By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, April 3, 2015
Novak Djokovic defeated John Isner, 7-6 (3), 6-2, to advance to the Miami final for the sixth time where he will face Andy Murray.
Photo credit: @MiamiOpen
The crocodile on John Isner's cap was swimming in sweat a couple of games into the match, while Novak Djokovic bounced around the baseline like a man just getting warmed up.
A razor-sharp Djokovic shredded Isner's second serve and showed plenty of bite from the baseline scoring a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory to roar into the Miami final for the sixth time.
More: Murray Dismisses Berdych to Reach Miami Final
Continuing his quest to become the first man to sweep successive Indian Wells and Miami titles three different times, Djokovic will face Andy Murray in Sunday's final that is a rematch of the Australian Open final.
At its core, this semifinal pitted one of the game's most explosive servers against its most devastating returner.
Score one for the returner.
A tennis truism states you're only as good as your second serve. Djokovic was exceptional on the second delivery, giving Isner few second chances. The world No. 1 won 71 percent of Isner's second serve points, while winning 72 percent of his own second-serve points.
"It is important to hang in there mentally, be patient, kind of make him play. That's what I've done," Djokovic said. " I put a lot of pressure on his second serves, moved him around the court, always made him play extra shot, had some variety in the game. I used the court very well, and just pleased with the performance. "
The world No. 1 also out-aced Isner, 10 to 9, and did not face a break point. It was a commanding performance from Djokovic, who hit 25 winners against only eight errors, moved beautifully, extended the court and used his elastic reach to flick back returns and make the six-foot-10 American work hard to hold.
Returning the missile that is Isner's serve requires homework, guesswork and the fast reactions of a goalie swiping a slap shot right out of the air. Djokovic attacked second serves early and put a premium on placement, sometimes drilling the ball right back at the big man's feet.
"You're just trying to instinctively react, because the first serve of John Isner for a returner is a bit of a gamble if you're in right position or you anticipate or you sometimes rely on the statistic and the pattern that he uses, I mean, the serves that he likes to use in particular moments," Djokovic explained. "So it's a little bit of everything obviously, and you need to do your homework. Generally I think it's just a reaction and a good anticipation on the first. A second serve it's more predictable, so you try to attack it, you try to take advantage of it."
The good news for Isner was his arm was loose from the start. He blasted a few 133 mph serves in his opening service game and slashed an ace down the middle to hold. The bad news was the flexible Djokovic was reading the second serve and stabbing back returns. He forced Isner to play a demanding 14-point service game that left the big man dripping sweat and shaking his head.
Isner, who slammed so many one-minute service holds against U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori in the prior round, knew he'd have to work much harder against Djokovic.
It took Isner three smashes to end a point in the second game. Isner eventually issued his 50th consecutive hold of the tournament for 2-2, but paid a physical price playing 26 points to earn a pair of holds. By that point, the back of his blue Lacoste shirt was saturated with sweat.
Locked at deuce in the ninth game, Djokovic went hit a 105 mph slice serve out wide and Isner took a massive rip, but missed the forehand return wide. Djokovic withstood that turbulence for 5-4.
Serving to force the tie break, Isner ripped a forehand winner down the line to open the game and built a 40-0 lead, but could not close. Nudging a backhand volley into net to fall to deuce. He botched two backhand volleys in a row — the first playing an out-ball and second into net off a low pass — and looked a bit worn out pacing around the court.
But Isner kept pushing forward, using a bounce-smash, serve winner and a slice ace down the middle to secure his 54th consecutive hold of the tournament and force the tie break.
A darting return drew a backhand error as the top seed gained the mini break. Djokovic drained two more errors to extend the lead to 4-1. A wild backhand down the line from Djokovic gave one mini-break back as Isner closed to 3-5. But the reigning champion curled an ace wide for triple set point. He needed only one.
Cornering Isner on his forehand side, Djokovic crunched a crosscourt backhand taking a physical opening set in 59 minutes.
When Isner poked a stiff-legged backhand into net to drop to 0-30, it was clear his movement was compromised.
"I thought I made him work for his serves games a lot from the beginning," Djokovic said. "I thought that that has influenced a little bit his physicality. I think towards the end of the first and beginning of the second set he already felt a bit exhausted, and I wanted to use the opportunity and the early break in the second to open the door for me. That's when I felt like I could start swinging through, and played a great second set."
The four-time champion wisely kept his backhand pass low and Isner netted a lunging volley to face triple break point. Trying to find the line with his forehand, he landed the alley instead. Djokovic scored the first break of the night for a 2-1 advantage that had a feeling of finality about it.
Backing up the break at love, Djokovic went back to work on the big man's legs. Tormenting Isner with the low slice backhand, Djokovic drew a weary backhand into the net, breaking for the second straight time for 4-1. Djokovic closed his most commanding performance of the tournament in 90 minutes and will play for his 22nd Masters Series crown on Sunday.
Advancing to his fourth final of the year and 32nd career Masters final, Djokovic knows what to expect against former junior rival Murray. Djokovic has won six straight against the two-time former Miami champion, including a 6-2, 6-3 sweep in Indian Wells last month. Djokovic broke four times in that match and has dominated this rivalry recently because he's punished the Scot's second serve and protected his own with much greater vigilance.
Murray's last win over Djokovic came in the 2013 Wimbledon final and he'll try to impose a home-court advantage on the Crandon Park stadium that's his off-season training home. Djokovic will carry the mental edge that comes from six straight wins, a 17-8 advantage in their head-to-head encounters and the knowledge he has mastered the margins, and emotions, more effectively in their recent meetings.
"The fact that I won I think last six, seven matches that we played against each other, especially the one just recently in Indian Wells, gives me confidence and maybe a slight mental advantage," Djokovic said. "But we're talking about small margins. That's always the case when we play against each other. Very few points, details can decide a winner. We have very similar games. "