Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer: Semi-final Preview – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
Yet another thrilling encounter is set for the two top-guns of the tennis world in the semi-final of an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event in Rome, Italy. The world number one, Novak Djokovic of Serbia,
will square off against the second-ranked Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer, on Saturday evening.
The highly awaited contest will be played on the outdoor clay courts of Foro Italico, with the winner earning a title shot at the coveted Masters Series trophy. It was already anticipated right from the beginning of the tournament
that these masters of the game will face each other in the round of four. Both these top class athletes have annihilated every opponent they faced in the initial rounds with commanding ease to book a spectacular battle in the semis this weekend.
The ever-belligerent Serbian has been in his prime form since the last year but Federer’s hunger for reclaiming his lost world number one spot has made him relatively favourite for winning the semi-final brawl. The Swiss Maestro
has vowed to climb to the top of the ATP World Rankings this season and he has been right on course to achieve his ambition so far. The 30-year-old has already bagged four championship titles, with the most recent one coming on the blue clay courts of Madrid
last Sunday. He has toppled the Spanish King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, from the world number two spot and another title win in Rome will be very handy in bridging the gap between him and the top ranked Serbian.
Federer took off his Rome Masters campaign by dumping the Argentinean, Carlos Berlocq, in the second round and then entered the round of eight by outsmarting the former world number one, Juan Carlos Ferrero. He blasted his way
past Andreas Seppi of Italy in the quarter-finals to meet the reigning world number contender in the final-four. The Swiss Maestro is 31-3 this circuit and has been the most successful player on the Tour so far, with four ATP titles under his belt.
The 25-year-old Serbian hasn’t been that much impactful on the running ATP season as he was last year. Djokovic has a 29-4 winning record for the season so far, with two titles to his name already. No doubt his six-hour marathon
victory over Nadal in the Australian Open final this year was one of the greatest achievements in the history of the game but he seems to have lost his true spark after that. He has suffered four losses so far and has been sacred of a defeat on a number of
occurrences. Being the world number one makes him the hot favourite for winning the Saturday’s semi-final but Federer’s current form is quite threatening for all opponents at present.
Federer leads 14-10 against Djokovic in the all-time head-to-head series but the Serbian has been successful in four out of five most recent encounters against the Swiss Maestro.
"Tomorrow, I've got a chance against Djokovic," Federer said after winning his quarter-final match against Seppi. "I'm looking forward to that match. It's another night session. I'm happy I'm playing so well on the court."
To me, it looks like Federer will hunt down the top ranked Serbian on Saturday and if he wins, it will be surely a straight sets victory for him. Djokovic might stumble in the beginning of the match, as he is considered to be a
sloppy starter against top class performers. It will be the perfect opportunity for Federer to bring Djokovic under the cosh right away and ignite the contest with all his guns blazing.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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