In their first Grand Slam final, Djokovic put Murray to the sword and established himself as the man who would break the duopoly of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Advertisement
Federer’s wait for an 18th major crown continues and despite playing brilliantly against the rest of the field again in Melbourne, it may never end if he keeps running into the Serbian.
Djokovic will face either Andy Murray or Canada’s Milos Raonic in Sunday’s final.
“Against Roger, these first two sets have been probably the best two sets I’ve played against him overall throughout my career”, Djokovic told reporters.
Djokovic has won five titles at Melbourne Park but is unlikely to rely on much crowd support in the final.
Djokovic, who was simply irresistible in cruising two sets up in 54 minutes, said he played “flawless” tennis.
“Physically I’m feeling a lot better, mentally I needed that break after the Open”, she said, but “I didn’t think I would do this well this fast”. “It wasn’t easy but now I feel like I am at the peak of my career”. Djokovic looked wobbly and was gasping for breath in the third set before he came roaring back to win 12 of the last 13 games.
“But I definitely walk away from a place like this and say, “I want to come back next year”.
Djokovic, with 10 Grand Slam titles to his name, won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open previous year but was beaten in the French Open final by Stan Wawrinka.
Asked after she beat Johanna Konta in the semifinals if she would seek out Graf’s advice, Kerber laughed and said, “Steffi, write me please”.
Serena Williams gave another reminder of her dominance in women’s tennis with a 6-0, 6-4 win in the Australian Open semifinals against Agnieszka Radwanska, who is soon to move to the No. 3 ranking.
While the Swiss competitor would rally in the third to drag it back to 2-1, that minor blip would far from halt Djokovic, who would go on to complete the four-sets rout and make it 23-22 in his favour in the famous duo’s personal battle. “His forehand is still out there as one of the best weapons he’s got”.
While Djokovic points to Federer’s variety, Federer credits his great rival’s consistency for the success he has enjoyed.
Williams is the overwhelming favorite in the final, and not just based on recent form. “I was one off past year, too!”
The record 15th grand slam encounter between the pair was billed as a blockbuster but threatened to be a one-sided rout. “I was just standing there kind of watching her playing”.
Advertisement
“I wish I could have one more chance to play another match here this week, but I don’t, so of course I’m disappointed maybe for parts of my fans and also for myself”.
