Paris, France (Sports Network) - 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.
The Sports Network