s important to factor in the Rome final was played in a light rain for a significant period, and right at sea level. Murray’s increased power level was pre-meditated – not the result of his surroundings.

In the opening set, Murray’s increased speed from the back of the court powered him to win a substantial 64 per cent (21/33) of the baseline points, owning the world number one’s typical area of expertise.

Finishing at Net
A direct flow-on factor from Murray’s bigger ground game was the ability to extract shorter balls from Djokovic to finish points at net. Murray only won 38 per cent (5/13) at net in the Madrid final last week, but won a very healthy 76 per cent (13/17) in Rome.

The all-court pressure made the wolves howl in Djokovic’s mind, compounding his problems under foot in the heavy conditions. At all levels of the game, when frustration takes over between the points, it’s basically impossible to navigate your way successfully to the finish line during the point.

Drop Shots
There were 17 drop shots hit in 18 games, with Djokovic winning 56 per cent (5/9) and Murray winning 63 per cent (5/8). It was a smart secondary tactic from both players that was typically employed after a deep groundstroke, that then opened up the front of the court to be exploited.

One Crucial Serve & Volley Point
Djokovic did have a shot to get back into the match, earning a break point early in the second set with Murray serving at 1-2, 30/40.  Djokovic split-stepped to cover Murray’s favorite sliding serve down the middle T, but Murray was mentally a step ahead, serving wide to Djokovic’s stronger backhand return with his only serve-and-volley play of the match.

On a huge point, on a damp clay court, Murray pulled out exactly the right surprise tactic with the match in the balance. He knocked off an easy forehand volley winner to stop the Serb in his tracks. It was just one point, but the aggression and timing said plenty about how Murray was taking the result into his own hands.

It also showed a keen understanding of avoiding a baseline exchange at that juncture of the match, as the Serb had won 75 per cent (12/16) of baseline points to date in Set 2.

At Ad Out, Murray mixed back down the middle T with a big sliding first serve that Djokovic returned long. A step ahead in the mind games once again.

Stepping Up on 2nd Serve
Djokovic had another small window of opportunity to get back into the match with Murray serving 4-3, 30-30 in Set 2. Murray missed his first serve, and had lost all seven of his second serve points so far in the set. Throughout Murray’s career, he has typically spun his second serve in around the 140km/h mark (86mph), but on this decisive point, he crushed a 170km/h (105mph) second serve, winning the point three shots later as Djokovic sailed a backhand long.

Big moment. Big serve. Fortune favours the brave Scot.

What was the first thing that Novak Djokovic said to Andy Murray after the Brit topped him in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final on Sunday?

“I wished him happy birthday and just to enjoy the time with his family,” Djokovic, a fellow family man, recounted. “I know that his wife, Kim, and [daughter] Sophia were here. I know as a young father how much it means to you when your family is on the road and when you get to have at least a couple of days alone with them. That’s what I wished him.”

The World No. 1 was no doubt disappointed after losing a big match to a rival, but the pair’s commonalities only added to Djokovic’s respect for the champion, who, on his 29th birthday, became the first British man since 1931 to win in Rome.

“Of course, you don’t like to lose, but, you’ve got to congratulate the better player. Andy deserved to win,” Djokovic said. “To compete with him in the long exchanges that we tend to have in our encounters required a lot of energy and a better performance from me, which didn’t happen.

“Andy was the better player. He was the player who had the best form throughout this week. I think he’s using the court better now [than in previous years]. He has more variety in his shots from the baseline.”

While Murray won all 10 sets played this week, Djokovic laboured to reach the final. The defending champion edged Stephane Robert 7-5, 7-5 in the second round, overcame a 0-6 first set against Thomaz Bellucci in the third round and needed a deciding tie-break to see off Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals.

“I had a long couple of weeks, especially the last couple of days. I knew it was going to be an uphill battle against Andy today,” Djokovic said. “I’m glad I managed to get to the final, because in a couple of matches I’ve had to come back from one-set deficits. All in all, it was very good two weeks after dropping out in Monte-Carlo early [against Jiri Vesely]. I needed this kind of results. I got what I was looking for, which is lot of matches.

“My confidence level is high because of the many matches that I have won this year on this surface and all the other surfaces, so I don’t feel that I’m doubtful or that I’m shaken up by this loss.”

Andy Murray celebrated his 29th birthday by lifting the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title. He is the first British man to win at the Foro Italico since Patrick Hughes in 1931.

Murray, who will return to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday, defeated four-time champion No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3 in the final for his 12th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy. It broke Djokovic’s 17-match winning streak against Top 10 opponents.

Murray earned 1,000 Emirates ATP Rankings points and €717,315 in prize money with his first ATP World Tour title since July 2015 at the Rogers Cup in Montreal (d. Djokovic). He is now 22-5 on the season.

Murray broke Djokovic in the fourth game of the 47-minute first set, which was contested in light drizzle. The Scot saved three break points prior to breaking Djokovic for a 3-2 lead in the second set. Murray then hit a running backhand winner to break Djokovic to 15 and complete his 10th win in their 34-match series. It was also his first victory over Djokovic on clay.

Read How The Rome Final Was Won

Had Djokovic won, the Serbian would have become the first tennis player to exceed $100,000,000 in prize money and extend his own record with a 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 singles title.

Djokovic earned 600 points and €351,715 in prize money. He is currently tied at No. 7 on the all-time titles leaders list with Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras on 64 crowns. The World No. 1 is now 37-3 on the season, which includes five titles.

In 1931, Hughes defeated France’s Henri Cochet 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 for the Italian title.

* FINALS PREVIEW: In a re-match of the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid final, and perhaps a preview of the Roland Garros final, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will meet for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title on Sunday. Serving for the Madrid title, the World No. 1 saved seven break points to complete a 62 36 63 victory over Murray on May 8. Should he capture his fifth Rome championship, Djokovic would become the first tennis player to exceed $100,000,000 in prize money and extend his own record with a 30th ATP Masters 1000 singles title.

Watch Singles & Doubles Finals Live Online

Murray is also making history this week as the first Brit to reach the Rome final in the Open Era. He will return to No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday just in time for Roland Garros seedings. A key to Murray’s success of late has been his improvement on clay. He had a 63-37 clay-court record with no finals appearances entering the 2015 season. Murray is 28-3 on clay since then, highlighted by back-to-back titles at Munich and Madrid last May. However, Murray is 0-4 against Djokovic on clay and 9-23 overall, losing 12 of 13 meetings since the 2013 Wimbledon final.

With Djokovic and Murray in the Rome final, a member of the Big Four is ensured to win the title at a 17th consecutive ATP Masters 1000 event. Djokovic, Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will have also combined to win 47 of the last 50 ATP Masters 1000 titles. In Rome, no player outside the Big Four has reached the final since David Ferrer finished as the runner-up in 2010. Murray needed under an hour to defeat Lucas Pouille in the semi-finals, while Djokovic’s match against Kei Nishikori lasted more than three hours and finished at 11:13 pm local time.

The doubles final features three-time Rome champions Bob and Mike Bryan against Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock, who are in the Top 50 of both singles and doubles. The teams will meet for the sixth time in less than two years. Pospisil and Sock stunned the Bryans in five sets to cap their first event as a team with the 2014 Wimbledon title. They lead the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head 3-2, though the Bryans’ wins came in ATP Masters 1000 finals at 2014 Cincinnati and 2015 Miami.

FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS: SINGLES AND DOUBLES FINALS

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [2] Andy Murray (GBR) Djokovic Leads 23-9
06 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Hard R16 Novak Djokovic 1-6 7-5 6-3
07 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3
07 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-0
08 ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo Clay R16 Novak Djokovic 6-0 6-4
08 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (Canada) Hard QF Andy Murray 6-3 7-6(3)
08 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 7-6(4) 7-6(5)
09 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 6-2 7-5
11 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-2 6-3
11 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 3-6 7-6(2)
11 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 6-4 3-0 ret
12 Australian Open (Australia) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-3 3-6 6-7(4) 6-1 7-5
12 Dubai (U.A.E.) Hard SF Andy Murray 6-2 7-5
12 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-1 7-6(4)
12 London Olympics (Great Britain) Grass SF Andy Murray 7-5 7-5
12 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard F Andy Murray 7-6(10) 7-5 2-6 3-6 6-2
12 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard F Novak Djokovic 5-7 7-6(11) 6-3
12 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-3 7-5
13 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-7(2) 7-6(3) 6-3 6-2
13 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass F Andy Murray 6-4 7-5 6-4
14 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard QF Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3
14 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard QF Novak Djokovic 7-6(1) 6-7(1) 6-2 6-4
14 Beijing (China) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4
14 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard QF Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-2
15 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0
15 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3
15 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard F Novak Djokovic 7-6(3) 4-6 6-0
15 Roland Garros (France) Clay SF Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 5-7 5-7 6-1
15 ATP Masters 1000 Montréal (Canada) Hard F Andy Murray 6-4 4-6 6-3
15 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard SF Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-3
15 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-4
16 Australian Open (Australia) Hard F Novak Djokovic 6-1 7-5 7-6(3)
16 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (Spain) Clay F Novak Djokovic 6-2 3-6 6-3

Djokovic 2016 FastFacts
W (5): Doha (d. Nadal); Australian Open (d. Murray); ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. Raonic); ATP Masters 1000 Miami (d. Nishikori); ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (d. Murray); QF: Dubai (l. to Lopez)
YTD W-L: 37-2 (9-1 on clay)
YTD Titles: 5 / Career Titles: 64
Date of Birth: May 22, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 1 (Career-High)
Rome W-L (Best Result): 38-5 (2008, 2011, 2014-15 Champion)

• Tournament Note: Seeking 6th title in last 7 ATP Masters 1000 events and 11th in last 15 (DNP 2015 Madrid)
• Tied Emerson’s all-time record with 6th Australian Open title (d. No. 2 Murray)
• Moved into tie with Laver and Borg for 5th all-time with 11 Grand Slam men’s singles titles
• Won a 5-set match en route to title for 7th time at a major, overcoming 100 unforced errors in 4R (d. Simon)
• Swept Indian Wells (d. Raonic) and Miami (d. Nishikori) for 3rd straight year and 4th time overall
• Added Madrid title for record-setting 29th ATP Masters 1000 championship (d. No. 2 Murray)
• Captured 60th career title to start season at Doha, not dropping a set all week (d. No. 5 Nadal)
• Became 3rd active player to reach 700 wins by beating Jaziri in Dubai 2R on Feb. 24 (also Federer, Nadal)
• Fell 1 shy of Lendl’s Open-Era record 18 straight finals when eye problem forced ret in Dubai QF (l. to Lopez)
• Had not retired since 2011 Davis Cup SF vs. del Potro, a stretch of 350 matches (318-32)
• Defeated Nedovyesov in 3 sets and Kukushkin in 5 sets to help Serbia beat Kazakhstan 3-2 in Davis Cup 1R

Murray 2016 FastFacts
F (2): Australian Open (l. to Djokovic); ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Djokovic); SF: ATP Masters
1000 Monte-Carlo (l. to Nadal)
YTD W-L: 21-5 (11-2 on clay)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 35
Date of Birth: May 15, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 3
Rome W-L (Best Result): 13-9 (2016 Finalist)

• Event Note: Finalist in 8 of 9 ATP Masters 1000 events during his career (all but Monte-Carlo)
• Fell to 0-5 in Australian Open finals with 4th championship match loss to No. 1 Djokovic
• With older brother Jamie, became 1st brothers in Open Era to reach singles and doubles finals at same major
• Beat No. 8 Berdych and No. 5 Nadal en route to ATP Masters 1000 Madrid final (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Lost 3-setters in Indian Wells 3R (l. to Delbonis), Miami 3R (l. to Dimitrov) and Monte-Carlo SF (l. to No. 5 Nadal)
• Improved to 20-7 in 5-setters with wins over Raonic in Australian Open SF and No. 6 Nishikori in Davis Cup 1R
• Extended Davis Cup win streak to 14 matches with 3 victories to lead Great Britain past Japan 3-1

[5] Bob Bryan (USA)/Mike Bryan (USA) vs [8] Vasek Pospisil (CAN)/Jack Sock (USA) – Pospisil/Sock Leads 3-2
14 Wimbledon (Great Britain) Grass F Pospisil/Sock 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-4 3-6 7-5
14 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (U.S.A.) Hard F Bryan/Bryan 6-3 6-2
15 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells Hard QF Pospisil/Sock 6-4 6-4
15 ATP Masters 1000 Miami (U.S.A.) Hard F Bryan/Bryan 6-3 1-6 [10-8] 15 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France) Hard QF Pospisil/Sock 7-6(3) 6-3

• Bryan/Bryan beat Johnson/Querrey 46 63 13-11 in 2R (saved 3 MPs), [4] J. Murray/Soares 63 64 in QF and [PR] Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin 67(5) 62 10-7 in SF (finished Sunday at 1:05 am)
• American twins are 21-8 this season and 976-299 lifetime — most team wins in Open Era
• Own 111-53 record as a team in finals, including 35-18 mark in ATP Masters 1000 finals
• Winners in their last 6 ATP Masters 1000 finals and 13 of last 14
• Saved 2 MPs in Houston 1R vs. Kudla/Young en route to 110th team title (d. Estrella Burgos/S. Gonzalez)
• Followed with 111th title at Barcelona (d. Kubot/Matkowski, Huey/Mirnyi and Cuevas/Granollers)
• Passed Connors’ 109 singles championships for most ATP World Tour titles ever in singles or doubles
• Defeated Hewitt/Peers in 5 sets to improve to 13-0 in Davis Cup road matches (USA d. AUS 3-1)
• Lost 3 matches with combined 17 MPs: Memphis 1R vs. Krajicek/Monroe (3 MPs), Delray Beach final vs. Marach/Martin (6 MPs) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells QF vs. Roger-Vasselin/Zimonjic (8 MPs)
• Dropped to No. 9 and No. 10 in Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings on Apr. 18 (lowest since Aug. 26, 2002)

• Pospisil/Sock beat Huey/Mirnyi 76(6) 64 in 2R, Cuevas/Granollers 64 76(4) in QF and [6] Bopanna/Mergea 76(4) 76(2) in SF
• Canadian and American are 10-4 this season and 49-18 lifetime
• Own 4-4 record in finals, including 1-4 mark in ATP Masters 1000 finals
• Champions at 2015 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (d. Bolelli/Fognini)
• First team since Hewitt/Mirnyi at 2000 US Open to capture major title in debut (d. Bryan/Bryan at ’14 Wimbledon)
• Also won titles at 2014 Atlanta (d. Johnson/Querrey) and 2015 Beijing (d. Nestor/Roger-Vasselin)
• In 2016, reached Australian Open QF (l. to Cuevas/Granollers) and ATP Masters 1000 final (l. to Herbert/Mahut)
• FedEx ATP H2H: Sock defeated Pospisil in their lone singles meeting 62 64 in 2016 Auckland 2R

On a hot spring afternoon in Rome, under the stately pine trees at the Foro Italico, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were the focus of the tennis world.

Federer, already considered an all-time great, was the dominant force on the ATP World Tour. But a teenager in a sleeveless top and pirate shorts, striking vicious forehands, had established a psychological advantage with victory over the World No. 1 in four of their previous five meetings.

As a result, the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on 14 May 2006 became terrific theatre, a ‘must-see’ for sports’ lovers, let along fans, media and those closely associated with professional tennis.

“It was an unforgettable match, five hours and something,” Nadal told ATPWorldTour.com. “It was an unbelievable comeback for me in the fifth. I think for both of us, it was a very, very high level. We enjoyed it and we had fun. Both of us had chances to win the match. For me it was great to be part of that match.”

Federer told ATPWorldTour.com, “I remember the five-hour battle, the crowds were unbelievable. I also think the level of the match was big; Rafa and I were both at the top of our games.”

Nadal had beaten Federer in a thrilling Monte-Carlo final three weeks earlier. Federer had remarked afterwards, “I’ve got to play aggressive. He leaves me no choice.”

Throughout the Rome final, the Swiss adopted serve and volley tactics sparingly, punched precisely into the corners and followed his strokes to the net to keep Nadal off balance and leave the court wide open. “I worked my forehand way more than in Monaco,” said Federer, who won 64 of his 84 points at the net. “I also did more with my backhand too.”

Federer controlled play in the majority of the opening two sets, but out of the blue Nadal gained a set point opportunity when Federer served at 4-5, 30/40. Federer saved it with a terrific lunge volley, as Nadal looked certain to pass him down the line. When Federer lost a 4/2 lead in the tie-break, Nadal, undeterred, wrestled away the momentum.

Later, World No. 2 Nadal broke a net-rushing Federer with a backhand crosscourt pass at 2-2 in the third set and had chances to break early in the fourth, only to see Federer step up with forehand winners in the first game. Federer was off the hook and broke Nadal’s serve at 1-2, when the Spaniard anticipated a cross-court stroke only to see Federer strike a forehand winner down the line.

Federer continued to attack and went on to gain a stranglehold at 4-1 in the fifth set. Nadal then started to hit his groundstrokes within one yard of the baseline and targeted Federer’s single-handed backhand with his vicious topspin to work his way back into the match. But Federer’s level did not drop in his 13th consecutive final appearance.

He held two championship points after Nadal hit the first double fault of the match at 5-6, 15/30. The Swiss squandered hit first opportunity with a backhand long, then rushed a forehand down the line to let Nadal off the hook. “I tried to hit a winner, why not?” said Federer, who finished on 89 unforced errors. “I didn’t try to totally hit a winner, but tried to play aggressive and I was a little late on it. I couldn’t get quite over the first point in time. I guess, the first match point cost me the match.”

Despite the setback, Federer went on to lead 5/3 in the tie-break only to mis-hit a forehand for a three-point cushion. “He caught me right on the finish line,” said Federer. Nadal went on to play nerve-free tennis to win four straight points, falling to the crushed brick at the end of a brutal, exciting five-hour and six-minute encounter. “It was more difficult for me to play against him here,” said Nadal, who had not lost a clay-court match in more than 12 months. “It was a very emotional match… This one is special. It’s unbelievable for me.”

At 19 years of age, Nadal had tied Guillermo Vilas’ Open Era record of 53 straight match wins on a clay, which had stood since an October 1977 loss in Aix-en-Provence to Ilie Nastase, who played with a subsequently outlawed spaghetti racquet. Nadal admitted, “Before each tournament, I’m always thinking, ‘this week I’m going to lose.’ But I have been lucky this year and won.” The win, Nadal’s 13th straight final triumph, also tied Bjorn Borg’s record for 16 titles won as a teenager.

It had taken Nadal eight minutes longer to beat Guillermo Coria in the previous year’s final, but the Spaniard’s 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5) victory over Federer firmly cemented their rivalry for the ages.

Just as millions had done in years past for matches featuring Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, fans decisively took sides on 14 May 2006. Federer or Nadal, in support of their contrasting styles. Federer was the purists’ favourite, a classicist, while Nadal was the relentless, physical fighter.

Two years later, Federer and Nadal pushed the bar even higher in the 2008 Wimbledon final, widely considered the sport’s greatest match. “We played against each other on many occasions in a short period of time. It was a time when we met each other a lot in finals and Rome was one of the best, alongside the 2008 Wimbledon final,” Federer told ATPWorldTour.com. Today, Nadal leads 23-11 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Novak Djokovic spoke earlier this week about how staying injury-free has been the key to him remaining at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but the Serbian suffered a self-inflicted injury during his semi-final against Kei Nishikori at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome.

The World No. 1 attempted to clean his shoes with his racquet in the first game of the match, but instead ended up whacking his left ankle with the frame. Although Djokovic managed to hold serve that game, he received a medical timeout afterward to patch up a blister on his ankle bone.

“Awkward situation,” he admitted. “I hit myself pretty hard and actually have a bruised bone [that] was hurting for a while.”

Djokovic’s movement appeared compromised in the first set after his ankle snafu, but he found his speed as the match progressed. He continued to chase down balls after more three hours of play, but said that the pain in his ankle “returned towards the end of the match.” 

Although he acknowledged that the timing of the ankle problem isn’t ideal, Djokovic is confident that he will be able to move freely during Sunday’s championship match against Andy Murray.

“I hope that tomorrow it’s going to be fine,” he said. “I don’t have too much time to recover, but I have had these particular situations a few times in my career. I’ll try to get the best out of it and get on the court giving my all, as always.”

In typical fashion, Djokovic was able to find humor in the situation and jokingly offered some advice to recreational players.

“Message to all the kids out there,” he said. “Be aware, when you’re cleaning your shoes, make sure the frame hits your shoe.”