Roger Federer: Fed-Ex Will Rise over Rafa in Australian Open Semifinals

Well, the Fed Express is back up and running, and that's bad news for Rafael Nadal.

Roger Federer went 1-3 against Nadal in 2011, but he won their last match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, part of a 16-match winning streak to end the year.

Federer has carried that momentum over into 2012, playing nearly flawless tennis through the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

On Tuesday in Melbourne, we saw vintage Federer against Juan Martin del Potro, the same Del Potro who left a sour taste in Federer's mouth at the 2009 US Open.

Del Potro had been playing excellent tennis to start off the Australian Open this year, dropping one set in his first four rounds of the tournament, and completely dominating against Yen-Hsun Lu and Philipp Kohlschreiber leading up to his match with Federer.

But on Tuesday, Federer made a red-hot Del Potro look completely helpless, winning 6-4, 6-3 and 6-2. 

We know Federer has lost some zip on his swing at 30 years of age, but he never relied on a power game; he's always been about finesse.

Federer not only hit some near-impossible shots Tuesday, he looked downright graceful. 

There were numerous times where Federer hit the baseline on his shots, and you could tell as the match wore on that Del Potro had no chance, hot streak or not.

Some said they expected more from Del Potro, hinting that he played below himself.  I disagree. I think he played well early on and Federer simply broke him.

Federer is not only playing great tennis right now, he's making so many incredible shots that he's getting into opponents' heads—just like the days of old.

I had hope for Federer this year, but, honestly, you couldn't help but feel like he was on the down slope. 

After watching Federer through the quarterfinals, however, my thinking has completely changed.

Federer may have lost some power; he's not the same youngster as before.  But what he's lost in power, he's gained in mastery.

Nadal is an all-time great player, there is not doubt about that, and his come-from-behind victory over Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals was impressive.

But right now, Federer is playing with a finesse that is almost unbeatable.  Federer will continue his run from 2011 and knockout Nadal in the semifinals.