Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic Traveled Very Different Roads to U.S. Open Final

Novak Djokovic twice faced five-set matches en route to his Sunday matchup with Rafael Nadal.

In his opening round match, he found himself down two sets to one against fellow Serbian Viktor Troicki before pulling through with the victory.

His toughest test, though, came in the semifinals. Roger Federer had not dropped a set at the U.S. Open in 2010, and took a lead after the first set and third set. Djokovic, though, dominated in the second and fourth sets, and was able to survive match points in the fifth before claiming the win.

Otherwise, his path through the tournament, featuring opponents like Gael Monfils and Mardy Fish, offered little resistance.

Nadal, though, had it even easier. Heading into Sunday, Nadal has dropped a grand total of zero sets at Flushing Meadows.

Djokovic, though, does have a 7-3 hard-court record against the world’s number one going into the final.

Click here to see their roads to the finals »