French Open Tennis 2012 Semi Finals: Novak Djokovic Will Avenge Last Year's Loss

Novak Djokovic is not going to let the same fate befall him two years in a row.

It is now his turn to be the victor of a French Open semifinals match against Roger Federer. Federer beat Djokovic in the semis last year 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6.

It's not like Djokovic had been playing that well leading up to that match, though—he had only won 43 straight matches.

The reality is that Nole isn't quite as dominant as he was a year ago, and Federer is playing better than he was in the early parts of last season. But Djokovic is still going to beat him.

Both men will enter this match on the heels of a comeback five-set victory. Djokovic has actually had to play two of those in a row.

They have both been pushed to the brink of elimination because they have not been as consistent. There have been too many unforced errors and too many missed first serves.

This inconsistency points to a long back-and-forth match, and this is where Nole is at his best.

Djokovic is one of sport's true great competitors. The longer a match lasts, the better he seems to become. He rarely has a mental lapse, and his technically sound game methodically wears opponents out.

Federer knows a thing or five hundred about winning long matches himself, but Djokovic is in a category of his own in this regard, and he has the advantage of much younger legs.

This match is going to go five sets, and Djokovic will win because he is going to force more errors than he commits.