Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal: Why Federer Will Dominate En Route to Finals

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's heated rivalry will headline the semi-finals at the 2012 Australian Open.

While they won't be competing in the finals of a Grand Slam for a change, these two will battle in Melbourne for the right to go to the finals.

These two have had a rivalry since 2004, when the 17-year-old Nadal was ranked No. 34 in the world and took down Federer in straight sets—shocking the world.

Since then they have played some of the greatest tennis matches in history, with Nadal leading the series 17-9.

These two have met in a Grand Slam match that was not the Finals only once—with Nadal beating Federer. Federer has a 5-4 advantage on hard courts; however, and the Aussie Open is played on a hard court.

Hard surfaces are easily Nadal's worst surface because they render his topspin useless. The lack of a true bounce on both clay and grass courts help him, while the fact that hard courts supply a good bounce have put him at a disadvantage.

Nadal has had some success on hard surfaces, but they are not nearly his best. This factor will be huge in his match against Federer.

Federer has bested Nadal on hard courts because of his forehand. Federer hits a very flat forehand shot that results in a faster moving ball on hard surfaces.

Nadal has improved his serve speed recently, but it is still no match compared to Federer's. Fed has just as hard a serve as Nadal, but he has better placement. Fed has one of the best serves in the game, and that will be key on a hard court—where speed can be a deciding factor.

Federer is currently playing his best tennis since 2007, while Nadal has been struggling and is not completely healthy. By watching their previous matches it is clear that Fed is playing better tennis than the Spaniard.

Federer will overcome his 9-17 record against Nadal, in a series that he actually leads 7-5 off of clay courts.

Look for Federer to dominate Nadal and win this match in three or four sets.