Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray: Semi-Final Preview – Australian Open 2012
World number one, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, set-up a blockbuster semi-final clash against the British number one, Andy Murray, after earning a comprehensive victory over David Ferrer. Murray on the other hand halted Kei Nishikori with a breadstick to reach this spot.
In the repeat of 2011 final, both tennis stars trounced over their rivals with a breadstick to duel each other for the 11th time. The Serb leads FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head2Head series by 6-4 against Murray. The fourth seed, however, upset Djokovic in their last meeting in the title-round at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 event.
In his last match against the world number five, Djokovic made a good start of the match and after seeking his momentum; he trashed the Spaniard with a breadstick in 164 minutes. The 24-year-old Serb clobbered a lower first serve share of 53 percent and spilled 39 unforced errors. He also lost his serve twice but capitalised on five out of twelve break opportunities to seal the deal with a 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-1 victory.
"I think I was hitting the ball really well from the baseline," said the Serb after winning his last match. "He had his times in the match where he was playing really well. I think my serve could have been a little bit better. But, overall, it was a great performance."
Despite earning an impressive victory, Djokovic suffered a hamstring injury in the second set which cost him three games in a row.
Serbian number one enjoyed a spectacular season last year, grabing ten titles and went on a 42 match unbeaten run to level the record of John McEnroe. Mustering his season further, Djokovic conquered three out of four Grand Slam events; Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. He went on to climb to the top rank at the South African Airways ATP World Rankings.
Djokovic started his 2012 campaign with good not as he cruised past Roger Federer and Ferrer to conquer the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi.
World number four on the other hand is in his top form, as he lost just one set in this tournament. After exiting from the semi-finals at the US Open last season, he went on an 18-match winning streak which included lifting titles at the Shanghai Masters 1000 event, Bangkok ATP and Tokyo ATP events.
He stormed into the 2012 season and cruised past everyone to lift his 25th title at the Brisbane International before entering this Grand Slam. In his previous match against the 24th seed, the British dusted away 8 out of 10 breakpoints he came across and cashed in 7 out of 18 break chances to register a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 success in 132 minutes. He clobbered a poor first serve share of 44 percent but registered an impressive 28 out of 36 points on it. Murray also spilled 27 unforced errors and smacked 36 winners.
"I was just a little bit more solid today and probably had a little bit more in the tank than he did," said Murray after his quarter-final battle against the Japanese. "I was hitting the ball better today. I could have served better, that's for sure. I'll need to serve better in the next match.”
The defending champion hasn’t found his old spark yet and is not at his full potential. Murray on the other side is at his best form and hasn’t lost a single match this year. He needs to clobber a higher first serve share and play his natural game to overwhelm resilience posed by the top seed. The British should also capitalise on the unforced errors Djokovic coughs and can easily formulate a 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-2 score line.
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