Novak Djokovic, world number one tennis player, will come up against the power and resilience of Rafael Nadal in the final of the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open.
Djokovic, 31, breezed past his opponent, Lucas Pouille, in less than 90 minutes, defeating the Frenchman 6-0 6-2 6-2. The gulf in class was evident from the start, with the tournament’s number one seed taking the first set to love.
Djokovic was afforded extra rest prior to this match as his quarter final opponent, Kei Nishikori, retired in the second set due to injury, therefore giving the seven-time Australian Open winner extra batteries. This, he ruthlessly employed against Pouille, breaking the 28th-seed seven times and allowing him just four games in the entire match to set up the Nadal showdown, a dream final for enthusiasts.
Nadal had earlier shown his brute force against Roger Federer’s conqueror, Stefanos Tsitsipas, defeating the Greek wonderkid 6-2 6-4 6-0.
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The Spaniard, 33, did not allow the youngster settle into his Federer-like rhythm, harassing the 14th seed with 28 winners.
The 2009 winner hopes he can “play better” in the final as he bids to be the first person to win all four tennis Grand Slam tournaments twice.
Djokovic is aiming for his seventh Aussie Open title, while Nadal is gunning for his fourth title in Australia.
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The match will be played on Sunday.
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