Number-one-ranked Novak Djokovic continued his advance towards the finals of the Australian Open, beating fifth-ranked David Ferrer in straight sets, 6–4, 7(7)–6(4), 6–1. The final set saw the 24-year-old Serb looking his best, but the first two sets were struggles.
David Ferrer is known as an accurate but not hard hitter with great legs, and the 29-year-old Spaniard used both skills fully, running his opponent all over the court through the first two sets.
The first set was close all the way to the end; every point was long, and both players wore themselves out. Djokovic was hitting fifty percent of his first serves, giving Ferrer a huge edge, but the lanky Serb still managed a break and the set win, thought it took 58 minutes.
Djokovic got an early break in the second set, but in the fifth he stretched wide for a return and came up grimacing and grabbing the back of his right thigh.
The injury seemed to hurt Djokovic mentally more than physically. His movement seemed unaffected, but he started breathing heavily, bringing up thoughts of his asthma. Meanwhile Ferrer kept running down shots he shouldn’t have been able to reach; the energetic Spaniard took the set to a tiebreak with hard work on the long rallies.
The big Serb turned it around in the tiebreak. Facing a service break on the sixth point, he won a long rally, running just as far and as fast as his opponent, and held, after that, he seemed to steady himself and find the winning attitude which brought him three Grand Slam wins in 2011.
Djokovic started landing his first serve, his breathing improved; he looked very calm and very serious, where before he had looked discouraged.
While Djokovic found himself, Ferrer seemed to fold. Djokovic won the first three games of the set and closed it out in seven games.
After the match, Djokovic said his leg was fine and his breathing issues were merely a slightly stuffed nose, and the effort of the hour-long first set.
“I don’t have any physical issues. I feel very fit and I feel mentally, as well, very fresh,” he told Australia’s TV-7. “It’s just today I found it very difficult after a long time to breathe because I felt the whole day my nose was closed a little bit. I just wasn’t able to get enough oxygen.”
Djokovic will face Andy Murray in the semifinals, a prospect which pleases the world’s number one.
“He looks fit. He’s been playing well. He’s definitely very motivated to win his first Grand Slam,” Djokovic said of his next opponent.
“On the other hand I have been playing quite well here in last couple years. We have to expect a great match. You know, a tournament cannot ask for better matchups in semifinals. I hope that I can step out on the court trying to repeat the same thing I did last year—but it’s definitely going to take a lot of effort to be the winner from that match.”
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