World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is through to his sixth Australian Open final after producing a masterful display to defeat Roger Federer 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday night in Melbourne.
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Djokovic’s 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Federer places the Serb in his fifth consecutive Grand Slam final and ties him with Ivan Lendl for third on the all-time major final list with 19.
Laver said Djokovic “played beautifully” in his opening two sets against Federer, which he wrapped up in 54 minutes for the loss of just three games. I think his backhand is better than it was maybe five, six years ago.
Djokovic clinched victory after running away with the opening two sets in less than an hour. Of her 25 previous major finals, Williams has won 21.
“But it doesn’t scare me when I go into a big match against any player who’s in their prime right now”.
Four-time victor Federer probed for a way back in, with the Australian crowd urging him on, and he broke Djokovic for the first time in the sixth game of the third set. “So from that standpoint I’m not anxious going into long rallies”, Federer said.
“Before you can really sometimes do something, [in] 45 minutes a lot of tennis is being played and it’s tough to get back into it. I found a way”.
Simon took Djokovic to 5 sets, with the Serb committing a mammoth 100 unforced errors in the course of that match and gaining notoriety for the feat.
Germany’s Kerber, the seventh seed, earned her right to face Williams by beating unseeded Briton Johanna Konta 7-5, 6-2 to sweep into her maiden Grand Slam final. “I never thought it was easy”, Federer answered when asked about Djokovic’s recent dominance against him, especially in the Grand Slam tournaments and how he sees himself faring against the Serbian in future tournaments, via the tournament’s official website.
“So that’s why I came out with I think a great deal of self-belief and confidence and intensity, concentration”. He came one win shy of completing the Calendar Slam last season (losing to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final), but still posted a record of 82-6 for the season, one of the best individual seasons in history.
“Obviously with a two-set lead is more comfortable, but it was a battle in the end”.
“It was a nice point and great ovation”, Federer said.
Williams’s 20-minute first set against Radwanska was as short as Djokovic’s start against Federer and only slightly less impressive because of the Pole’s lack of grand slam pedigree.
The world number three is redefining the career trajectory for men’s tennis as he remains among the elite at a time when most players his age have faded or already retired. Striving to become the oldest Open champion since Ken Rosewall in 1972, the 34-year-old had Djokovic down love-30 immediately upon the resumption of play after the roof was shut.
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Federer has reached three grand slam finals since he lifted the Wimbledon title in 2012 but title number 18 has so far proved elusive.
