AND so they meet again.

There were times last year when Rafael Nadal must have thought days like this would never come. Nursing a knee problem, just getting back on to the court was the aim. But the reality has proved far better for the Spaniard - and uplifting for those who crave sporting contests and rivalries of the highest order.

Invariably, when Nadal and Novak Djokovic face off there is a battle in prospect. This will be the 37th time the duo have met - their 11th time in a major.

Nadal leads 21-15 overall and 7-3 in majors, but Djokovic has the edge on hardcourts 11-6. If their last meeting in a grand-slam tournament final was anything to go by though, a US Open which has been somewhat short on drama will have the denouement for which many have been hoping.

In the Australian Open final last year, a near six-hour contest ebbed and flowed - Djokovic having gone two sets to one behind - before culminating in the Serb tearing off his shirt amid the adulation of the Melbourne crowd.

However, Nadal's form since making the return to action from that knee injury - his Wimbledon loss in the first round to world No.135 Steve Darcis of Belgium aside - has netted him nine titles, including his record eighth French Open victory on the red clay of Roland Garros.

Nadal's run on the North American hardcourts, a surface which was supposed to play havoc with that left knee, has comprised 21 matches without defeat. In his last six meetings with Djokovic, Nadal has won five times, the last coming five weeks ago in Montreal.

The Serb won in four sets here in 2011, avenging his defeat by the world No.2 a year earlier.

"Talking about a final, I want to play against a player tha t I have more chances to win against. But I play against him. I played against him a lot of times. Always we played very exciting matches," said Nadal of his forthcoming meeting with Djokovic.

"When you play, when you are involved in these kinds of matches, you feel special. And at the end, even if I lost that final in Australia, I feel happy to be involved in that match.

"For me, what makes me happy is to be in the final of a US Open. It makes me very happy. [It] is [a] big result for me. [I'm] very happy for everything, the way that I am playing.

"[What] makes me happy is be competitive in every tournament that I am playing, and that's why I am very happy today, because in this season I was able to play all finals and one first round.

"That means I was very competitive in every tournament, and [what] makes me happier [is] to have the chance to win every time, [rather] than win one grand slam and then lose in the early rounds of the rest of the tournaments.

"No doubt that when you win a big match, the feeling is great. Novak is a great opponent. There are other ones there, but [it] is true we [have] already played a lot of important matches in our career, so that makes that confrontation special. And when you have the chance to win against the most difficult players, it is true that the victory is more special - but not in a final of the US Open. The final of the US Open, what really is important is to win the tournament, not [beat] the opponent."

With both players being strong from the back of the court, the key undoubtedly will be who is able to return serve more strongly.

Nadal has never been renowned as a huge server but it was not until the second set of his routine win over Richard Gasquet that he was actually broken in the tournament for the first time.

Now in his fourth consecutive New York final, Djokovic's game was unusually full of errors against Stanislas Wawrinka but credit must be given to the Swiss player's aggression. What the Serb always has in his locker, as well piles of gluten-free produce, is stamina - both physical and mental.

"I love playing on Arthur Ashe. Next to [the] Australian Open that I won four times, I think this is definitely my most successful court that I played on," said the 26-year-old Djokovic. "Hopefully I can perform better than I have done in the Wimbledon final and maybe get a chance to win a trophy.

"Playing four finals now in a row and five in total, I mean, it's great. I mean, seven, eight years that I have been coming back here I have played at least semi-finals in every US Open. Fantastic.

"I have this great kind of feeling, and [the] atmosphere that goes around the US Open. I love the energy here, but I also have a big team of people and I stay at a friend's house. It's kind of this family sensation.

"Hardcourts are my most successful surface. This is where I can say I feel most comfortable and confident. "

Whatever the outcome of today's match, Djokovic will retain his No.1 position in the world rankings, but Nadal is snapping at his heels, and snapping hard.

"I have finished No.1 for the last two seasons, and I know how much consistency and hard work and energy [I] put into the 10, 11 months of a season you need to deliver in order to be No. 1 in the world," added Djokovic.

"So Rafa is I think in a better position right now for that ranking and for this position, but I'm still keeping that position going.

"I'm fighting for it."

Djokovic knows no other way, yet the completion of Nadal's journey back from the abyss of enforced retirement has entered a fascinating climax. Let battle commence.