MELBOURNE, Australia — If ever there was a time to face Novak Djokovic, it is now.
Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet at the Australian Open for the first time since 2011, with a spot in the final awaiting the winner at Melbourne Park. "Perfection" and "unbeatable" have been used to describe Djokovic, though the world No. 1 has looked anything but as an eighth consecutive grand slam semifinal looms.
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In the space of two matches, Djokovic has racked up 127 unforced errors in meetings with Gilles Simon and Kei Nishikori. Of the 127, 100 came in the five-set marathon win over Simon, an uncharacteristic amount. Fortunately for Djokovic, his opponents were unable to capitalize.
For the first time in a long time, fans and pundits alike have been left with more questions than answers about the 10-time major champion.
"At this level you're always asking a lot from yourself," Djokovic said after defeating Nishikori 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday. "I have to be satisfied. I reached the semifinals. I won against a top 10 player in straight sets.
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"Comparing (the win) to the fourth-round match (vs. Simon), this was much better. That makes me confident and encourages me for the next one."
He won't be let off the hook so easily against Federer, who is gunning for an 18th grand slam title and some revenge.
The Swiss great — who's leading the tournament in first serve points won at 84 percent compared to Djokovic's 75 — has been a class above during the tournament, dropping just one set to reach a 12th semifinal in 13 years in Melbourne.
Wins, though still short of perfection, over Grigor Dimitrov and Tomas Berdych have Federer primed for a bid to atone for last year's failures in the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
On both occasions, Federer lost to Djokovic in four sets, making up two of his five defeats (in eight matches) against the Serb last year. Djokovic squared up the all-time ledger in the rivalry at 22 wins apiece.
Federer has taken a back seat to Djokovic and Co. since last winning a major in 2012. He won't have a better opportunity to get one over his rival.