Djokovic to face old foe Nadal in Qatar final

If you believe in it, if you, you know, dedicate yourself to it, why not? I am playing well, and I am going to work hard to try and be ready for Australia.

“If you think it was a great way to finish the year, lot of momentum, it was very positive, then no need to use it in a negative way. I definitely have that kind of mindset”, he continued. “They would be the two main ones for me”.

Djokovic faced the prospect of being taken to a decider when Mayer served for the second at 5-4, but the Serb reeled off three games in a row to reach yet another semi-final. “So hopefully till Australian Open it’s going to fade away”.

Djokovic has now made 16 straight finals and since the start of previous year, he’s won 12 events.

A fist-pumping Nadal qualified by beating Andrey Kuznetsov over three sets in an enthralling battle.

Reflecting back on a frustrating 2015, when his ranking fell to as low as No. 10 and he won only minor tournaments, Nadal said Thursday’s result showed that he was in a better state mentally. Djokovic is, unfortunately for Nadal, still the man to beat.

For Nadal, meanwhile, that emphatic loss at Roland Garros was just one of a number of low points in what was the most disappointing year for the Spaniard since he first burst onto the tour as a teenage prodigy over a decade ago.

Nadal’s match, however, will live longest in the memory. In that stretch, he has not lost a set to Nadal.

This was Djokovic’s most convincing victory against Nadal in their 47 meetings, a head-to-head he leads for the first time.

Wawrinka, the two-time defending champion who won his first title here in 2011 after finishing runner-up in 2010, dominated the 65-minute match against third-seeded Paire with his strong serve, and saved his lone break point in the second set.

There seemed little problem with the Serb’s serve either, as he went 3-0 with his fourth ace.

And while his achievements in 2015 will take some topping, the manner of Djokovic’s latest success suggests he is in no mood to let his level drop this year. “I played against a player who did everything flawless”.

Nadal added he was happy with his game other than his serve, which was broken four times.

It was all Djokovic from the beginning till the end as he applied consistent pressure on Nadal’s first serve.

The voluble Rafa faithful in Doha rallied but after the opening game of the ensuing set, their cries verged towards the futile.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will renew their rivalry in the final of the Qatar Open. Djokovic reeled off six straight games to take the first set and also edged a see-saw second. Nadal ended Illya Marchenko’s run before Djokovic got the best of Tomas Berdych.