MELBOURNE, Australia — The match that broke a 22-22 tie started out as a mismatch.
Roger Federer has inflicted plenty of pain in a hurry on lesser tennis champions in Rod Laver Arena, ripping winner after winner in full flow.
But this time, Federer was the one fighting the current and looking in dire need of one of those surf-defying Australian lifeguards.
“It can happen,” Federer said.
Particularly against Novak Djokovic, who has perhaps never played better in a big match than in the opening phase of this Australian Open semifinal Thursday.
There were aces, cleanly struck backhands, wickedly angled forehands, right-guess returns and full-swinging passing shots on the line off the full stretch. Above all, there was supreme precision and assurance from a master craftsman at the summit of his art, even if art is a word more often associated with Federer.
“You had the impression Djoko was seeing the tennis ball like it was the size of a soccer ball,” said Severin Lüthi, Federer’s coach. “He could hit them with all his force and not miss.”
To be blunt, this could have been a humiliating night for Federer, a 34-year-old playing his successor as the world’s dominant player. But after losing the first two sets in 54 minutes, Federer — urging himself on and getting plenty of positive reinforcement from the Melbourne crowd — managed to save face and even win a set before the current shifted again for good.
Djokovic’s 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory, which started outdoors and finished under a closed roof, put him in his sixth Australian Open final, where he will face the winner of Friday’s semifinal between Andy Murray and Milos Raonic.
Best to wish either of them luck, because Djokovic, despite struggling in the fourth round against Gilles Simon, clearly still possesses the same extra gear in the new year that he called on so often in 2015.
“Well, I’ve had matches where I played similar tennis,” Djokovic said. “But against Roger, these first two sets have been probably the best two sets I’ve played against him over all, I think, throughout my career.”
That is quite a statement considering that this was the 45th match in a rivalry that began nearly a decade ago and has featured a string of high-profile finals.
But Djokovic, the clear No. 1, now holds a 23-22 lead over Federer and, for the first time, a career lead over all of his principal rivals: Federer, Murray, Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka.
Head-to-head comparisons have their limits. Nadal’s big edge over Federer is a result, in part, of so many of their duels taking place on clay. Federer has played Djokovic more often since his prime years ended in 2010. – Agencies
