Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer preview
Thursday January 27, 2016 19:30pm – Rod Laver Arena
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will clash for the 45th time on Thursday when they meet in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, in what promises to be an epic showdown.
Is Djokovic saving his best for last?
Novak Djokovic looked decidedly out of sorts in his fourth round match against Frenchman Gilles Simon. However, the World No. 1 bounced back with an effortless quarter-final victory over Kei Nishikori on Tuesday.
The Serbian dominated the game without producing his best tennis, a sign that he could be saving his energy for what could be an epic semi-final.
Djokovic shares a 22-22 record in matches against Federer but he has had the upper-hand in their recent Grand Slams having won five of the last six top-level meetings. During those victories, Djokovic won an average of 73% of his first serve points and will need to return to that level for this game.
Federer on course for 18th Grand Slam crown
Roger Federer has barely missed a beat on his way to this year’s Australian Open semi-final, but things are about to get tough for the 17-time Grand Slam champion.
The Swiss legend has dropped just one set in the event so far and looked imperious during his straight-sets win against Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. He won 83% of his first serve points and 83% of his net points, as he cruised to a 7-6 (4) 6-2 6-4 victory against the sixth-ranked player. However, he will need to improve his return game when he faces the World No. 1 on Thursday.
Prediction
Eight of the last 11 Grand Slam meetings between these two have gone to four sets of more.
Over 3.5 sets can be backed at a decent price of 8/15 with Bet365