No clear-cut favourites in Nadal-Djokovic US Open final

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The tennis world is gearing up to see one of the most hard-fought rivalries unfold in front of its eyes when World No. 1 Novak Djokovic faces the second ranked Rafael Nadal in the US Open men's singles final on Monday.
Nadal has been unstoppable this year, having been unbeaten in 21 straight matches on hard courts. But Djokovic holds the overall edge on hard courts, with the Serb leading 11-6 against Nadal.
However, Nadal edges past Djokovic in the head-to-head meeting this year, 2-1, with the two involved in an epic battle in the French Open semi-finals.
In the first encounter between the two this year, Djokovic stunned the world by beating Nadal in Monte Carlo final.
However, Nadal has been on a roll since then, winning the next two encounters against the Serb, the other win coming in Rogers Cup Masters semis.
In the US Open, the two are even, winning a final each against each other. While Nadal won in 2010, Djokovic triumphed in 2011. Overall, Nadal leads 21-15 overall and 7-3 in majors against Djokovic.
But come Monday, it will be a different ball game when the two lock horns again in the season’s last major.
While Nadal has a rather smooth sailing into the final, beating Richard Gasquet in straight sets, Djokovic was stretched by Stanislas Wawrinka in the five-setter semi-final. The 21-minute game in the fifth set might take a toll on the Serb and he needs to cool off before the big game.
Not long ago, Djokovic had admitted to have been mentally tired after a long gruelling semi-final against Juan Martín del Potro in Wimbledon 2013. And Andy Murray cashed in on a fatigued Djokovic to cruise to his maiden Wimbledon title in straight sets.
Even though Djokovic managed to edge past Wawrinka, he was far from his best, double-faulting four times in the 14 unforced errors in the first set against a player who was playing his first Grand Slam semi-final.
On the other hand, Nadal’s game was convincing throughout the US Open, what with his semi-final opponent Gasquet becoming the first man in the tournament to break the Spanish serve.
But the clash between these two players have brought the best out of them, giving some epic matches that will go down in history as some of the greatest tennis matches ever played. And Monday US Open final could be one of them.