Wimbledon 2011: Live - Nadal v Djokovic

* Nadal 4-6 1-4 Djokovic
Any way in for Nadal on the Djoko serve? Nope. Not today senor. He picks up one point with an improvised flicked backhand winner straight off your local squash court but Djoko is still producing those rasping forehand winners, and still finding the corners. He is still marching towards a two-set lead too. The sun is back out, but it is only shining on one player at the moment.
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Nadal 4-6 1-3 * Djokovic
"If Rafa is broken again here, he can forget about the second set," says Tim Henman. He isn't... but he isn't exactly convincing either. Djoko should gobble up a smash at 30-15 but puts it wide and Rafa is grateful, very grateful, to see the ball clip the net-cord and fly away from Djokovic's racquet on the next point. These are worrying times for the top seed.
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* Nadal 4-6 0-3 Djokovic
Rafa gives everything he's got to get back on terms here but he is dumped on his backside after being pushed out wide at 15-15. "This is a huge time in the match. Nadal is trying to stop this train which is running against him," says Boris Becker. Djoko keeps getting better and better too, and Nadal's big shots from the baseline are all coming back at him with interest. Djoko nails a crunching backhand and he has breathing space in this second set, after winning his fifth game in a row.
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Nadal 4-6 0-2 * Djokovic
Rafa made a total of seven unforced errors in four sets in his semi-final against Andy Murray but he is already up to eight here after another sloppy forehand. Djoko, in contrast, cannot miss, with another crashing winner putting him at 15-30. What's wrong with Rafa? What's right with him? He dumps another groundstroke into the net after Djoko turns defence into attack from the baseline. That's two more break-points. Rafa thinks he has saved one with a delicate drop-shot but Djoko not only gets there but puts it away, brilliantly. He's on fire right now. The crowd go crazy and so does Novak, who is bouncing round the court beating his chest in celebration. The champ is on the ropes.
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* Nadal 4-6 0-1 Djokovic
A long, long way still to go for Djoko, though, especially when a net-cord helps Rafa go to 0-30. From there, though, the Spaniard struggles to find the court, hitting a couple of forehands and what should have been a put-away smash wide or long. Djoko holds out, but this is probably a sign of what is to come on his serve.
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Boris Becker on BBC TV: "That's the reason Djokovic has been winning these last four meetings with Nadal - he can go head-to-head with him from the baseline. But we all know it takes a lot more than winning that first set against Nadal to win the match."

FIRST SET

Nadal 4-6 0-0 * Djokovic
Two crashing serves get Rafa off to a decent start but Djoko's forehand is firing too. He crunches a couple of winners, including an absolute sizzler down the line and at 30-all this is a real chance to nick the set. Can he do it? Maybe, because Rafa has just dumped a forehand into the net. That's our first break-point of the match and Djokovic's first set-point. The crowd scream, then hold their breath. What next? Drama, that's what. Nadal nets his first serve and then sees a forehand fly wide off the second. He shakes his head in disbelief because in the blink of an eye the first set has slipped away from him. Djokovic, clenching his fist, heads for his chair.
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* Nadal 4-5 Djokovic
Djoko's doing very well when he comes into the net, putting away some subtle shots that not even Rafa's quick feet can reach. His serve is still ticking over nicely too, with his third ace swinging away from Rafa to wrap up the game. Nadal, briefly thinks about a challenge but settles for glaring at the ball, then the line as if they have both betrayed him. Nadal to serve to stay in the first set next.
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David Felgate on BBC Radio 5 live: "I can see the Nadal box and it's been as calm as you like. The Djokovic box has been up and down like a jack in the box. His dad has left and come back in but the match is now building nicely. When Nadal was hitting his big forehands early on, Djokovic was struggling with nerves but he has settled and both guys look comfortable. I think this match will just go from strength to strength."

Nadal 4-4 * Djokovic
Hold the back page, because Rafa has missed another forehand. It doesn't matter too much, though, because he is already 40-15 up. Djoko briefly looks like he is on top in the next rally too but then spoils it all with a messy attempt at a drop-shot that flops into the net. We might see more of that shot later, but he will have do a lot better with it next time.
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AvelingArtworks on Twitter: "On serve. Very hard to call in the early stages. This is one of Djokovic's best impersonations of Nadal yet!"

* Nadal 3-4 Djokovic
These two are trading punches from the back of the court and it's all pretty even at the moment, although the crowd still seem to be mostly behind Nadal. "Rafa, you're a genius," shouts one fan. Servers are definitely on top right now, with Djoko holding with an ace this time.
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John Lloyd on BBC Radio 5 live: "You have to get Nadal out wide to beat him. You can get some free points if you serve like that. But Djokovic has settled down now well. Annabel Croft says: "This will be a brutal tennis match and it will be a battle in strength of minds. Every match between these two are intense and it's all about who can execute their shots."

Nadal 3-3 * Djokovic
Djoko slides across the baseline and is at full-stretch for a backhand that flops into the net. "Don't try that at home," advises Boris Becker, clearly fearing some horrific accidents in living rooms across Britain. "It's a risky shot and you could get injured." At 30-all, this is still the Serbian's best effort on the Nadal serve but that is as good as it gets, with two big deliveries, including another ace levelling up the first set again. Who is going to crack first?
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Formula One driver Heikki Kovalainen on Twitter: "Nadal going to win today, Djokovic grunting too much, should save energy hitting the ball."

* Nadal 2-3 Djokovic
a nicely worked point puts Djoko in control as he follows in a drive volley to smoothly put away a Nadal forehand, and that combo has got his coach Marian Vajda and brothers Djordje and Marko on their feet in his box. He seems to be settling down a bit now too, holding to love this time... which is a good deal more comfortable than his first two service games.
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Nadal 2-2 * Djokovic
Nadal still rock solid on serve so far. He bangs down his first ace of the match on his way to holding to love. Djokovic is going to wait a bit longer for his chance here.
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martin_ltfc on Twitter: "Nice start so far, gonna stick my neck out and say Djokovic to win in 5."

* Nadal 1-2 Djokovic
Another early sniff for Rafa as a Djko passing backhand flies wide to make it 30-all. "Nadal is by far the more aggressive in these early games," says Boris Becker. "Djokovic is just a bit too passive for me," The Serbian escapes again, though, with Rafa hitting long after an intense baseline rally then flopping a forehand into the net. A fair bit of pressure being put on the second seed already though. Now he knows how Andy Murray felt.
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Bickers92 on Twitter: "Just noticed Nadal is wearing a watch while playing. That's probably because he has to be somewhere else by four."

Nadal 1-1 * Djokovic
Is Rafa in a rush? He is not hanging about in his service game either, racing to 40-0 thanks to a couple of unreturnable serves and a mis-hit from Djoko. The top seed does mis-fire with an attempted backhand winner next but he is into the net to wrap up the easiest of opening holds.
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domcovkid on Twitter: "Looking at the bandage on Novak's left knee. Have a feeling this may come into play if we have 5th set."

Graeme McDowell on Centre Court on Twitter: "Been ousted to the cheap seats today. No Royal box with @McIlroyRory. Current US open champs only!! Great to be here though."

* Nadal 0-1 Djokovic
Nadal sprints out to the baseline, to a great reception, and is quickly into his stride too, hitting a first 95mph forehand winner down the line to go 15-all and a second to go 15-30. A first ace restores parity for Djoko, and he holds when the champ nets one forehand and then shanks another long. A pretty lively start, though. Did you expect anything else?
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John Lloyd on BBC Radio 5 live: "We were starting to worry about Nadal at the French Open. Then he wins the French without playing well and if he wins today he will have done the hardest thing of all." On the Spaniard's injuries: "Everybody goes into these matches with little niggles. Once you set foot on the court there are no excuses."

1414: Here we go then. Djokovic to serve first. Excited? Yep, me too...

1412: All eyes now on the two men in the middle of Centre Court now, as they fire down a few last serves in their warm-up. I saw Rafa practicing earlier, and his power is frightening close up. Djokovic will get a good view from the other side of the net.

robbieat on Twitter: "Nadal to win in 5 sets. Novak then whinging that 3 weeks ago he broke his toe and hasn't been right since. Seems the done thing these days!"

Pat Cash's prediction: "I'm going to say Rafa. One of the big things is his willingness to come forward and volley, Novak has been very reluctant to come forward and unless he changes his plan I think he will lose."

1405: Twelve-year-old George Griffiths from Richmond has just performed the coin-toss. Djokovic calls heads... but it's tails. Rafa chooses to receive, and the pair of them begin their warm-up.

1402: Here they come. Novak Djokovic leads Rafael Nadal out on to a packed Centre Court to a standing ovation. A few final preparations and they will be good to go.

1401: A quick reminder that this year is the first time ever that the Wimbledon final is available to watch in 3D. If you are watching it wearing a pair of those natty specs, then please let us know what you think.

1400: Our first sight of the players, as they begin the long walk from the locker room to the Centre Court. One of them will make the return journey as 2011 Wimbledon champion.

1359: A crucial part of those stats, though, is that the Serbian has never beaten Nadal in a Grand Slam match and, as Andy Murray found out on Friday, it is difficult to match the top seed's intensity in a best-of-five set match rather than best of three. "Physically we all know he is superior and he is the strongest player around, the most prepareed," said Djokovic. "I'm ready for long rallies, long points. I need to be physically ready, which I am." He'd better be...

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash on BBC One: "It's a big ask for Novak. He's got number one tomorrow which is for an absolutely phenomenal performance. I thought he was going to slide down the rankings but he has improved his game by a good 10 per cent and that at this level is a huge amount, they are the number one and two players in the world and deserve to be out there."

1355: Win or lose today, Djokovic, who is in his first Wimbledon final, will take over from Nadal, contesting his fifth, as top man when the new ATP rankings come out on Monday. Has he got a chance of victory? Yes. He trails 16-11 in previous meetings but he has won all four of their matches this year.

1351: Hello. The sun has gone in but this is still a perfect day for tennis. Pretty much the perfect match in store too, with the defending Wimbledon champion up against the new world number one. Ready? Give this page a manual refresh and we will begin...

By Piers Newbery at Wimbledon

1347: Right, I'm going to leave you in the capable and now, post-lunch, empty hands of Chris Bevan for game-by-game coverage of Rafael Nadal v Novak Djokovic. I will tweet away throughout the final and there will be all manner of reaction to this match and Wimbledon as a whole on the BBC Sport website tonight and tomorrow. Although you should really all be doing some work. Eyes down for a five-set thriller?

1342: "I'm picking Nadal in five but I'd like to see Novak win this, I think it'd be great for the game," says John McEnroe on BBC One. The general feeling seems to be Rafa in four or five.

1340: Just to answer the queries about the ranking situation, it's worked out on a rolling 52-week system, so tomorrow morning the points from last year's Wimbledon will disappear and this year's added. Nadal won the title last year so can only maintain the same total, Djokovic has improved on last year's semi-final run and so adds points. As Andy Murray said the other day, if you lose one match between January and July, you deserve to be number one.

1334: Two of Djokovic's former coaches have been on 5 live. Todd Martin: "Novak has a very clear idea of playing Rafa by playing very aggressively and not giving him a chance to dictate. It is the best way of playing and he is the one player who has had an answer to Nadal over several years. He is next to Nadal as the most physical guy out there. He's not full of muscle like his opponent but he has better balance and his biggest weapon is that he can hurt Nadal with his backhand and forehand." Mark Woodforde: "It's a dream final and Djokovic is the one player to have an answer against Nadal. He has repositioned himself closer to the baseline and that has cut down the reaction time to playing Nadal's shots."

1331: Boris Becker - "good friends with Wladimir Klitschko" - is out on Centre Court and does some world-class lip-biting when Sue tells him about David Haye's broken toe.

BBC Sport's Nick Hope on Twitter: "Amazing comeback by number 1 seeds Vergeer & Walraven in the women's wheelchair doubles. Trailed 5-2 in the decider & won 7-5! #BBCtennis"

1326: If you're still deliberating over who will win this afternoon, we asked John McEnroe and Tim Henman to compare the two men's games. Henman on Nadal: "What always impresses me is how well he plays with room for such a small margin of error. It seems relatively low-risk tennis but his serve is very effective being a leftie, and thanks to that it gives him the chance to dominate with his forehand." McEnroe on Djokovic: "He cleared up his fitness issues and is now fitter than ever. His defensive skills are unbelievable and he moves great. The serve is maybe the biggest thing - he has straightened it out as he had been having problems with that for about a year and a half."

From Qaz in Swansea via text: "Surely novak has to win for the rankings to not take more critism. If rafa wins but still moves down to No.2 it won't look good for ATP will it?"

1317: I think I just heard Bjorn Borg say that if Roger Federer doesn't win a Grand Slam next year then he will probably retire in 2013. Not sure Rog would agree with that, but I'm not getting in between two legends. All interesting stuff.

1314: There is tennis under way out there, with the wheelchair ladies' doubles final reaching its climax on Court 12 and the girls' singles final getting going between Australian Ashleigh Barty and Irina Khromacheva of Russia on Court One. Barty could make it an Aussie double after Luke Saville's win yesterday. Nice for them.

Brad Gilbert on Twitter: "Have a gut feeling for no other reason that Rafa's 5 straight finals here and being the better player this fortnight; Rafa in 4 tight sets."

1307: There she is, Sue Barker, fresh from her latest meeting with Hacker The Dog (who appears to have undergone a voice transplant in the last 12 months), is out on Centre Court with John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. We are live on BBC One, the Red Button, online and 5live.

Bjorn Borg on 5 live: "It's going to be a hell of a final. These two players are playing unbelievable tennis. Djokovic is looking good, fit, strong and confident. I think it will be a long, long match and I'm going for Nadal because he's been there before. It's all about pressure and a dream to win Wimbledon - maybe its Djokovic's biggest dream, but Rafa's won before and he'll want to win again."

1259: I don't know about you, but if I don't find out who Robbie Savage thinks will win this afternoon then my heart might just burst. Fortunately, we caught up with Robbie and numerous other tennis, er, experts to get their predictions. And don't worry, Jeff Tarango is in there.

1254: "Special, wonderful, amazing - there aren't enough superlatives to describe how this year has been for him, and for us as his team," Novak Djokovic's coach Marian Vajda told BBC Sport. "It shows we're doing a good job and we should celebrate and admire what has happened. Since I started working with him in 2006 this has been his goal."

1250: Garry Richardson has been talking to Rafael Nadal on 5live's Sportsweek about the importance of being a sporting player: "That's a normal thing, it's part of the game. I am too shy to do something wrong and then have to watch myself doing something wrong on the TV later. If I feel one ball the line judge says out and the ball is good, especially on clay, you have the mark there, and if I see the mark good then I cannot say it is out." And on remaining down to earth, Nadal said: "I am from a small village in Majorca and I have a completely normal life, going to the supermarket and cinema, and here I try to do the same so I don't feel like I'm someone different."

From AP via text: "If anyone thinks this is going to be an easy match for either they are in cloud cuckoo land!!! This has the potential to be as closer match throughout the 5 sets than the 2008 ever was!!! Djokovic will be looking to avoid a repeat of the US OPEN FINAL and RAFA all the ATP finals this year!!! The excitement is unbearable!!!"

From Susan in Glasgow via text: "Nadal 2 win, but it will b a fair fight so probably a long one, good times."

Daily Mail tennis correspondent Mike Dickson on Twitter: "Nostradicmus on reasonable form this fortnight. Think today will be repeat of U.S Open final, Rafa wins in 4."

1241: I laboured past Toni Nadal on my way to the station in the unsual (for Toni) surroundings of Wimbledon town centre last night, away from the safety of the village. No idea what he was doing down there, maybe attracted by Britain's enviable Saturday night town-centre experience. Anyway, he survived the ordeal because he's just been out on Court 15 watching his nephew go through the usual punishing practice routine, this time with British junior Liam Broady. Over on Court 16, Djokovic was looking similarly match sharp.

Judy Murray on Twitter: "Bumped in2 Marjan Vajda (Djokos coach) chilling at table outside Costas in Wimb village. Told me he ran 45 mins on Common to stay calm! Told him if I go for a run, I take the car....:)"

1231: Great news everyone, I can confirm that Boris Becker has made it safely back from the boxing in Hamburg and is preparing something rather special for the start of BBC One coverage at 1305 BST. If it is as described to me, I suggest you tune in. Rory McIlroy and Jenson Button are in the house, while Bjorn Borg, Pat Cash, John McEnroe are lined up for some chat.

1224: So, Nadal v Djokovic, Djokovic v Nadal. Rafa is the defending champion, unbeaten here in 20 matches since 2007 and until recently the undisputed heavyweight champion of the tennis world. But then came Nole version .11, a winning machine who racked up 41 straight wins and seven titles from the start of the year. Defeat by Roger Federer in the French Open semis was a tough one to take, but the 24-year-old Serbian has recovered to reach his first Wimbledon final - and guarantee himself the world number one ranking for the first time tomorrow. Nadal leads the head-to-head 16-11 and 5-0 in Grand Slams, but Djokovic has won the last four in a row - all in finals. Matches like this don't come along too often.

From Thomas Gilpin, St. Alban's, via text: "Nadal is deffo gonna win in 3 sets! I met Raffy back in the day at ping pong class and he was off the chain!"
I have no idea either.

1216: More weather news, this time from the good old Voice of Wimbledon, who is on rare form. "It's with great delight that I can say... wait for it…. There is no chance of rain today. It will be warm and dry." What a way to sign off.

jarletheaton via Twitter: "Nole will continue his run against Rafa and prove he is rightly the new number one. Nole in 4 or 5. #bbctennis"

shenal7 via Twitter: "Work on a Sunday...no #wimbledon bad times...but #bbctennis will pull me through...:)"

1209: The official weather forecast is in and we're looking good: "During the afternoon there is a fair chance that cloud will tend to thin and break again, to perhaps allow increasing amounts of sunshine as the tournament draws to a close." Roof schmoof.

1205: Plenty to come as we build up to the big match at 1400 BST, but above all I'd like someone to tell me who is going to win and how, so tweet, text or convey your predictions to me through the sheer power of your thoughts. I've already asked Dirk from Dutch radio next door. Long pause..... "Well...... I cannot say. It's....... unpredictable." Everyone needs a Dirk in their life.

1200: Afternoon all, feeling pumped? We're two hours away from the true sporting heavyweight contest of the weekend, maybe the year, as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic finally go toe-to-toe (sorry David) in a Grand Slam final. And not just any Grand Slam final. As Novak said yesterday: "It's Wimbledon. It's simply something I've dreamed of forever."

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