World no.1 Novak Djokovic won over Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in their semi-final clash in the Monte Carlo Masters.
Djokovic was struggling with his forehand in the early stages of the game. Despite suffering the death of his grandfather, soon enough the grief stricken Serbian was able to find his rhythm and rallied in the second set.
Berdych, the 2010 Wimbledon finalist, stormed back from 4-2 down to rattle off four straight games en route to winning the first set, but Djokovic dug in in windy conditions to prevail.
The Serb world number one then ensured the win in comprehensive fashion, powering past Czech Berdych to reach Sunday’s final.
World no. 2 Rafael Nadal defeated Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-4 to earn the final berth against Djokovic.
The defending champion Nadal, who has now won 41 consecutive matches at Monaco, is aiming for his eighth straight Monte Carlo title.
The top two players in the world will battle it out for the Monte Carlo Masters title tomorrow.
It will be the pair’s first meeting since their epic five set Australian Open final in January which Djokovic won in five hours and 53 minutes, the longest-ever grand slam final.
Commenting on his impending clash with Nadal in the finals, ‘It will be the most difficult match for me in this tournament,’ said world number one Djokovic, who has won their last seven match-ups.
‘He’s the player to beat here. He’s the player to beat on clay courts. He’s the best ever in the history of the sport on this surface.
‘It’s the ultimate challenge. I need to play well. I need to play well from the first to the last point. I cannot have ups and downs. I cannot afford that against Rafa. I’m aware of that. But why not believe that I can win?’
