French Finale: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal Will Clash For Title

In a match hampered by swirling winds, Novak Djokovic grinded out a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 win over Roger Federer in the 2012 French Open men’s semifinals. This match may not have been of the quality of past meetings, but Djokovic did what Djokovic typically does: he found a way to win. He adapted better to the iffy conditions while Federer committed almost 50 errors, an obviously awful total for a three-set match.

Let’s review some of the keys to the match:

The 2012 French Open championship is shaping up to be an excellent one at Roland Garros. The semifinals matchups included four of the top six seeds so it would have been difficult to be disappointed either way, but Rafael Nadal’s win on Friday morning means tennis fans will get to see him take on either Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer in the championship.

Nadal basically breezed through semifinals opponent David Ferrer, taking three straight sets with scores of 6-2, 6-2 and then 6-1 in the final set of the match. Ferrer has nothing to hang his head about, however, considering Nadal has defeated all six of his opponents in straight sets thus far this tournament.

The two semifinals in the 2012 French Open men’s semifinals feature two incredibly different narratives. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer tend to play each other as closely as possible, while Rafael Nadal simply doesn’t lose to David Ferrer on clay. What shifts might these stories take on Friday?

Since the start of the 2010 calendar year, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have played 11 times. Djokovic has won six times, Federer five.

The 2012 French Open is nearing a conclusion, but before a men’s champion can be crowned, the final must be set. Thursday’s semifinal matchups are not short on big names as four of the best players in the world will vie for a spot in Sunday’s final.

In the first semifinal, No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic will face off against No. 3 seed Roger Federer. The two met in the semifinals of the 2011 French Open with Federer winning 3-2. This will be the 26th time the two have met and the 10th time they faced off in a Grand Slam event. Federer holds a 14-11 advantage all-time against Djokovic.