A familiar cast for a semifinals night in Paris; Federer takes on Djokovic

Roger Federer celebrates after defeating Juan Martin Del Portro

The lights are on and tennis is glowing. It has been a spectacular week for the game under the strobe lights inside the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. Incredibly, just as we finally figured the eight who might delight us at the ATP World Tour Finals, the quarterfinal lineup mirrored the list of men who will present themselves in London next week.

After last night’s action packed schedule, it is time for us to look ahead to the semi-finals tonight. Barring the absence of Andy Murray, we have a familiar cast ready to duel for a place in what promises to be an engaging finals on Sunday. The big three – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are joined by the persevering David Ferrer as the four warriors locked in semifinal battle later tonight.

The first semifinal features Djokovic and Federer, rivals for the past many years. The two gladiators have met 29 times so far, with Federer having a slight 16-13 edge. But in recent times, Djokovic has used his improved fitness and power to outshine his illustrious rival more often than not. In fact the Serbian has won seven of their past ten meetings, since the beginning of 2011.

Some of their matches, like the semifinals at the US Open in 2011 where Djokovic turned a nearly lost match with a moment of inspired brilliance, underlined the intensity and quality of their rivalry. The fact that Federer is having the leanest season in a decade has meant that the two of them haven’t crossed swords at all this season.

On form, one should expect Djokovic to have one weapon too many for an inconsistent Federer. But after languishing in the tramlines for most of the year, Federer has shown renewed energy in Basel and Paris. After losing a tight final against Juan Martin Del Potro in his hometown, he has finally managed to end a three match losing streak against the Argentine by overcoming him in a classy three set encounter last night.

It appears that there is still some fight left in the old dog. Against Djokovic though, he will need to be at the top of his game. A high first serve percentage and consistency off his forehand are going to be key for Federer. Any slippage and Djokovic will have him for early supper. The inside out forehand from the Serbian has stretched the Swiss on his weaker side, creating an opening for the backhand down the line winner.

Federer will need to guard against playing too short to avoid being exploited. It will be interesting to see if the Swiss can indeed build on his recent string of successes, especially by feeding off the energy from defeating a tricky opponent in the form of Del Potro. Federer was measured in the assessment of his chances. “I think we always play well against each other,” said Federer.

“When we play, it’s very athletic. We will both try to be aggressive and take the initiative. So tomorrow, given the surface and the conditions here, it’s also going to be the case. It’s interesting. I always liked this rivalry with Novak. I prefer playing him now than four months ago. I’m more confident now and I believe again in my chances. But if I had played a few weeks ago or a few months ago, I might have thought that I was not sure. I believe I can win more now. I will try my best against him because he’s again having a very good year.”

Djokovic has the number one ranking to deal with besides the challenge posed by the opponent across the net. With Rafael Nadal also reaching the semifinals, it means that any hopes of finishing as the top ranked player hinge now on winning the Paris Masters title. Nothing less will do for Djokovic now.

The Serbian was mighty impressive against another Swiss, Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarters and is acutely aware that he needs to keep it at the same level to avoid a misstep against Federer. “You cannot underestimate him,” said Djokovic of his semifinal opponent. “I think he’s playing really well. I hope that I just can continue on playing well the way I played today. I think it was better than the first two matches.”

Prediction: Djokovic in three sets

Action starts at 0700pm IST on Ten Sports.

The other semifinal features the familiar Spanish duo of Nadal and Ferrer. The later has spent practically an entire career living in the discomforting shadow of Nadal, who has been a dominant force since his teenage days. Ferrer has just a solitary Masters Series title to his name, compared to the record 26 that crowd the mantle piece of decorated rival.

In his 12th semifinal at this level, Ferrer has the onerous task of fending off Nadal’s brute power to keep his title defense alive. The 31 year old showed tremendous heart against Tomas Berdych, fighting off the stubborn Czech from a set down to earn a hard fought victory. He will need a similarly resilient performance against his countryman to harbour any hopes of victory.

Nadal will approach the match with assured confidence, having beaten his compatriot in 20 of 24 matches. The last time Ferrer tasted victory over Nadal was in Abu Dhabi in December 2011, but he has lost seven straight matches since then. The numbers are too overwhelming for Ferrer to even scour for a scent of hope.

In the context of this match then, the world No.3 will need to rely on his instincts and staying power to find a way past the domineering king of clay. Ferrer has nimble feet and will need them to help him try and force the issue by playing early to unsettle Nadal’s rhythm. The diminutive Ferrer will try and use the forehand crosscourt to keep play on the backhand side of Nadal.

But Nadal is at the top of his game, having returned from injury to take the tennis world by storm. Nadal has won an impressive 71 matches already this year against a meagre five losses, helping himself to a bucketful of titles. He is marching inexorably towards his 27th Masters title. As expected, if Nadal trounces Ferrer in the semifinals, he will be just one step short of becoming the first man ever to win six ATP World Tour 1000 titles in a single season.

Prediction: Nadal in straight sets

Action starts around 0930pm IST on Ten Sports.