Djokovic's demolition of Nadal in Miami may signal a turning of the tide on clay

Novak Djokovic jumping for joy on the Miami beach after his victory over Rafael Nadal in the Sony Open final

When Novak Djokovic ended up losing to Rafael Nadal in the semifinal of the 2013 French Open after a four-and-a-half hour long marathon, the post-match comments from analysts unfailingly mentioned the infamous collision that Djokovic had with the net while being up a break in the fifth set. The resultant what-ifs still linger on, now rising to the fore even more forcefully, in the wake of Djokovic’s win over Rafa at the Miami Open final that also heralded the start of the clay court season.

It is hard not to think about Djokovic’s straight-sets victory over Nadal without considering its possible repercussions over the course of next three months. Rarely does anyone defeat Rafa as thoroughly as Djokovic did on Sunday in Miami. ‘Utter domination’ doesn’t even begin to describe it, as Djokovic unleashed a systematic undermining of Rafa’s most effective weapons.

The creativity with which Djokovic broke down his opponent was as ingenious as it was simple. Even as one watched the match unravel for Rafa, it was scarcely believable that Djokovic was able to mount such a clinical performance and sustain it without once allowing the Spaniard to sneak back into the match. More often than not, Djokovic was able to use Nadal’s tactics against him – especially on match point, where Rafa came up to the net only to find himself out of place and watch Djokovic send the ball zipping past him for the final, match-winning, shot.

And that is where the loss could bode ill for Rafa in the upcoming swing on clay. Unlike other tested – and often failed – methods to trouble him, Djokovic kept hitting to the Spaniard’s forehand. It was a tactic that didn’t go unnoticed, and after the completion of the match, Djokovic was asked about the secret behind employing it to his advantage. The Serb’s response reflected his focus and match preparation; he spoke about how Rafa tended to veer towards his backhand side after serving, which he said left the whole forehand side of his court open for his opponent to exploit.

For all the slow starts that Djokovic has had to this season, his performances at Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami – the last two ensuring his second Indian Wells-Miami double – have surely given him a lot of confidence, cresting perhaps at the most opportune moment. At this point, there’s no denying that if anyone can cause problems for Rafa on clay, even to the extent of derailing him once again from winning his 14th Major and most importantly, his ninth French Open title, it is Djokovic.

While at the start of the season Djokovic seemed vulnerable – though not self-doubting – these two titles have eliminated all traces of hesitancy from Djokovic’s game, making him an even bigger threat in the process.

A thought does however pop up into the mind: would a different result have made Nadal the favourite to win all tournaments on clay? It may have. But to be quite honest, the chances of Rafa winning the Miami final against Djokovic were not very large, though the proceedings may have been predicted to be somewhat closer than the eventual 6-3, 6-3 score-line. Then again, the slight edge that Djokovic held going into the Miami final wasn’t in relation to Rafa’s game but more because of the way Djokovic’s game was shaping up and his supremacy on hardcourts. Not in this tournament alone, but when seen in totality spanning Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami, and his career as a whole.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic after their epic French Open semifinal match in 2013

Djokovic’s game is complete and balanced, with both his defence and offence near-impenetrable. While the change of surfaces will indeed impact the relativity of ease with which Djokovic managed to rule the roost in America, it still won’t be easy sailing for Rafa. Or for that matter, any other player who could runs into the Serb.

Along with the impeccability of his game, Djokovic is also back to displaying the mental toughness that has come to define him these past few years. He’s undoubtedly confident, and he also has the assurance that he CAN outwit Rafa on clay, having defeated him thrice on the dirt in the past.

It’s true though that in the majority of their matches on clay, Djokovic hasn’t been able to convert his initial advantage, which allowed Rafa to get into his head and unsettle him. It happened in that ill-timed smash winner that Djokovic tried to hit from the net in last year’s French Open semi-final that changed the complete course of the game thereafter, and in the legendary Madrid final in 2009 when the Serb failed to convert match points.

Right now, all of this is still conjecture; there are still two months of tennis to be played before the French Open starts, and a lot can happen between then and now. But if momentum means anything in the sport, then you’d have to think that a lot is in Djokovic’s hands right now; it’s up to him to continue this dream run right up to the culmination of the second Major of the season, or shatter it as completely as he shattered Rafa’s game in Miami, leaving behind yet another backdrop of what-ifs for himself and his fans to rue…