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NEW YORK -- When Novak Djokovic faced Rafael Nadal in the 2010 U. Omer Asik Jersey.S. Open final, the guy everyone calls "Rafa" solidified his standing atop the tennis world by earning third Grand Slam title of the season. Now its "Nole" who gets a chance to add to his own remarkable run: A victory over Nadal in the title match at Flushing Meadows on Monday would make Djokovic 64-2 in 2011 with 10 titles, including three at majors. It also would make Djokovic 6-0 against Nadal this season. Watch the championship final on TSN2, underway LIVE NOW. Oh, how their rivalry has changed in the short span of 12 months. "Well, its obvious that this is the best year of my career, by far. The confidence level that is very high at this moment for me helps me ... go for the shots that I maybe in some situations wouldnt; that I wasnt going for ... in the past couple years," Djokovic said. "But its all, I think, a process of learning and getting experience and maturing as a player, as a person," he added after coming back from two sets down and erasing two match points to beat Roger Federer in the semifinals Saturday. At the end of 2010, Nadal led Djokovic 16-7 in head-to-head matches, including 5-0 in tournament finals and 5-0 in Grand Slam meetings. Its been a whole different story of late. Heading into Monday -- the fourth year in a row the U.S. Open has stretched into an extra day because of rain -- Djokovic is 5-0 against Nadal in 2011. Those matches all were in finals, including on hard courts at Indian Wells, Calif., and Key Biscayne, Fla., on clay at Madrid and Rome, and on grass at Wimbledon. After that latest setback, in their only Grand Slam encounter of the season, Nadal acknowledged that Djokovic has gained a psychological edge over him -- similar to the sort of hold over Federer that Nadal appeared to gain over the years. And Nadal sounded a similar note when looking ahead to taking on Djokovic again in the U.S. Open final. "I am not very happy about my mental performance against him this year. Thats true, no? Because for moments I didnt believe really 100 per cent (in) victory. Thats (a) big problem. Because when thats happening, you have your chances less, much less than if you believe," Nadal said after eliminating Andy Murray in the semifinals. "So that was (a) problem, and thats what I gonna try to change for Monday." Nadal was asked whether hed employ a new strategy against Djokovic this time. "I think Im going to do serve and volley," he cracked, knowing full well -- as does everyone else -- that he will stick to the beat-em-from-the-baseline tactics that have carried the 25-year-old Spaniard to 10 major trophies and a career Grand Slam. A day after winning Wimbledon for his third Grand Slam title -- and No. 2 this year, along with the Australian Open -- Djokovic rose one spot in the rankings to No. 1. That dropped Nadal to No. 2, and Mondays match will be the first U.S. Open final between men ranked 1-2 since No. 2 Pete Sampras beat No. 1 Andre Agassi in 1995. For all of their Grand Slam finals against each other, Nadal and Federer never have played in any round at Flushing Meadows. Federer appeared set to get to his seventh U.S. Open final in eight years, leading 5-3, 40-15 in the fifth set against Djokovic on Saturday. But Djokovic ripped a cross-court return winner to save the first, then fended off a serve into his body on the second and eventually took that point, too. That began a run of four consecutive games for Djokovic, allowing him to complete a massive comeback and reach his third final in New York. The 24-year-old Serb lost to Federer in 2007, then Nadal in 2010. "What he does really well this year -- he front-runs really well," Federer said afterward. "And he started playing great. It was hard to counter his playing." Thats been the case for pretty much everyone whos tried to deal with Djokovic during what, by any measure, is one of the greatest seasons in the history of tennis. Or any sport, for that matter. "Probably his movements are better than before. Hes having less mistakes than before. ... Hes playing with high confidence," Nadal said. "Hes great to keep his mind fresh in important moments, fight every point. Hes doing everything fantastic." Precisely the sort of thing people were saying about Nadal a year ago. Clyde Drexler Rockets Jersey. With Votto hurt the last three weeks, Ludwick continued a torrid month with a two-run double in the eighth and the Cincinnati Reds rallied to a 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs Saturday afternoon. Omer Asik Authentic Jersey. The duo scored 97.79 points and totaled 163.52 points, finishing well ahead of Maia and Alex Shibutani of the United States in second with 148. http://www.officialrocketsteamshop.com/hakeem-olajuwon-jersey/. -- His buzzer-beating 3-pointer was still under review but Jordan Crawford knew it was good. Chandler Parsons Jersey. The UCI said Schleck tested positive for a banned diuretic called Xipamide on July 14, another reminder of the doping cloud that has damaged the image of cycling - and its biggest event. James Harden Jersey. It didnt produce much in the way of attractive basketball, though the Magic could have done worse. Their ugly win could have been an ugly loss.TORONTO -- Five consecutive victories isnt quite enough to make Dwane Casey breathe easy. DeMar DeRozan poured in 17 points as the Toronto Raptors stretched their winning streak to five games with a 93-90 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday. Asked how hell guard against overconfidence in the locker-room, Casey chuckled. "Were 9-and-19, there is no overconfidence in that room or in the coaches room," the Raptors coach said. "We still have a lot of work to do. Were not satisfied, were still a work in progress, were happy about five in a row, but we havent gone anywhere." Jose Calderon added 13 points and nine assists for the Raptors (9-19), while Terrence Ross had 13 points, and Ed Davis, Alan Anderson, and Amir Johnson all finished with 10 apiece. Arron Afflalo had 26 points to lead the Magic (12-14), who lost for the first time in five games. Nikola Vucevic finished with 16. The winning streak is their longest since the Raptors won five straight in January 2010. The Raptors joined the Argonauts as the only Toronto sports teams to win five in a row in 2012. The Argos won their final two regular-season games and all three playoff games en route to capturing the Grey Cup. The Blue Jays had four, four-game win streaks, and the Maple Leafs one. Fridays victory wasnt particularly pretty as the two teams played three sloppy quarters, the Raptors taking a 71-62 lead into the fourth. Ross injected some much-needed excitement into the game during a half-minute span midway through the final frame. The Raptors rookie first drained a three-pointer, then stole the ball off Jameer Nelson on Orlandos next possession, finishing with a spectacular windmill dunk that brought the festive Air Canada Centre crowd of 18,391 fans to its feet. "I was thinking. . . Make sure youre going to make it, because if you miss it, its going to be embarrassing," Ross said. The Raptors nearly coughed up the victory in the dying minutes, allowing the Magic to pull within a point on a three-pointer by Nelson with 56 seconds left. Johnson, debuting a new do -- a dyed-red Raptors claw logo shaved into the back of his head -- sunk a pair of free throws with 43 seconds left to make it a three-point game. Ross grabbed a key steal with 31 seconds left, DeRozan missed on a jumper, but J.J. Redick then fired up a three-pointer that clanged off the rim and gave Toronto the victory. "Its learning to execute but we found a way to win, thats the positive," Casey said. "We found a way to win in a tough game, against a very gritty, grimy team but we grinded it out." The coach had high praise for Rosss defensive game. "I was really proud of him, hes guarding one of the best pure shooters in Redick, and Afflalo," Casey said. "I was scareed every time Redick was over in the corner, I was holding my breath. Hakeem Olajuwon Jersey. Hes one of the best actors in the league, hes acting like hes not doing anything and then he goes from zero to 100 in no time flat." The Raptors played their fifth straight game minus injured Andrea Bargnani and Kyle Lowry, but have played their best basketball of the season without the two starters. They lost Jonas Valanciunas midway through the first quarter when the rookie broke the ring finger on his right hand. Valanciunas was battling for a loose ball under the basket when he fell. He was favouring the hand when he got up and X-rays revealed the break. "Very unfortunate, a young kid, growing every time he walked on the floor. Now hes set back with a broken hand," Casey said. Canadas Andrew Nicholson made his first career start, in place of Orlando forward Glen Davis, whos expected to be out six weeks with a sprained shoulder he suffered in Washington on Wednesday. Nicholson finished with six points and four rebounds in just under 20 minutes. Magic coach Jacque Vaughn has varied Nicholsons playing time in his rookie season. "Its a long year, 82 games for a guy from St. Bonnie," Vaughn said of the Mississauga, Ont., native. "So some days as a coach I have to see how hes feeling. We ask a lot of him. He gets to the gym early, he stays after, hes trying to be the best professional he can be. "Sometimes as a coach Ive got to sense how tired is Andrew Nicholson and is he getting overwhelmed? I have to look at those things." Johnsons daring hairdo, meanwhile, drew the attention of fans and television cameras all game. "Thats team spirit right there," he told reporters after Friday mornings shootaround. "I was just thinking about doing something when I was sitting around the house." Casey isnt a big fan of the new look. "If you do that, you better be the baddest man in the paint," the coach said. "Youre saying look at me. Its not something I condone but Amir is his own man." Both teams started off at a pedestrian pace in a sloppy opening first quarter. Toronto led 20-15 to end the first -- the lowest an opponent has scored in a quarter this season. The second quarter wasnt any prettier as Toronto shot just 29 per cent from the field. Still, the Raptors took an 11-point lead on a three-pointer by Linas Kleiza with five minutes left. The Magic ended the half on a 15-7 run to cut the Raptors lead to 42-39 at halftime. The Raptors outscored the Magic 29-23 in the third and led 71-62 with a quarter left to play. NOTES: The Raptors dont play again until Boxing Day, when they meet the Spurs in San Antonio. . . Toronto had dropped three straight to the Magic before beating them 97-86 last month. ' ' '
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