Novak Djokovic is back in action two days after surviving Stanislas Wawrinka in a five-set epic. Djokovic will battle Tomas Berdych on Tuesday in Melbourne for a place in the quarterfinals.
Both Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych have more than a few things going for them heading into Tuesday night’s Australian Open quarterfinal showdown.
Yes, even Berdych…. For one, Djokovic is coming off a five-hour marathon against Stanislas Wawrinka in which the world No. 1 prevailed 12-10 in the fifth set. Furthermore, the Czech is no stranger to success in the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments. He has already pulled off two quarterfinal stunners of Roger Federer (including last summer at the U.S. Open) and his only major final stemmed from a semifinal upset of none other than Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2010.
Djokovic-Wawrinka highlights:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8SjG6mjVOA]
Djokovic, however, is dominating the head-to-head series. He has no other losses to Berdych as they head into their 13th meeting. Three of Djokovic’s 11 wins came last season, including a 6-2, 7-6(6) decision at the World Tour Finals. It should also be noted that the Wawrinka match may not impact Djokovic like one might expect. The top-seeded Serb outlasted Andy Murray 7-5 in the fifth in last year’s semis and bounced right back to topple Rafael Nadal in a grueling title match that lasted almost six hours.
As for current form, both players are showcasing form that would suggest a high-quality encounter is in the cards. Wawrinka played the match of his life in round four and it still was not good enough to beat Djokovic. Berdych has not dropped a single set in wins over Michael Russell, Guillaume Rufin, Jurgen Melzer, and an in-form Kevin Anderson.
If Berdych wins this one, it won’t be as a result of Djokovic fatigue. It will be due to big serving and huge hitting from the back of the court. Melbourne’s three-time champion is arguably the best defender on tour right now and it takes a powerful opponent of Berdych’s caliber to get the ball–any ball–past him.
Berdych on “the Big 4”:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INpj5iOCRF8]
Djokovic, though, remains the clear favorite. He has to be encourage by the way he rebounded from last season’s Australian Open semifinal so he should have everything left in the tank both mentally and physically. His experience toward the end of Grand Slams is another considerable advantage in Djokovic’s corner.
Pick: Djokovic 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4
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