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Men's French semis on tap for Friday
Published November 20, 2014
The men's French Open semifinals will be staged on Friday when world No. 1 Novak Djokovic battles Swiss icon Roger Federer and six-time champion Rafael Nadal meets fellow Spaniard David Ferrer.
The 25-year-old Djokovic and 30-year-old Federer will meet for a 26th time, with the Swiss leading their all-time series, 14-11. The Serb beat Federer in a semifinal in Rome last month and has won five of their last six matchups overall, but the Swiss legend topped Djokovic in four sets in the French semis a year ago, which prevented the Serb from reaching his first-ever final at Roland Garros and stopped a 45-match overall winning streak by Djokovic.
The five-time major champion Djokovic will compete in his fourth French semi (0-3), while the third-seeded Federer will play in French semi number seven (5-1).
The reigning Australian Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion Djokovic is riding a torrid 26-match Grand Slam winning streak and trying to become the first man in 43 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles. Aussie legend Rod Laver was the last man to turn the trick when he captured all four in one year back in 1969.
Federer will appear in his 29th semifinal in his last 32 Grand Slam events. The 16-time major champ captured his lone French Open title in 2009 to complete a career Grand Slam and has been a four-time Roland Garros runner-up to Nadal.
The former No. 1 Federer hasn't captured a major title since the 2010 Aussie Open.
Meanwhile, the second-seeded former world No. 1 Nadal and sixth-seeded Ferrer will meet for a 20th time, with Nadal comfortably leading their lifetime series 15-4, including a 2-0 record this year and a quarterfinal French Open victory in 2005. Nadal has won their last four meetings overall.
The 26-year-old Nadal is an astounding 50-1 lifetime at Roland Garros and has yet to lose a set at this 2012 French fortnight.
The 10-time Grand Slam champ Nadal is the reigning two-time titlist in Paris, having beaten Federer in last year's finale at the world's lone clay-court major.
Nadal is a seven-time French Open semifinalist (6-0) and trying to become the first man in the Open Era to capture seven French Open titles.
The 30-year-old Ferrer will compete in his first-ever French Open and third career Grand Slam semifinal (0-2).
Friday's winners will square off in the lucrative finale on Sunday, with the champion collecting $1.5 million.
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