Australian Open: (Almost) everything speaks for Djokovic in the 50th duel with Federer
Defending champion Novak Djokovic is the favorite in the semi-final duel with Roger Federer at the Australian Open 2020 . The history of this tournament also speaks for this.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jan 29, 2020, 02:36 pm
Mats Wilander had leaned far out of the window after the first set of the quarter-final match between Roger Federer and Tennys Sandgren at the Australian Open 2020: The summer conditions on Tuesday afternoon in Melbourne would accommodate the Swiss to such an extent that Sandgren had no chance of a comeback would have. Well: As so often, the Swedish legend was right. Although under very special circumstances - after all, Federer said he was already on the ski slope in Switzerland towards the end of the fourth sentence.
Novak Djokovic also knows his way around in the snow, the Serb likes to use breaks to make a few turns in the snow with his buddies. The coming weeks would offer that, Djokovic's next tournament is not planned until Dubai. Roger Federer will start there as defending champion. This honor will be given in Melbourne Novak Djokovic these days, for the seventh time. And if you follow the logic of Mats Wilander, Djokovic is the clear favorite in the semi-final against Federer on Thursday (from 09:30 a.m. live on Eurosport and in our live ticker).
Federer's last major win against Djokovic in 2012
When it gets dark in Melbourne, the conditions change almost radically. The spin has much less effect than when exposed to the sun, and the balls, which flare up after just a few ball changes, are becoming ever slower. Not good news for players who also need free points on serve. Milos Raonic had to experience this in the quarter-finals: the Canadian had never lost his service before the game against Djokovic, in the tenth comparison with the world ranking second he saw no light for the tenth time.
The statistics also see Djokovic ahead of Federer, not only because of the 26:23 record in previous matches. The man from Belgrade and the Swiss already faced each other three times at this stage of the tournament, and Djokovic kept the upper hand just as often. While Federer was close to being eliminated not only against Sandgren but also against John Millman, Djokovic was only slightly annoyed by Jan-Lennard Struff on lap one. But he was never really in danger, whether during the day or at night.
No comparison with the Wimbledon final from last summer when Federer was unable to use two match balls in the fifth set. And Novak Djokovic should also have a look at this very special record with a lot of confidence in the Rod Laver Arena: The last match in a Grand Slam tournament that Roger Federer won against him dates from 2012.
Here is the single tableau in Melbourne
laverarena