The finals are set: world No. 1 Rafael Nadal will be squaring off against world No. 2 Novak Djokovic for the 39th time. Both Nadal and Djokovic come into this match having won all four of their matches this week.  Both men reached the final after fairly comprehensive and straightforward victories over their Swiss opponents on Sunday. Nadal fought past Roger Federer 7-5 6-3, and Djokovic proved much too consistent for Stanislas Wawrinka as he came through 6-3 6-3.

Nadal leads the head-to-head record 22-16 in this rivalry, which has spanned the most matches of any in ATP history.  Despite having played on 39 occasions, Nadal and Djokovic have only faced each other on indoor hard courts three times. The last time came in the round-robin stage of the 2010 World Tour Finals, when Nadal won in straight sets.

Djokovic and Nadal have faced each other five times this year. Djokovic got the best of Nadal in the finals of Monte Carlo and Beijing, while Nadal saw victories over the Serb in the semifinals of Roland Garros and Montreal and in the final of the US Open. Their most recent meeting came in the Beijing final, which Djokovic won 6-3 6-4.

Since the U. S. Open, Djokovic has won 21 straight matches that extended from Beijing through Masters 1000 titles in Shanghai, and Paris. Nadal’s post-US Open fall included a final run in Beijing and semifinal runs in Shanghai and Paris.  

In the last few years, the tennis world has become fairly acquainted with the “war of attrition” battles that Djokovic-Nadal clashes epitomize. Expect no different tomorrow. Throughout the week, both men have been tested but ultimately have proven too steady for their adversaries.

Nadal will be looking to win this title for the first time in his illustrious career. Many call this title the missing piece for the Spaniard. Nadal has won all four majors, an Olympic gold medal and the Davis Cup but never the year-end championships. By contrast, Djokovic is looking to claim this crown for the third time, having previously won it in 2008 and 2012.

Djokovic will seek to continue executing the patterns that have allowed him to defeat Nadal in the past, such as neutralizing Nadal’s cross-court forehand and getting on the attack. He is one of the few players who can consistently and effectively step on top of the baseline and take Nadal’s forehand on the rise. From there, Djokovic can either strike aggressively cross court or wait for his opportunity to stretch Nadal out wide on the backhand side.

Moreover, Djokovic’s cross-court forehand has caused Nadal’s backhand many problems in their prior collisions. Nadal’s backhand is the far weaker wing of his two groundstrokes. By attacking it, Djokovic gives himself the opportunity to dictate with his forehand from offensive positions.

For Nadal, the key shot will be his forehand down the line. He will earn increasing success if he can take the initiative and pull the trigger earlier on their cross-court exchanges. It also will be paramount for Nadal to consistently hit with depth off the backhand side. Djokovic will be able to control the baseline rallies if Nadal leaves too many short backhands.

When these two guys play, there is no clear favorite. The match is as close to a coin flip as a match can be. Just a few points here and there should decide the outcome of this match, as is often the case when the greats of the game square off.

With all of this said, there could be no better fitting to the end of the 2013 tennis season than a battle between the two best players on the planet.

Prediction: Djokovic in three sets