Second seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic will contest a 50th career meeting against rival Roger Federer in the semifinal of the 2020 Australian Open on Thursday, January 30. The match has not yet been scheduled. You can find the Novak Djokovic v Roger Federer live streaming options along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Novak Djokovic v Roger Federer Head to Head
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will contest a 50th heavyweight meeting in their series – the second most in the Open Era behind only Djokovic and Nadal who have met 55 times. But this will the 17th showdown between the Serbian star and the legendary Swiss in a Grand Slam, which is a record in men’s tennis.
Djokovic, the second seed, currently leads in the rivalry 26-23 and is the only player to have beaten Roger Federer at all four majors. The same applies to the 20-time Grand Slam winner who remains thus far the only player to beat the Serb at all four majors.
Federer won their most recent encounter at Nitto ATP Finals in London 6-4 6-3 at the tail end of 2019 to snap a four-match losing streak against Djokovic and subsequently ended the Serbian’s chase for the year-end No.1 ranking, but it is the 16-time major champion who won their last meeting in a Grand Slam – the five-set epic at Wimbledon last year. Overall Djokovic leads 10-6 in Grand Slam matches.
Djokovic has a phenomenal record at the Australian Open, winning a record seven titles. He has a perfect 7-0 record in semifinals, beating Federer on three occasions (all semifinal matches) en route to the title. Overall he is 3-1 in Australian Open matches against the Swiss.
The last time Federer beat Djokovic in a slam was in 2012 in a Wimbledon semifinal, and you would have to go back to 2007 for Federer’s solitary win against Djokovic at Melbourne Park.
This will be their 11th semifinal meeting in a major, which is also an Open Era record in men’s tennis. Of their previous 10, Djokovic leads 6-4, winning their last semifinal showdown at the 2016 Australian Open quite comprehensively in four sets.
Djokovic is the most successful player in Australian Open history having won the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup a record seven times, while the Swiss who owns six titles is one of the most decorated players in the tournament, having picked up an unmatched 102 match-wins since making his main draw debut in Melbourne in 2000.
Djokovic Has Never Lost A Semifinal in Melbourne
Novak Djokovic has dropped one set en route to the semifinal, and that was in his opening match against big-serving Jan-Lennard Struff. The 29-year-old German has proven to be Djokovic’s biggest obstacle at the tournament so far, breaking the defending champion’s serve four times in that match.
However, Djokovic’s serve has been almost impregnable ever since, losing just one service game in his next four matches. It is an area in his game that he worked on during the off-season with his coach Goran Ivanisevic.
The 32-year-old admitted it wasn’t a modification, but just a few tweaks, mostly the rhythm and balance co-coordinating the ball toss. He gave a clear impression of just how effective that process has been in his crushing defeat of Yoshihito Nishioka in the third round. He dropped a mere eight points on serve in the entire match.
The World No.2 will simultaneously be protecting and looking to extend a perfect 7-0 record in Australian Open semifinals when he plays his great rival Roger Federer. Each time he advanced, he went on to win the title.
Djokovic is currently riding on an 11-match winning streak, which includes six singles match wins from the ATP Cup where he guided his country to success in the inaugural team tournament.
Federer Saved Seven Match-Points In Quarterfinal
There is the famous saying in tennis: never count out Roger Federer. Or to put it precisely, write off Federer at your own peril. For American Tennys Sandgren, he learnt a harsh lesson on a warm, Tuesday afternoon at Melbourne Park. Bidding to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal, the World No.100 was one point away to knock out the six-time champion, and seven times he failed to cross the finish line.
Federer as equivocal as he could be in the post-match interview, admitted he got ‘lucky’. For three hours, the gloriously named American from Tennessee had played immaculately, and Federer was on the ropes almost in every rally. The Swiss summoned all his sorcery in the fourth set, saving a remarkable seven match-points and snatching the ensuing tiebreak to force a fifth set.
Sandgren, in fairness, never recovered from that fourth set collapse and the 38-year-old master completed the greatest feat of escapology this fortnight.
Federer’s movement appeared to be hampered in the match especially in the third set when he requested an off-court medical timeout on groin strain. It will be intriguing to see if he does make a full recovery in the 48 hours before the titanic tussle against Djokovic.
The Swiss’ form and fitness will be a major concern especially when he comes up against Djokovic’s baseline excellence. He narrowly escaped the clutches of John Millman in a brutal five-setter in the third round last week. Does he have enough left in the tank to beat his great rival?
You can watch & bet on Novak Djokovic v Roger Federer on Thursday, January 30 here. Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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