Australian Open 2012: Djokovic Will Have No Trouble Against Ferrer

There is a lot of commotion about Novak Djokovic's "blip"against Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

You know, that one set he lost, the only set he's lost all tournament.

There's also been a lot of commotion surrounding David Ferrer, his next opponent in the quarterfinals. You know, the man who holds a respectable 5-6 record against him.

But all of this commotion needs to stop.

I was surprised how many people went nuts after Djokovic dropped the third set to Hewitt. Sure, he was up 3-0 in that set, and, sure, his serve and forehand suddenly dropped off, but didn't he rebound to win the fourth set, 6-3?

Heck, even former tennis pro Mark Woodforde joined the mix.

Said Woodforde, via ESPN:

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"It was so unusual, and because of that, alarm bells. Djokovic was just playing at such a high level. Then to kind of bottom out. Hewitt's dogged determination got him back in there, but I don't know whether it was exceptional play by him or Djokovic becoming really frail."

"

Yeah, it's amazing when a tennis player all of a sudden hits a wall, isn't it? It's almost as if, well, he's playing the sport of tennis.

I'm surprised by Woodforde. He should know better than anybody that tennis players aren't perfect. Tennis players go through ups and downs—it's part of the game.

Perhaps Djokovic was so dominant in 2011—going on a 41-match winning streak and beating Rafael Nadal six times—that people are just trying to find some reason to doubt him.

Everybody is buzzing around trying to find some reason for Djokovic's "epic" collapse in the third set, when, in reality, Djokovic describes it best.

Said Djokovic, via ESPN:

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"Between that part, 3-0, third set and the beginning of the fourth, I wasn't moving at all. I was pretty passive in the rallies, giving him the opportunity to come in. But look, you must expect that you experience some lows, not only highs."

"

That last sentence is the reality. Djokovic was playing the best tennis of his career—arguably better tennis than in 2011—in the first three rounds of the Australian Open, but then he drops a set, and all of a sudden there is something wrong with him? Do people even realize how ludicrous that sounds?

I will agree that Ferrer has caused Djokovic some problems in the past (he beat him at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in December). But I still believe Djokovic is too dominant over the course of a match this year for Ferrer to beat him. Plus, Djokovic is fresh, unlike the end of 2011.

Everybody is going to be looking for reasons Djokovic is falling off a cliff against Ferrer in the quarterfinals.

In the meantime, Djokovic will calmly advance to the semifinals.