Madrid Open: Nadal Ends Seven Match Losing Streak Against Djokovic

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Four-time champion Rafael Nadal ended a three-year, seven-match losing streak against Novak Djokovic to reach the final of the Madrid Open.

The Spaniard, 30, won 6-2 6-4 to claim his first victory over the Serb since the 2014 French Open final.

Nadal improved his record on clay this year to 14-0 and will face Austrian Dominic Thiem or Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas in Sunday’s final.

Kristina Mladenovic plays Simona Halep in Saturday’s women’s final.

Nadal confirmed his return to form with a long-awaited win over Djokovic, his 24th in 50 career meetings.

“It is a great result,” he said. “To win against Novak by that score you have to be playing very well, otherwise it’s impossible.

“It was an important match for me. I lost a lot of times in a row. To break that means there are always nerves.

“The circumstances nowadays are completely different compared to those seven matches that occurred before.

“I think that the last two years perhaps haven’t been my best two years. For Novak, they were really good years.”

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