Djokovic Dominates Nadal to Win Sony Open

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - The rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal has been defined by sweat and toil, victories acquired only after hours of effort.

But Sunday's final at the Sony Open was something quite different: a virtuoso Djokovic performance in which he consistently seemed a shot and an idea ahead.

His 6-3, 6-3 victory in the players' 40th encounter was one of the most lopsided matches in the series, and it again kept Nadal from winning this Masters 1000 title.

'Well done,' Nadal said succinctly and accurately to the man who remains his biggest obstacle.

Nadal is ranked No. 1 on the strength of his phenomenal comeback season in 2013, but Djokovic has the clear edge at the moment. He has won their last three matches, all in straight sets, and has narrowed the gap again in their head-to-head record to 22-18.

With Sunday's victory, Djokovic captured his fourth title in Key Biscayne and swept the March hardcourt swing in the United States, having already beaten Roger Federer in the final in Indian Wells, Calif.

'I played a great match from the start to the end,' the second-ranked Djokovic said. 'Everything was working very well.'

There could be no argument. Djokovic, much tighter to the baseline, was able to control the majority of the rallies and keep Nadal off balance. He was the puncher and Nadal the counterpuncher, and Djokovic often chose to attack Nadal's bedrock: his bolo whip of a forehand.

Djokovic ended up winning 61 points to Nadal's 40 and winning points from everywhere: ripping groundstroke winners from extreme angles and hitting crisp, technically sound volley winners off Nadal's dipping passing shots.

They both finished the match at the net, with Djokovic answering Nadal's backhand volley with a low winner of his own. Nadal twisted to watch it fly by, and after it bounced twice, Djokovic spread his arms, released his racket and fell slowly backward onto the court.

It was a hardcourt, the surface that consistently brings out his best. But the tour will now shift to clay, the surface that consistently brings out the best in Nadal.

'If I play this way,' Djokovic said in an interview with ESPN, 'I think I have a very good chance against him on clay as well.'

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