TheSportsCampus

They say a year can change everything. Just ask Novak Djokovic. The Serbian entered his last year's Australian Open semi-final against the then defending champion Roger Federer as the challenger and what followed was a stupendous performance, not just in the remainder of the tournament but in the entire calendar year, eventually finishing the season with a 70-6 win-loss record and winning 3 of the 4 Grand Slams.

On Day 12 of the 2012 Australian Open, Djokovic heads into his semi-final against the No.4 seed Andy Murray not only as the present holder of the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup but also as the undisputed 'man to beat' on the Pro tour.

Let's begin by recapping the passage of the two competitors to the semi-final stage of the Open. Djokovic has dished out some supremely confident performances during the course of the last 10 days. In his first round encounter he made an unfortunate Paolo Lorenzi pay for daring to break his serve early on in the match by winning 17 games in a row in a 6-2 6-0 6-0 rout. Next, Djokovic recorded another comprehensive straight sets win over the Colombian journeyman Santiago Giraldo and followed it up with a 6-0 6-1 6-1 demolition of Nicolas Mahut in round 3. The smooth groundstrokes of the Serbian, however, had to face some resistance in Round 4 against the tenacious Lleyton Hewitt. Though he did drop a set in that one, his progress to the quarter-finals never looked threatened. His quarter-final opponent too, the unassuming No.5 seed David Ferrer, did give another good workout to the world no. 1 who appeared to be nursing a stiff hamstring. However, the injury scare turned out to be a false alarm and the defending champion sealed his place in the semi-finals with a straight sets win. Simply put, Djokovic is as hot as hot can be and taking a set off him, let alone stopping him in his tracks, seems to require a Herculean effort.

Britain's lone warrior Andy Murray, like Djokovic, hasn't been troubled much in the tournament. He began his campaign against the gutsy American Ryan Harrison. After losing the first set, Murray roared back into action and eventually took the match in 4 sets. Subsequently, he raised his game by a notch or two and beat two Frenchmen Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Michael Llodra in straight sets in Round 2 and 3 respectively, sailed through against the giant killer Mikhail Kukushkin in Round 4 and in a surprisingly one-sided quarterfinal, disposed off the young Japanese Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-3 6-1. Murray has looked steady right throughout the tournament and with the legendary Ivan Llendl by his side, there is bound to be an improvement in the mental aspect of his game.

The two men have faced each other 10 times with Djokovic holding a slender 6-4 advantage. If one analyses the Djokovic game, there are not many chinks in the armour for Murray to exploit. The Serbian has combined aggression with persistent accuracy quite effortlessly. His serving has been immaculate, his return of serve being equally impressive. With the angles and the depth that he is generating on his ground-strokes with his forehand as well as the double-handed backhand, the Djoker does seem to be in a league of his own.

However, having said that, Murray has been the runner-up at the Australian Open on the last two occasions and is hungry for that elusive first major trophy. Infact , to be fair to the 24 year old Murray, he has been one of the most consistent performers on tour in recent years, reaching the last 4 in 6 out of the previous 8 slams. He has worked on his grey areas - his movement on the court and his serve - and most importantly, is willing to go for a bit more from the baseline. However, a bit more may just not be enough against the world's best player.

In a straight fight, Djokovic looks a clear winner. However, the one question mark dangling over Novak's head is his fitness. Djokovic came into 2011 looking a supremely fit athlete and a far cry from the young man who used to gasp for breath after long rallies in the Melbourne heat not too long ago. That edge appeared to vanish in the semi-final against Ferrer, with Djokovic huffing and puffing his way from the middle of the second set. The Serb looked in no condition to go the distance and Murray's best chance might actually be in dragging the contest on for as long as he can so that he can wear out the champion. Despite that, the smart money just has to be on a Nadal - Djokovic final.

Prediction: Djokovic to win in 4 sets.

File Photograph Copyright: Dubai Open