After a remarkable week-and-a-half in Key Biscayne, it all comes down to this match in the Florida sun.
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla.—Kei Nishikori only had 30 minutes or so to bask in the glow of his semifinal win at the Miami Open on Friday before he had to contemplate the Herculean task that lay ahead of him in two days. The reporter who asked about that task didn’t mince words.
“[What is] the most difficult challenge for you with Novak’s game?" the writer asked. "What is the thing you will have to overcome and deal with in order to have a chance against him?”
If that made it sound like Nishikori is trying to climb the tennis version of Mount Everest on Sunday, it's because he kind of is. His opponent, Novak Djokovic, has lost just one time in Miami since 2010, and has won 55 of his last 57 matches at Masters 1000 events. Nishikori, who is trying for his first title at this level—Djokovic is going for a record 28th—was honest about how treacherous the mountain is in front of him.
“I think the biggest thing is that he doesn’t have much weakness,” Nishikori said of Djokovic. “He’s very patient. He doesn’t give you any free points. So [I] also have to focus almost every point if I want to beat him ... And he’s been serving well, I think. So, yeah, [I] have to return well, serve and everything [has] to be there to beat him.”
That about covers it, I’d say: Do everything perfectly and you have a chance.