IT was talked about even prior to the first ball being bounced at Melbourne Park, and now the semi-final that all had hoped to see is here, with the two all-time leaders at Melbourne Park facing off.

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Age: 38 | 32
Height: 185cm | 188cm
Weight: 85kg | 77kg
Ranking: 3 | 2
Titles: 103 | 77
Grand Slam Titles: 20 | 16
Best Aus Open Result: W (04′, 06′-07′, 10′, 17′-18′) | W (08′, 11′-13′, 15′-16′, 19′)

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have monopolised the winners board here at the Australian Open since 2006, with only Rafael Nadal (2009) and Stan Wawrinka (2014) the other two players to hold the trophy aloft since then. Federer won it two years prior as a 23-year-old, but Marat Safin claimed it a year later before the Swiss Master won the next two. Djokovic started younger, winning his first at just 20-years-old and now 32, looks to be the one of the ‘Big Three’ who will keep on winning them for some time. Indeed, at this Australian Open he looks unbeatable with only a slight hiccup against Jan-Lennard Struff in the first set, the Serbian world number two is primed for title number eight, and to be honest, it would be surprising if by his career’s end he did not clock up double figures. He already holds the all-time record for most titles – surpassing his semi-finals opponent last year with the win.

Federer is considered one of, if not the greatest of all-time with his whopping 103 titles, 20 of which are Grand Slams. But his opponent is only four away, potentially two wins from being three away, and the form Djokovic is in, he could match him by year’s end. Indeed, Rafael Nadal is right up there with 19 Grand Slam titles – one off Federer – and when Roland Garros inevitably rolls around, the Spanish star can match the Swiss Master. Unless Federer can cause an upset here. The phrase coined by Leigh Matthews in the early 2000s to describe the Essendon juggernaut was ‘if it bleeds you can kill it’ and while it was referring to Australian rules, it can be applied to any competitive sport, and right now based on form, Federer has been bleeding profusely. Opponents he would have put away in straight sets he has had to come back from the brink to overcome. John Millman is an absolute work horse and an Aussie battler, but the Federer of even five years ago would not have had to fight back from 8-4 down in a deciding fifth set. Similarly, to be seven match points down against a player ranked 100th in the world, it was mind-boggling for the neutral let alone the tennis fanatics who had followed Federer’s long and illustrious career.

Indeed, the world number three is in the twilight of his career. He is no longer the unbeatable star that led him to be a triple-figure title winner. But he has not lost any of that fight and determination that got him to where he is today. He challenges opponents when he is down and looking out to throw the final punch, only for him to block and then return with an upper hook that no-one saw coming, picking himself up off the floor and then delivering the knockout blow himself. Unfortunately for him, his opponent in the semi-finals will not have the same inability to miss that knockout punch. In fact, Djokovic has just about sent each opponent that came his way into submission with his playmaking that is simply ridiculous. For the first few rounds, the Serbian world number two looked like he was running a clinic with return and passing shots that only a couple of people in the world could even imagine of producing. He will not underestimate a wounded Federer who has spent almost three and a half hours more on court than him and dropped four more sets. Djokovic knows how good his opponent is at winning break points – in fact they are about equal so neither can afford to break early and rest on their laurels. They will fit until the end, and that is what makes this a superb contest.

If form is anything to go by, Djokovic will win this in three sets. He is just a machine at the moment and barring a miracle by an opponent, will take out his seventeenth Grand Slam title. These two have played a whopping 49 times (with Djokovic the 26-23 leader) and while the Serbian star has won nine of the past 12, Federer won their last encounter at the ATP Finals series last year. What makes their head-to-head so special is for 45 of those contests – excluding the ATP Finals round robins – they have all come in either a semi-final or a final. Not since their quarter final meeting back in Dubai, 2007 have they met before the final four of a tournament. They have met at Melbourne Park four times, with Djokovic winning the last three. Expect that to move one more in the Serbian’s favour as he books a spot in the final. Though he knows it will not be without a fight, and despite Federer’s form, will have to be prepared for a grind as two legends go head-to-head in their fiftieth meeting.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: 49 MEETINGS

Novak Djokovic 26
Roger Federer 23

ENERGY LEVELS:

Sets dropped: 5 | 1
Time on Court: 12 hrs, 38 mins | 9 hrs, 11 mins

KEY STATISTICS:

– Djokovic is ranked third overall for the tournament in regards to first serve percentage won at 84 per cent
– Djokovic is also currently equal sixth for aces, while Federer is eleventh overall
– Federer is in the top three players for first serve return points one, while Djokovic is ranked ninth
– Both players are superb at winning break points, with Federer and Djokovic 24 and 23 respectively, in the top four at the Open