ATP MASTERS ROME QUARTERS: DJOKOVIC CONFIRMS VERDASCO REMATCH

Djokovic and Verdasco are set to square off for the second time this year in as many Masters Series events. The last time they collided, Djokovic lost the plot. The plot, in market terms: Djokovic to win outright. Well according to the markets that had installed him as the favourite. But didn’t he go and lose in straight abysmal sets to Verdasco at the Monte Carlo Masters semis, a loss that propelled Verdasco into the final and a runner-up finish to Nadal.
Inquiring minds want to know whether this time Djokovic will indeed stick to the plot. To put a finer point on it, is he a good bet yet.
William Hill bookmakers have installed Djokovic as the favourite to win outright, but at mere 8/15 odds. Meanwhile, Verdasco carries a tempting 11/8 price tag.
Tempting Verdasco is because he is on solid form ahead of this clash with a runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and a title victory in Barcelona. What is barely a three-week old European clay court swing, Verdasco has a 9-1 mark. He is in the best form since the Aussie Open last year.
I would like to say Verdasco beat Djokovic last week with some out-of-this-world tennis, highlighted by some off the charts forehands, but he didn’t. Let there be no illusions about the result. Djokovic erred his way out of the match and with each error he committed the tighter he got and the more he erred. Mostly, he struggled on his serve: couldn’t get a good first serve in for most of the match, which just made it altogether easy for Verdasco to take the win.
Having said all that Verdasco deserves kudos because he didn’t choke against Djokovic and saw the match to the end. Moreover, while he wasn’t great against Nadal in the final at all, one can’t really hold that against him. It is only the King of Clay we are talking about, the very same player that bagelled Federer at the French Open in 2008 and then followed up with perhaps the best Grand Slam final victory of the decade over Fed at Wimbledon. So, in some ways, that Verdasco barely struck an audible note is not surprising.  What is commendable is that he went on to win Barcelona the week after. That his humiliation in Monte Carlo didn’t knock a bother out of him speaks volumes.
What all this means for the upcoming clash between Djokovic and Verdasco is that whichever way you slice this match there is value. You could do worse than back either for the win.
Djokovic is a good bet because he has the 5-3 lifetime edge over Verdasco, and in the eyes of many, the match is on his racquet. Verdasco is on the right path and has all the momentum behind him right now as well as the confidence of his recent win over Djokovic.