US Open 2012: Djokovic Versus Ferrer - Preview

Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer will clash in the semi-finals on Saturday, the 8^th September. Djokovic had a straight sets victory over Juan Martin Del Potro whereas Ferrer toiled for four and a half hours to defeat Janko Tipsarevic in five sets. Djokovic leads the head-to-head meetings 8-5.

Both the players play similar style of tennis, only that Djokovic is stronger in almost all the departments. Forehand, backhand, movement, serve, return of serve and all the more, the self-confidence. He is the defending champion and played like one in the quarter-finals. Ferrer has been in the semi-finals only once before where he was defeated by Djokovic in the 2007 edition. Djokovic has since grown in stature and has added more fire power to his game. Ferrer too has improved his game and is a threat to vast majority of players, but his record against the top four is not that inspiring. His shots are efficient without being overpowering. His strength also lies in endless running, but it could turn out to be running to all ends of the court chasing Djokovic angles. He does not hit many winners, so he has to force Djokovic commit errors. He looks for the openings in the rallies, but this time, it would be Djokovic who will take control of the rally from either the return of serve or through one-two combination shot behind his serve. Ferrer is a marathon man for others, neither he dies nor the ball dies in his part of the court. In Djokovic however, he finds a man who beats him at his own game. Ferrer has to change his game for the semi-final match, but what could this be. He is not that deadly at the net, so charging to the net behind a deep approach shot is not his style of play. He does not have a deadly serve to take Djokovic out of the court and bang the return to the other side. He will therefore concentrate on keeping the ball in play by committing minimum number of unforced errors. This could be in his hands to some extent, but then he has to deal with the errors that would be forced on him. He has great fitness for a thirty year old, but he ran for four and a half hours in the quarter-finals.

Even if wishes were horses, Ferrer will not ride. He might have fulfilled his wishes by reaching the semi-finals and justifying his seeding. He will look forward to another day in the office where he will give his best and take the flight home without regrets. If he has to win, Djokovic has to lose which is possible if Djokovic plays the worst match of his career.