Australian Open 2012: Roger Federer Will Top Rafael Nadal in Epic Semifinal

When the rivalry that has defined men's tennis for the better part of the decade is renewed in an Australian Open semifinal, Roger Federer will come out on top over Rafael Nadal.

While there will always be technical aspects to consider, the fact of the matter is that Federer is just playing better than Nadal.

Everything Federer does looks too easy. He hasn't dropped a set Down Under and has only been pushed to one tiebreaker. On top of that, he received the benefit of a second-round walkover against Andreas Beck, meaning Federer had to exert no energy in a win.

That may seem minor, as Federer would steamroll Beck anyway, but not having to even play the match put him at an advantage in future contests. When Federer took the court against Ivo Karlovic, he was better rested, leading to a simpler match.

The next match was then against a player who had exerted more energy in his previous match, meaning Federer had an easier win. That is a trend that isn't stopping. 

Nadal, on the other hand, has been tested. He runs around a lot more than Federer in matches and is not as sharp as we've seen in past years. 

We know that he's going to take time off after Australia to heal a shoulder. Also, anyone watching Nadal's matches can plainly see that his right knee is bandaged up, which does not bode well for a player that runs like he does. 

Seeing Rafa's struggles in his 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-3 win against Tomas Berdych did nothing to inspire confidence that he will do well against Federer.

Berdych has a big serve but doesn't have anything close to Federer's game. Federer will routinely put pressure on Nadal and his injured body. The struggles against Berdych will be manifested against Federer.

Nadal is certainly one of the best to ever play, but he's nowhere near as dangerous on hard court as he is on clay or even grass. Federer has everything working in his favor this week. As a result, he will advance to the finals. 

Semifinal Prediction:

Roger Federer	6	7	3	6
Rafael Nadal	4	5	6	4

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