Top ranked Novak Djokovic will play Rafael Nadal, seeded second, in the final of the Australian Open 2012.
Nadal needed to thwart former champion and world number three Roger Federer’s challenge in the semi-final while Djokovic overcame world number four Andy Murray in a gruelling five-setter.
The world number two Spaniard defeated Federer 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4 to make it to his second Australian Open final. He goes in as the 2009 Australian Open champion. On the other hand, Djokovic required four hours, 50 minutes to overcome Murray’s challenge, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5.
Djokovic had three easy rounds in the tournament to begin with, dropping only two, six and two games respectively in each of those matches. In his fourth round, Lleyton Hewitt snatched a set off him before he crushed the number five ranked David Ferrer in the quarter-finals.
Nadal’s passage to the final has been a tad easier, with straight set wins in each of his first four rounds. In the quarter-finals, Nadal needed to overcome the loss of the first set to seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych, before he won that Federer match – again, after dropping the first set.
The Djokovic-Nadal match could well turn into a game of physical endurance given the lead-up to the encounter. Nadal has had an extra day’s break as compared to Djokovic, who will play the final in less than two days of his tiring semi-final and could have a tiny advantage there.
The Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2012 men’s final will be played on Sunday, January 29.
