Federer Djokovic

A few hours before the biggest match of this year’s tennis season, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic weren’t meditating in the locker room, staying out of sight or watching film of their opponent. No, they were practicing on the same court, side by side on a sunny, breezy day in Paris. Both men looked relaxed—Federer hit a few loopy drop shots, Djokovic many a casual serve—but there ought to be a lot of tension when this match begins. There’s a lot on the line. For Djokovic, a win would extend his winning streak to 44 matches and let him tie John McEnroe for the best start to a season (42-0). It would also give him the No. 1 ranking, no matter if he wins this tournament, and, of course, his first chance to win the French Open. Djokovic won the Australian Open in January, so a win here would make him the first man to win the year’s first two majors since Jim Courier in 1992.
Federer knows that Djokovic will feel the pressure. “There’s less at stake for me than for him,” Federer said earlier this week. “He’s got a lot of things going on for him. Sure, I'd love to be again in the Grand Slam final because I haven't achieved that in a few slams. But nothing major for me as long as I, you know, keep on giving myself chances.” Federer’s right, but there’s something at stake for him, too. How many more chances will he have to win a major title, and more to the point, this major title? He hasn’t dropped a set so far this tournament and he might have another thing in his favor: Djokovic hasn’t played since Sunday because his quarterfinal opponent withdrew with an injury.

Two keys to the match: Whether Federer can take an early lead, and how easily he wins his service games. Djokovic is the best returner in the game today. If he gets an early break, he’ll be tough to stop. The winner of this match will face Rafael Nadal in the final Sunday. Nadal celebrated his 25th birthday with a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Andy Murray earlier this afternoon.