Australian Open 2012: The A-Z of the Big 4 in the Men's Semis

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Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray.

Four names that made us all wish for another big four meeting in the mens semis.

Again.

And we got our wish.

As Rafael Nadal was too powerful for Federer, and Djokovic got home in one of the greatest tennis matches in the modern era, I for one am left stunned for words to describe the events that took place.

So here's just 26 words, the A-Z if you like, of the semi-finals in the men's tournament and what we learned from them.

A Is for Awesome

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Whilst not the most brilliant word, it is nearly the one word to describe the Djokovic vs. Murray semi-final, as Novak won a thriller in five sets.

It truly was awesome.

B Is for Bridesmaid

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I rate this guy, I really do.

But it does appear that after another sensational match that ended in defeat, Andy Murray may be becoming the career bridesmaid of the men's tennis field.

Always at the wedding, but never getting married.

C Is for Clinical

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As Rafa took down the Fed Express in four sets, and nearly in three, there are few words that describe his performance.

One of them is clinical as his performances continue to rate him as one of the game's all-time greats.

D Is for Deadly

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And that Nadal forehand truly is deadly.

It will be amazing to see how the Djokovic backhand copes.

E Is for Energy

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After watching both Djokovic and Murray put so much on the line, Rafael Nadal must be feeling he has the advantage heading in to the final.

Novak had so little energy he could barely stand up, but still managed scrape out a win.

Simply brilliant.

F Is for Federer

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Whilst still clearly in the elite four, it appears Federer truly is just getting old.

After watching both semis, he's the only one that's not getting any better, and he may start to lose touch with the other three over the course of the 2012 season.

G Is for Gentleman

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It was truly amazing watching the reactions of all four men after the match.

Neither was disrespectful, and all were proud and true gentlemen in the way they spoke and praised their opponent.

It's one of the best things in men's tennis at the moment.

H Is for Hawkeye

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Umpires are making some terrible decisions at crucial moments of matches this tournament.

I know it's bound to happen, but Rafa was unlucky in the first set against Federer, and both Novak and Andy were getting their frustration out on the umpire as well.

Lucky we have hawkeye.

I Is for Inspirational

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That Djokovic-Murray game was truly inspirational and that's no exaggeration.

Both were out on their feet, making far too many mistakes, and desperately didn't want go home.

Unfortunately for Andy though, there can be only one winner.

J Is for Jealous

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Most guys are well out of their league in terms of the women they're with; I know this firsthand.

And Andy Murray is well out of his league.

I know he's a multi-million dollar tennis player, but still.

Plenty of tennis fans were a little jealous of Murray last night.

K Is for Killer

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During that final set, the amount of killer serves that Murray landed was phenomenal.

Dead on his feet and absolutely exhausted, his serve is proving to be one of this greatest weapons and will hold him in great stead come Wimbeldon.

L Is for Loss

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This one is tough.

Despite being one of the greatest players of all time, it was another Federer loss to the hands of Rafael Nadal.

Whether it drives him back for more success or just demoralises him still remains to be seen.

M Is for Momentum

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The Murray-Djokovic encounter was one of the most back-and-forth matches in recent years, as the momentum shifted faster than the ball at times.

First it was Novak. Then Andy for two sets. Then back to Novak. Then more Novak. Then all Novak. Then Andy, Andy, Andy, more Andy, Andy, Andy...

Novak.

N Is for No Grunting

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As much as I love the raw power and passion of Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, there's only so much I can handle until it becomes a bit too much.

And despite Rafa and Novak's small grunts and efforts, it's a few decibels lower than that of certain women and the no grunting for no reason, was rather pleasant.

O Is for Olympics

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Watching the fans and followers of all four competitors, it's plain to see that these guys are almost like idols in their respective countries.

Wait. Change that. They are idols.

So imagine these four squaring off in the Olympic semi-finals later in the year again with a gold medal on the line.

P Is for Power

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Whether it was the forehand of Rafa, the backhand of Djokovic or the serving of Murray and Federer, the power that these four displayed was simply phenomenal.

And in a power shootout, the most powerful man always wins.

Q Is for Quick

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In both matches, but especially the Murray-Djokovic battle, you had to be impressed with the speed, fight and ability of both men to chase down balls and keep the points alive.

They were so quick that points were never simply over and you knew there was always going to be one more shot.

R Is for Return of Serve

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If Andy Murray ever brings himself around to watching a replay of that match, he'll notice just how effectively Novak Djokovic was returning serves and making winners of those returns.

Quality returns went a long way to deciding the match.

S Is for Second Serve

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If Murray could land a second serve that wasn't all wussy and straight down the middle for Djokovic to pick a side to hammer it back past him on, he might have ended up winning that match.

The second serve was a liability in that fifth and deciding set.

T Is for Turning Point

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Every match has a turning point that usually ends up deciding the match.

And the champion usually makes that point his.

After being broken back to 5-5, and down 15-40, Novak and Murray were trading forehand blows before the Serbian maestro rocketed one up the line, and won the point.

Centimeters the other way and his tournament is over, and he still makes that shot at that time.

Freak.

U Is for Unforced Errors

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When you have the best four players in the men's game on show, you probably don't expect too many unforced errors, just winners and great points.

Between the four of them, there were 255 unforced errors, and nearly 70 percent of those came in the Djokovic-Murray match.

Great games can sometimes just be a dogfight.

V Is for Vamos Rafa

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I have no idea what it means, but it's what everybody says (or tweets) when he wins.

Which he did.

So VAMOS RAFA!!!

W Is for Wondering

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After another loss and further proof that Djokovic and Nadal are probably in a class of their own, Roger Federer and his fans have got to be wondering if he's still got what he takes.

This loss could either fuel his desire to win even more, or it could simply crush his spirit.

We'll just have to wait and see.

X Is for X-Citing

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Because I didn't see or hear any xylophones in the match, x-citing it is.

And despite that not doing either game justice, especially the latter, it will have to do for now.

If you got up early or stayed up late to watch these two men battle, you'll know just how much more than x-citing it truly was.

Y Is for Yelling

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If you missed either match, you missed a lot of yelling.

Like a lot of yelling.

Novak Djokovic let out a single yell that went for 12 seconds.

If they won the point, they yelled. If they lost the point, they yelled. If they spilled their drink, they yelled.

And when the match was over, they both decided to yell some more.

Z Is for Zzzzzzz's

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After their epic encounter, and after both nearly fell over several times, both Djokovic and Murray must have been looking forward to getting some zzzzzzzzz's.

I'm sure Novak slept well; I'm not so sure about Andy.

Fortunately for us though, the semifinals are not the end of a tournament, and we are lucky enough to witness one more battle between the best two players in the world.

And that, will be fun.

 

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