Dubai, Feb 26: There is going to be a repeat of the Australian Open 2011 Men's singles semi-finals, but this time at stake will be the Dubai Open title. Yes, Roger Federer will take on Novak Djokovic to avenge his semi-final loss at the Rod Laver Arena in Jan 2011.
Both the tennis stalwarts beat their semi-final opponents at the Dubai Open on Feb 25. Yet again, Federer overcame Richard Gasquet 6-2 7-5. On the other hand Djokovic had to stretch a bit against Tomas Berdych, who later retired from the match due to a leg injury. The scoreline read 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-2.
Novak Djokovic has so far remained unbeaten in 2011 and does not seem too perturbed about the clash. He said, "I lost maybe three times before that to him...So I don't think that he will think too much about that match, because he hasn't lost that often in the last five, six years in Grand Slams."
He added, "We know each other really well. We know each other's game. Mostly in last three, four years we had matches in semis or finals. It's always high stake and big challenge."
While Djokovic has won all his matches in 2011, on the other hand Federer's only loss has been to Djokovic. Between them, they have won six of the last eight Dubai titles.