Djokovic deposes king of clay

It was a match so eagerly awaited that even the security guards at Madrid's Caja Mágica were called into action on Sunday afternoon, if only to chase scrumping urchins from the arena. Such was the expectation surrounding the first clay court meeting of the year between the world number one, Rafael Nadal, and the number two, Novak Djokovic, that it was not just opportunistic ball boys and girls lining the stairwells. Not one seat was empty as the players took to the court, Nadal leaping in the air in intimidatory fashion at the coin toss, Djokovic meeting his stare impassively.

It soon become apparent why the Serb was not flustered by either his snarling opponent or a typically hostile home crowd. Djokovic had a game plan and he executed it to perfection. Rarely has Nadal been on the receiving end of such a ferocious opening onslaught. Within 20 minutes Djokovic was 4-0 up, breaking Nadal twice with withering ground strokes; each of his cross-court backhand shots found the line with unerring accuracy as Nadal was forced onto the back foot.

The king of clay, however, did not ascend his throne by meek submission. In the fifth game the Spaniard broke back and in a display of counter-hitting and scrambling invention somehow Nadal found himself firmly back in the set at 5-5, eliciting the first roar of "Vamos!" from anywhere but the crowd during the tournament. Djokovic, though, was in no mood to allow the clay-ground bully to relieve him of his lunch money, as Nadal had on the previous nine matches between the two on red dirt, and a hold and break later the Serb had wrapped up the first set, albeit with two incredible net cords in the final game that served to further incense the partisan patrons of Caja Mágica.

The crowd remained steadfast in its belief that Nadal would come out swinging in the second and so it proved, as he immediately broke Djokovic in the opening game. In doing so, Nadal produced the shot of the tournament, lobbing his opponent with a shot played between his legs as he back-pedaled to reach a high ball - bringing the crowd to its feet and a wry smile from Djokovic, who could do little but join the applause.

It proved to be an act of chivalry ahead of impending regicide. The Serb broke back immediately and did not allow Nadal a glimmer of hope as the second set unfolded. The ease with which Djokovic held his serve, and the Herculean effort exuded by Nadal to merely keep up, made each point seem like match point. The Spaniard insisted on testing the Djokovic two-hander, a tactic that backfired spectacularly as the Serb unleashed a string of unstoppable shots, each a backhanded slap to Nadal's face. Triple-championship point duly arrived in the 10th game, on Nadal's serve, as Djokovic raced to 0-40. Nadal saved the first, but after a cagey rally at 15-40 the Spaniard sliced a backhand wide to hand victory to the Serb. It was the first time Nadal had been beaten on clay since the French Open fourth round in 2009, and brought to an end a 37-match unbeaten run on the surface.

For Djokovic, a first win over Nadal on clay extended his own streak to 32 matches without defeat in 2011, during which he has won titles at the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade and Madrid. During this run, he has beaten Nadal three times in three finals. Only John McEnroe, in 1984, has produced a finer start to a season.

And Djokovic will not stop at dethroning Nadal at his home tournament. In Rome this week, the Serb can snatch the number one spot if he takes the title and the Spaniard falls before the semifinals. Thomaz Bellucci, who came closest to ending Djokovic's challenge in Madrid, is a possible second-round opponent for Nadal. If not in Rome, Djokovic can plunge the decisive blade into Nadal and Roger Federer's seven-year hegemony of the top spot in the former's fiefdom of Roland Garros.

As the players slumped in their seats after a draining week in Madrid, the stadium PA blared out Tina Turner's "You're simply the best." Djokovic, though, had already torn up the pre-ordained script.