News & Photos
Day 11 - (1) Novak Djokovic v (4) David Ferrer
Head-to-head
| A handy lead for Djokovic in the head-to-head, nine wins for the Serb, five for the Spaniard. Nole will take heart knowing that he has won both of their encounters in Melbourne in straight sets, including in last year’s quarterfinals. | For Ferrer, three of his wins have come on clay and two on hard court. Ferrer’s last victory over the world No.1 came at the ATP World Tour Finals in 2011 but Djokovic has won their three subsequent matches. |
Will win if...
| He keeps his unforced error count in check. So far, the top seed has recorded 15, 16, 19, 66 and 25 unforced errors – the blowout coming in his five-set scare against Stanislas Wawrinka. | He can serve well and force Djokovic into error. Ferrer is one of the fittest players on the tour and could retrieve a stick washed out to sea. He’ll need to be at his chasing best if he’s to frustrate Djokovic into hitting too close to the lines in search of winners. |
Heading in...
| Impressive. The world No.1 has been pushed exceptionally hard just once – a five-set slugfest with Swiss No.2 Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round. A four-set win over fifth seed Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals was a polished performance from a player who is building towards his prime. | Ferrer may be the fourth seed, but more has been said about his absent countryman Rafael Nadal. It’s a situation that has allowed Ferrer to go about his business with minimal scrutiny, press and all the other excess that comes with making a Grand Slam semifinal. Victories over Nishikori, Baghdatis, Smyczek and Rochus were good but coming back from two sets down to defeat Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals was great. |
Look out for...
| Passion. Nole is one player who leaves no uncertainty as to how he’s feeling. He has the ability to fire up the crowd and then in turn feeds off the energy they provide him. | Endurance. 3 hours and 44 minutes on court – five sets, 53 games and the stress of coming back from two sets behind against friend and countryman Almagro, yet Ferrer still looked like he could probably go another couple of rounds. Yep, he’s fit. |
Know this stat
| This is Djokovic’s 11th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, putting him No.2 on the list of players who have made the most consecutive Grand Slam final appearances. Roger Federer heads the list with 23. | Ferrer has never made it to the final of a major. He’s been a semifinalist at Roland Garros (2012), US Open (2012) and here in 2011. |
X-factor
| Pressure. Djokovic could become the first player to win three in a row in Melbourne. He could join the four-time winner club. He could join Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg with six majors to his name. All great achievements that any player would love to add to their CV. No pressure. | Nothing to lose. Yes he’s the No.4 seed, but let’s face it, Ferrer is not expected to win – not this match, not this title. With this in the back of his mind, Ferrer should be able to come out and play with complete freedom – always a dangerous proposition, even for the game’s No.1 player. |