With all due respect to Ferrer and fogi, Djokovic v. Federer who takes and why?

I know it is always a risk predicting who will when one round remains to be played. Fed has the tougher matchup but he has always had his way with David Ferrer. I would be stunned if Fognini won after his injury and a brutal 5 setter against Montanes. The two form horses so far in the french open will be playing in the Semis. The stakes could not be bigger for Novak Djokovic, not only will he have the pressure of playing the greatest player of the modern era in a grandslam, he has the pressure of the streak, and the knowledge that if he wins he will break Mac's record and become the world #1 player on the monday following Roland Garros. Plus Roger looks like he is in startling form, hitting his forehand and serve through the court. The best I have seen Roger play since the Tour finals last year. Djokovic though has beaten federer 3 straight times and looks like he has figured out Fed and Fed doesn't look like the same player he was three or 4 years ago.

In my mind it will come down to (as most big matches do) to who gets a higher percentage of first serves in. Novak has been punishing the second serve this year, and Roger has served wonderfully this french open. Another key factor is whether Novak is successful in playing a lot of balls to Fed's backhand. Backhand v. backhand Novak has the advantage. Forehand v. Fed backhand he has the advantage. But as good as Novak's forehand is he has to keep away from lengthy cross court exchanges with the fed forehand and find his backhand.

My prediction Novak wins in 4 tough sets, and claims his place in history and becomes the new #1. But it may be the toughest win he has to get in his entire streak, all that pressure, his biggest goal as a tennis player staring him in the face and the goat looking across from the net from him with his serenly intimidating manner.

I know you will hate this socal, but I will plump for Federer. He apart from Novak has looked in superb form and his backhand is back to it's best and I just think that apart from Murray, he is the only other player in the draw to be able to defeat Djokovic. It's hard to gauge the extent of the mental effect the Nadal's defeats to Djokovic have had on Rafa and I think that Federer believes he can beat Djokovic and believes he is the better player. I don't think Djokovic will be able to dominate Federer like he did Del Potro and Gasquet. It will come down to nerves and who can hold it mentally.

My prediction Novak wins in 4 tough sets, and claims his place in history and becomes the new #1.

Or he loses, as he should (except if he gets more than 20 "lucky" balls droping off the net in the oponents field ) and still gets to be No.1 when Federer betters Nadal

Well, I have no problem with you guys picking Federer, it certainly is a reasonable prediction. Dresdten, things like the let courts happen and go a players way when he is playing well and on a streak, I myself have noticed how many times novak has hit the top of the tape and had it go in these last few months. But who am I to argue with destiny.

I agree that Fed has looked good, but I think it will be a different story when he plays Novak. Novak returns feds serve really well probably as well if not better than anyone tour. And as for the federer backhand it does look good, but lets see how good it looks after he is forced to hit a couple of hundred heavy spinning backhands with the ball up over his shoulder and under pressure. No question Roger has looked frighteningly good so far this tournament, but so has Novak. Again I think it will come down to who plays the bigger points better and who gets a higher percentage of first serves in.

Djokovic will beat Federer in 3, pretty easy, sets.

My guess would be 6-2 6-4 6-2

Even asking the question utterly undermines your other thread, asking whether Nole is a tennis great yet.

Fed is miles past his best. If he can't beat him now what hope would he have had against peak Federer, beack in 2005-7?

I have a sneaky feeling Federer might take this; not because I don't think Djokovic is now, overall, the better player, but just because Fed has great variety in his game and right now the way to lose to Djokovic is to play very steady from the back. He needs to be messed up with variable spin, length and different points, and Federer is the best player to try that.

Bogbrush, asking for a match prediction somehow undermines my argument that Djokovic is a tennis great how? Roger is a little over one year past his last grandslam title. By the way I agree with you on the playbook for beating Novak need to use short angled slice to his backhand feed him a lot of low balls and angles. And change pace on by hitting flat hard and early to his forehand when you go to the forehand. Fed has the variation and he has been serving very well the whole tournament.

(Fed is miles past his best. If he can't beat him now what hope would he have had against peak Federer, beack in 2005-7?) Bogbrush

Pretty funny since he beat Federer in his peak in Canada in 2007a few weeks before Roger won the US open. And by the way if Novak's victories now against Federer come with an asteriks, what kind of asteriks should we attach to Federer's victories over an 18 and 19 year old Djokovic when Djokovic was just breaking onto the tour and Federer was at his absolute prime. So in your book victories over a Federer past his prime don't count, but victories over a teenage Djokovic 5 years before his prime count just the same.

Valid point. I'll go with Djoker in thight three,but if Fed's serve work,then they have 50-50 chance of winning.

masterplanl, If Fed serves really well he could pull it off, but I think he has to serve in the high sixties and low seventies to really have a good chance at victory.

Hmmm,

I think a lot of people are getting carried away with Feds form. He's looked great many times in the last few slams, but he has not had a real test yet. The modern Federer struggles more than ever under pressure (a Nadal legacy) and to be honest if Djoko doesn't drop in level between now and the semi, or hits an unseen brick wall of pressure, then Federer has next to no chance imo. The way these balls are playing, 3 sets for Djoko.

To be honest i don't see anyone beating Djoko, not even soderling on clay - personally i see Nadal is out of it this year, unless he adapts to the new balls between now and his QF. Oddly this year i think Nadal is more likely to win wimbledon than RG, which is bordering on hilarious - not sure what RG were trying to do with these balls.

Back on point. Federer will have to withstand maximum pressure to beat Djoko - its been a couple of years since ive seen Federer stand up to maximum pressure in a slam- maybe the Roddick Wimbledon win was the last time and thats debatable

Tom very astute post. There is a difference between beating an exhausted Wawrinka and beating a fresh Djokovic. I think the new balls have helped fed hit through the court and he strikes the ball a bit flatter off the forehand than Djoko so he may pick up a slight advantage with the new balls, his serve has certainly been helped quite a bit in this tourney. I agree Tom, I think Novak will be amped up and will play his guts out afterall the #1 ranking is staring him in the face if he gets by Roger. To me right now Novak is playing even better than he was at the start of the season when he beat Fed in AO, Dubai, and Indian wells. He seems to have taken to the clay courts like a duck to water and if anything his form in Rome and Paris has been even stronger than at the beginning of the streak. I think Roger will give Novak trouble but I think Novak wins.