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Fourth set: Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 1-1 Federer* (*denotes server): Federer holds to 30. It’s been a slow start to the fourth set, unsurprisingly so after the delay.
Fourth set: Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 Federer (*denotes server): I believe that it’s not actually raining yet in Melbourne,so
Federer probably won’t be happy about the tournament organisers taking
the precautionary measure of closing the roof. Yet the delay seems to
have disrupted Djokovic’s rhythm once play is resumed and he’s quickly
down 0-30 on his serve. But Federer lets him off the hook with three
careless returns, each of them finding the net. Who put that there, he
wonders. Djokovic holds to 30, without having to work too hard. That was
sloppy from Federer and he may live to regret it.
So this is now an indoor match.Novak Djokovic
has lost one indoor match in the past three years and while that was
against Federer at the ATP World Tour Finals in November, he followed
that up by crushing him in the final.
Roger Federer wins the third set 6-3; Novak Djokovic leads 6-1, 6-2, 3-6!
Federer
begins by ramming a forehand down the line. Djokovic doesn’t bother
chasing after it, he just dusts himself down and wins the next point.
The game goes to 30-all and Federer wastes a challenge by querying a
Djokovic backhand winner that landed on the baseline. The camera locates
Mirka, who’s got her head in her hands. She needn’t worry. Her husband
earns a set point when Djokovic mishits a backhand return. But Djokovic
isn’t done. A monstrous forehand from right to left from almost knocks
Federer off his feet. The set point is saved. Yet he’ll have to do it
again when Federer beats him with a forehand pass. Federer can’t take
that one, but he gets a third chance when he crunches a big serve down
the middle, and this time Djokovic squirts a forehand long! He was
staring down the precipice half an hour ago and now look, Federer has
somehow forced a fourth set! I suppose the good thing is that the way
the first two sets whizzed by means he won’t be too tired now.
Third set: Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 3-5 Federer (*denotes server): Djokovic holds to 15, forcing Federer to serve for the third set. That wasn’t on the cards 20 minutes ago.
Third set: Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 2-5 Federer* (*denotes server): Federer
has woken up! This is more like it! At 30-all, he cracks a forehand
down the line, Djokovic nowhere near it, and he’s a game away from
forcing a fourth set when Djokovic nets a forehand return.
Third set: Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 2-4 Federer (*denotes server): For
the first time in a while, Federer finds himself with a 15-30 lead on
Djokovic’s serve, working his opponent over with a series of one-handed
backhands, and then he earns his first break points of the match,
standing up strongly at the net and taking a 15-40 lead with a superb
volley. Here comes the fightback. Djokovic saves the first break point
with a fine serve and Federer squanders the second with a wasteful
forehand. Deuce. Yet Federer is playing with more belief now and a
journey to the net is rewarded when Djokovic pulls a backhand wide.
Here’s a third break point. Again, though, Federer misfires with a
forehand. What would have been a winner down the line zooms long. He
looks furious. Still, at least it’s more of a fight now, with Djokovic
struggling to close the game out, Federer frustrating him with an array
of beautiful shots. This is turning into an awkward game for Djokovic
and he finds himself break point down for a fourth time when he drops a
volley a touch long, allowing Federer to race forward and guide a
forehand past him. And this time, Federer makes the breakthrough, a
short ball letting him run around a forehand and wallop it into the left
corner, where Djokovic can only knock a backhand wide. Federer breaks!
Federer plays a backhand. Photograph: Filip Singer/AAP
Third set: Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 2-3 Federer* (*denotes server): A
sign of Federer’s muddled thinking comes when he lashes an easy
forehand volley miles wide at 30-0. He isn’t able to relax against
Djokovic. He’s always worrying about making the shot perfect and as
such, he ends up making error after error in his quest to get the ball
out of Djokovic’s bendy reach. Soon it’s 30-all; then it’s 30-40,
Djokovic deftly flicking a gorgeous forehand pass from right to left.
Yet Federer is grimly clinging on and he saves the break point with a
smash, before somehow managing to hold serve. He’s slowly beginning to
get a bit of confidence, but it’s probably come too late.
Third set: Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 2-2 Federer (*denotes server): Djokovic enjoys a routine hold to love. Here, is he going to better Federer’s record of 17 grand slam titles?
Third set: Djokovic* 6-1, 6-2, 1-1 Federer (*denotes server): Djokovic’s
dominance is so complete that he can even afford to applaud a rare
bright moment for Federer, who makes it 15-all with a lovely drop
volley. We’ve not seen many of those shots from Federer today. He’s not
been allowed to make them. Djokovic holds to 30 with an ace out wide.
Federer, feeling the pressure. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images
Third set: Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 0-1 Federer* (*denotes server):
By holding here, Federer has at least equalled his worst grand slam
loss, his 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 defeat to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 French Open
final.
Novak Djokovic wins the second set 6-2; he leads 6-1, 6-2
There
is no drama. No unlikely comeback. Federer was indeed only delaying the
inevitable. Djokovic will not be denied. Stand in his way if you like,
he’s just going to steamroller all over you and rumble on regardless. He
strolls into a 40-0 lead, earning three more set points in stress-free
fashion, and he takes a two-set lead when a Federer backhand sails long.
This isn’t the epic we were promised!
Djokovic takes the second set. Photograph: Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 5-2 Federer* (*denotes server): Federer
must think that Djokovic is going to show a bit of sympathy when he
hits a forehand winner for 40-30. Go on, let him have the game. Be nice.
Be a friend. Go on. Please? Think again. Djokovickeeps
on cyborging , crisp tennis earning him a set point. Federer saves it
with an emphatic smash – not before Djokovic had hoicked back the first
emphatic smash – but Djokovic carves out a second opportunity with a
piercing forehand. Yet Federer is determined to at least salvage a
sliver of dignity. He saves the second set point, Djokovic only able to
net a forehand return, and he holds with some resolute serving. Yet he’s
probably only delaying the inevitable. “Federer hardly
ever elects to receive when he wins the toss,” says Amar Breckenridge.
“Was that a signal that he was fearful? In any event, seems like
Djokovic sensed blood right from the start…”
Second set: Djokovic* 6-1, 5-1 Federer (*denotes server): Federer
has made 20 unforced errors to Djokovic’s four. This is remarkably
flawless tennis from the world No1 and brilliantly disrespectful in its
execution. Roger who? Federer will serve to stay in the second set,
whatever that means. Those are just words, aren’t they?
Djokovic cracks a backhand as he takes control of the second set. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 4-1 Federer* (*denotes server): Federer
lost his serve five times in his first five matches. Thirty-three
minutes was all it took for him to lose it three times against Djokovic.
You’d be finding this painful to watch even if you were Federer’s worst
enemy. This is pure misery for him, the stuff of nightmares. His mind
is a mess. Mirka looks on grimly in the stands. At 15-all, he leaves a
smash, lets Djokovic back into the rally and loses it when he hits a
forehand long, before conceding two break points when he’s unable to
deal with a blistering backhand return at the net. There’s a feeling of
inevitability about the subsequent Federer forehand that drifts sadly
past the baseline. Someone pass him the smelling salts. Djokovic is
utterly rampant.
Second set: Djokovic* 6-1, 3-1 Federer (*denotes server): If
this was a boxing match, there’d already be calls to ban the sport for
ever. It’s that brutal. How are you supposed to live with Djokovic when
he’s in this form? He holds to 30.
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 2-1 Federer* (*denotes server): Here’s
trouble. Two errors from Federer make it 0-30 and when he makes a
desperate charge to the net, Djokovic just chuckles and guides a
surgical forehand down the line to earn three break points. He only
needs one. Federer goes for broke with a forehand, it flies long and
Djokovic breaks again. Federer challenges the call, but HawkEye can’t
rescue him. He’s alone out there and there’s nothing to protect him
against the awesome might of Novak Djokovic, who’s achieving the rare feat of making Federer look old.
Federer is struggling to get near Djokovic’s sensational level. Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Reuters
Second set: Djokovic* 6-1, 1-1 Federer (*denotes server): Federer
has changed his racket. Maybe that’s the answer. He’d better hope it
is. In terms of games won, what we’ve just witnessed was his worst
opening set since he lost the first set of the 2014 Davis Cup final 6-1
to Gael Monfils. He ended up losing in straight sets that day and it
could be a similar story here. Djokovic holds to love. Federer just
can’t work out how to approach the net with any effect at all.
Second set: Djokovic 6-1, 0-1 Federer* (*denotes server): Federer
cannot afford to drop his serve here, else this is going to get even
uglier. With that in mind, he can probably do without dumping easy
volleys into the net at 15-all. It’s not the most encouraging of starts
and although he gets it back to 30-all, Djokovic is once again too
strong when the rally is extended. Here’s a break point. It might as
well be a match point, the way this is going. Yet Federer saves it with a
rasping forehand and that seems to shake him out of his lethargy a
little, as he wins the next two points to hold.
Defiance
stirs in Federer at last, as he clumps a forehand away to take a 0-15
lead. That’s a bit more like it. Yet Djokovic is in the zone. There’s no
room for anyone else in the zone. He gets it back to 15-all. They
rally. Federer whips a forehand into the right corner. Djokovic gets
there and flashes a stunning forehand pass from right to left, the ball
landing just inside the line. He clenches his fist, stares dementedly at
his box and then earns two set points with an unreturned serve to the
frayed Federer backhand. Federer musters some resistance in an attempt
to preserve his dignity, an overhead backhand saving the first set
point, but Djokovic isn’t in the mood for a long argument and he simply
ignores that insubordination and takes the set with a serve down the
middle that Federer can only weakly send back into the net, which is
certainly earning its coin today. The first set is Djokovic’s after only
22 minutes and that, my friends, was terrifying. I think we can safely
say that the Simon match was just a blip.
Djokovic celebrates after clinching the opening set with near-total dominance. Photograph: Paul Crock/AFP/Getty Images
First set: Djokovic 5-1 Federer* (*denotes server): The
torture continues. Come to think of it, actually, I shudder to think of
what medieval punishments would have been like if he had been in charge
of coming up with them. More ferocious hitting establishes a 15-40
lead, two break points, and he absolutely batters Federer in a grim
rally, withering forehands crushing his opponent’s spirit. Federer
dribbles a forehand into the net and he’s been broken for a second time.
He is being played off court. This is absurd. Djokovic will serve for
the first set after a staggering 18 minutes.
First set: Djokovic* 4-1 Federer (*denotes server): Djokovic
is pummelling Federer with his forehand. You fear for Federer at the
moment and the one-sidedness is making him force the issue too much, the
unforced errors piling up as he attempts to assert himself. That’ll
play straight into Djokovic’s hands. From 40-0, there’s a glimmer of
light for Federer, who forces it back to 40-30. Yet that’s as close as
he gets, Djokovic holding again when Federer slaps a shot into the net.
First set: Djokovic* 3-0 Federer (*denotes server): Federer
is after an immediate riposte and he wins the first point of this game,
a sliced backhand return unbalancing Djokovic and causing him to slip
on the baseline. Djokovic responds with an accurate ace down the middle,
though, and he rattles through the next three points with ease,
polishing off the game with a glorious forehand pass. Federer isn’t in
this at the moment. It’s all Djokovic. This is his court and Federer is
going to have to hit at astonishing peak to wrestle control of it away
from the world No1.
First set: Djokovic 2-0 Federer* (*denotes server): Federer
whooshes an ace out hide. Djokovic sends it back with interest, but
Federer bangs a forehand winner into the opposite corner. Yet Djokovic
is soon clambering all over him, hitting the ball deep, and two errors
from Federer makes it 15-30. Djokovic is looking ominously sharp and he
overpowers Federer again to earn two break points. He zings another
forehand out wide and Federer panics a forehand wide. Djokovic breaks
immediately! The world No1 has made a superb start. He’s only lost one
point!
First set: Djokovic* 1-0 Federer (*denotes server): With
all due respect to Andy Murray and Milos Raonic, both of whom have
realistic hopes of winning this title, the final before the final is
underway. Roger Federer won the toss, but he chose to receive. Novak Djokovic
is unflustered, curling an ace into the corner for the first point,
before taking a 30-0 lead. Federer then tries a change of approach,
charging forward off a return, but Djokovic just arrows a backhand down
the line for 40-0 and he holds to love.
This is their 10th meeting in a grand slam semi-final, Djokovic winning five to Federer’s four. There
have been some classics, the best of them arguably coming at the US
Open in 2011, when Djokovic fought back from two sets down to win 6-7,
4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. You may recall the staggering forehand he hit off a
Federer serve to save match point in the decider. The crowd loved it and
Djokovic lapped up the acclaim, but Federer wasn’t happy. “I
mean, please,” he said. “Some players grow up and play like that – being
down 5-2 in the third, and they all just start slapping shots. I never
played that way. I believe hard work’s going to pay off, because early
on maybe I didn’t always work at my hardest. For me, this is very hard
to understand. How can you play a shot like that on match point? Maybe
he’s been doing it for 20 years, so for him it was very normal. You’ve
got to ask him.” A tetchy response from the loser, who could have
shown a touch more grace in defeat. This hasn’t always been the
friendliest of rivalries, but that was a shot that summed up Djokovic’s
never-say-die spirit. You can never relax against him, even when he
looks beaten. Has there ever been a greater escape artist? No situation
is too dire and he’ll still be a threat if he goes two sets down today.
That’s partly because of how much he loves this court. Federer has won
four Australian Opens, but Djokovic has five. They’ve played each other
three times here and Djokovic has won their past two meetings, winning
semi-finals in 2008 and 2011. Beating Djokovic here is beginning to
become as a big a challenge as defeating Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
Djokovic had his revenge a year later, though, beating Federer 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 in their Australian Open semi-final, on the way to winning the first of his 10 grand slams, seeing off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.
Just think, the first time these two met in a grand slam was in the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2007.
Roger Federer dismissed the young pretender 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 and went on
to beat Fernando Gonzalez 7–6, 6–4, 6–4 in the final. A lot has changed
since then. For starters, we’ve all got jetpacks now.
If Djokovic wins today, he’ll have a winning record over each of the Big Four for the first time in his career.
He’d lead Federer 23-22, Murray 21-9 and Nadal 24-23. He overtook Nadal
in the Doha final earlier this month. What else does he have to do to
become the greatest?
Hello. You
know the drill by now. All that hype, all that excitement, all those
romantics hoping against hope, clinging on to the belief that this will
be the day when Roger Federer finds a way to beat the one man who pulls
his pants down now that Rafael Nadal is rarely seen in the second week
of a grand slam any more, none of it means anything once Novak Djokovic
gets going. We’ve seen this before. We know how it goes. A tight first
set. Could go either way. It might need a tie-break to separate them.
Federer could win that. And if he doesn’t, he could take the second set.
Could his 18th grand slam title be on the way? Hype. Excitement.
Romanticism. But here comes Djokovic, chipping away, being an all-round
nuisance, always running, always bending and readjusting. The Federer
serve falters. The old genius fades, unable to live with with his
younger adversary over five gruelling sets. Djokovic soars. He roars and
beats his chest. He wins. I’m thinking 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3, or perhaps
7-6, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, or even 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2, Djokovic moving a step
closer to winning his 11th major. So the crowd’s going to be on
Federer’s side? Irrelevant. Djokovic won’t care. It was the same at the
Wimbledon and US Open finals last year. He still won both. It might have
bothered him in the past, when he was less sure of himself and more
liable to become distracted by external factors, but not any more. There
is a temptation to depict Djokovic as a cold-blooded cyborg, a tennis
machine, a super computer that can predict and react to your every move
with chilling efficiency, sometimes before you’ve even bothered thinking
about it, but that’s not quite true. Djokovic is a swirling bag of
emotions, it’s just that he knows how to control himself and channel it
into positive energy that feeds into his champion tennis. Why
should it be different this time? There are plenty of good reasons to
suspect that it will be the same old story - and a few that suggest it
could have a different ending this time. Djokovic has struggled in the
past few days, grinding past Andrea Seppi, racking up a century of
unforced errors over five fraught sets with Gilles Simon, failing to
convince in a quarter-final victory that had more to do with Kei
Nishikori’s insipidness than his own brilliance. Maybe he’s just
been keeping his powder dry. Yet while Djokovic has toiled, Federer has
been superb, not least in his breezy victory over Tomas Berdych on
Tuesday. He has only dropped one set on his way into the last four, in
his ultimately comfortable third-round win over Grigor Dimitrov, and the
34-year-old world No3 will feel confident of moving 23-22 ahead in his
head-to-head record with Djokovic, who will need to up his level. Half
of Djokovic’s six defeats last year were administered by Federer, after
all, and the world No1 will have to be at his best to make sure the
defence of his title doesn’t end here. All the same, don’t be surprised
if the 45th chapter of this fascinating rivalry has a familiar feel. You
know the drill. Play begins at: 7.30pm in Melbourne, 8.30am GMT.
Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic, Australian Open 2016
Charlie will be in at about 07.30am on Thursday morning to bring you all the action, with the players due on court at 08.30. In the meantime, have a read of the articles above and our preview below. Novak
Djokovic believes beating Roger Federer is as tough a task as it has
ever been as the rivals prepare for another grand slam showdown at the
Australian Open. Djokovic and Federer will face off for the
45th time when they clash in the semi-finals in Melbourne after both
came through their last eight matches in straights sets on Tuesday.
Djokovic eased past Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-2 6-4 while Federer beat Tomas
Berdych 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 6-4. The head-to-head between the pair
currently lies firmly in the balance at 22 wins each but Djokovic has
the edge in recent match-ups, winning their last three meetings in grand
slams. The Serb has usurped his fiercest rival at the top of
men's tennis but Federer, now 34, has enjoyed a renaissance, producing
some of his best form in recent months and reaching two grand slam
finals last year.
"You have to be on the top of your game because he hasn't really
dropped the level at all I think in the last seven, eight years that
I've been playing against him," Djokovic said. "He's been playing always consistently well. I think his backhand is better than it was maybe five, six years ago. "So he's playing some terrific tennis on the hard court. This is going to be a big challenge for both of us."
Federer continues to chase an 18th grand slam title, with his last
having come in 2012, while Djokovic is trying to close the gap as he
sits on 10.
Victory at the Australian Open would move the top seed level with Rod
Laver and Bjorn Borg on 11, and Rafael Nadal is also within sight, four
clear on 14. "I've played these guys (Federer and Nadal) so many
different occasions. I've battled them for the biggest titles in
sport," Djokovic said. "These two guys made me the player also I
am today. I think these rivalries have allowed me to grow and to evolve
and to understand what it takes to be on the level that they are on. "They've been dominating tennis before Andy Murray and myself came along for many years. It took a while to get in the mix.
"It keeps going. Roger is playing really terrific tennis in last two
years. We played two grand slam finals last year. I know very well how
good he plays, especially in the later stages of a major event.
"He always makes you play your best. My best is what is going to be
necessary to win against him. Hopefully I'll be able to deliver."
Djokovic came out on top when the pair played in last year's finals at
Wimbledon and the US Open, and the suspicion remains that the Serbian,
six years Federer's junior, holds the physical advantage over five sets.
"Yeah, maybe. The longer the match goes, maybe I have slightly bigger chance," Djokovic said.
"But I don't think there's too big of a difference physically. He's
been winning quite comfortably this tournament. He's pretty fit. He
moves very well. "I don't still think it's something I can heavily rely on."
Federer has reached three grand slam finals since he lifted the
Wimbledon title in 2012 but title number 18 has so far proved elusive. "It's part of the reason why I guess I'm still playing," Federer said.
"I feel like I'm competitive at the top, I can beat all the guys on
tour. It's nice now that in the last three slams that I've been as
consistent as I have been. "I'm playing good tennis, fun tennis
for me anyway. I really enjoy being able to come to the net more like
back in the day so I'm very pleased. "It would mean a lot to me, no doubt about it."
Australian Open semi-final – live!
Reviewed by Unknown
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16:17:00
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