On the final day of round robin play, Novak Djokovic needed a bit of luck to make the semifinals, and he didn't get it. After losing to fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic 36 63 63, he needed David Ferrer to beat Tomas Berdych or else he was out. Berdych defeated Ferrer 36 75 61, thus eliminating Djokovic from contention. It was a very good performance from Berdych because he was down a break twice in the second set and did not give up. That is the kind of mental fortitude that we all have been waiting to see from the Czech for quite some time, and it was nice to see him come through on a big stage.
The semifinals are now set, and the two matches are Federer vs Ferrer and Berdych vs Tsonga. In the first match, Federer should come through against Ferrer, even if the latter has been playing some sizzling tennis in this tournament. However, with Roger's all-round attacking game, there aren't many ways Ferrer can hurt the Swiss Maestro. In the second semifinal, take your pick. Both Tsonga and Berdych have confidence and the match could really go any way. Chances are it will be a three set affair, and whoever makes the final will probably be gassed, and a hungry Roger Federer will be awaiting them on the other side of the net.
Now, onto Novak Djokovic and his struggles late in the season. It's not really surprising, giving his physical playing style. Novak finishes the year 70-7 with 10 titles, which is a far cry from Roger's 92-5 record with 12 titles in 2006, 81-4 in 2005 with 11 titles, and even 74-6 with 11 titles in 2004. Novak has no doubt had an incredible year but the pace he was on after Wimbledon trailed off considerably. At one time this year, Novak was 64-2. Now he finishes the year 70-6, meaning his final stretch was 6-4. That is quite a bad finish to a season for any player, let alone the #1 player in the world. Again, offense, consistency and longevity proves to be more valuable than defense, streakiness, and retirements/withdrawals. It surely cannot be said now that Djokovic's 2011 season has been better than Federer's 2006, or maybe even Federer's 2004 season. The end of the year has really hurt Djokovic and his inability to win the Masters Cup will ruin what was a fantastic year for some.
Anyways, enjoy Semifinal Saturday, and go Roger!
Kyle
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