World number one Novak Djokovic overcame a self-inflicted ankle injury to battle into the Rome Masters final after a thrilling 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)win over Kei Nishikori on Saturday.
It means Djokovic will meet Britain’s Andy Murray, the second seed, in a second successive Masters final on Sunday a week after beating the Scot in Madrid.
Djokovic, the top seed and defending champion, had laid the foundations for a fifth title in Rome with a hard-fought and classy win over seven-time champion Rafael Nadal on Friday.
But the Serbian almost scuppered his hopes when he inadvertantly bruised his left ankle with his raquet as he hit it against his shoe to shake off the red dirt.
Later, he said: “A message to all the kids out there: don’t hit your own ankle when you’re cleaning your shoes.”
If left Djokovic requiring medical treatment, and appeared to rob him of the early momentum against the Japanese sixth seed.
“It was an awkward situation in the first game, I hit myself pretty hard on the ankle and bruised the bone,” he explained.
“It hurt for a while, and though the pain faded it returned towards the end of the match.”
Nishikori — who suffered a semi-final defeat to the Serbian in Madrid — was a tough customer for tennis’s man of the moment.
Nishikori’s agility and movement were crucial in a 43-minute first set that he peppered with a healthy dose of drop shots.
Djokovic upped the momentum at a key moment in the second set, forcing a decider with a break on his first set point in the 10th game.
Djokovic maintained the momentum in the third set, but again Nishikori came out swinging.
The Serbian got the break in the second game, only for Nishikori to level at 4-4.
He saved match point at 5-4 before going on to force the tiebreak. Although he saved a further two match points, Nishikori was unable to save a fourth as Djokovic sealed the win in just over three hours.
– ‘Flawless’ –
In the end, the Serbian won 112 points to 111 for Nishikori.
