My MVP for the Week: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) with $605,500 for defeating Rafael Nadal (Spain) for the title at the BNP Paribas Open
Photo via SportsPageFair
The Djoker is definitely on the rise. He officially supplants Roger Federer (Switzerland) as World #2 this week and appears to have Rafa in his sights as well. Can he reach #1? Sure. Will he? Well, that's another matter, isn't it? By the third set of their match on Sunday, the ultimate outcome was in little doubt. Djokovic is definitely the hottest player on tour and arguably #1 on hard courts - not a given until he wins the US Open. There's no reason to believe that he can't continue his great run in Miami.
But clay season is right around the corner. If Djokovic is going to make a serious run at #1, he's going to have to put a dent in Rafa's clay court dominance. Rafa will have a lot of points to defend over the next few months but he's just the man to do it. Novak is no slouch on clay himself. However, only four of his 21 career titles are on the dirt and he hasn't won a clay tournament since 2009. His best Roland Garros finish is the semis.
He does have the advantage of being nearly a year younger than Rafa. So, it's reasonable to think that he'll make it to #1 eventually. But this year? I don't think so.
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