Wimbledon 2012: Why Novak Djokovic Will Top Roger Federer in Semis

The tennis world may not get the final showdown at the 2012 championship at Wimbledon that was all too certain just weeks ago, but we'll get the next best thing.

In a semifinal match that's been anticipated since the draw, top-seeded Novak Djokovic will face off against legendary great Roger Federer on Friday. The match will mark Federer's 32nd Grand Slam semifinal berth, breaking the record set by Jimmy Connors. Federer will try to become the first seven-time champ at Wimbledon, while Djokovic is motivated to defend his title.

Both stars cruised past their quarterfinal matchups in straight sets. Djokovic handled No. 31 seed Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in a match that lasted less than two hours, while Federer topped Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in a 92-minute match. 

Even though both players are hitting their stride heading into this epic matchup, here's why Djokovic shouldn't be beat and will play in yet another Grand Slam final. 

Unheralded recent success

No one has lit up the sport of tennis like Djokovic has in the last year.

The world No. 1 is a reigning champion in three of the four Grand Slam events—Australian Open, U.S. Open and, of course, Wimbledon—and lost in the finals in the fourth event (French Open) to Rafael Nadal. 

In fact, four of his five total Grand Slam championships have been won in the last 18 months.

They were no flukes, either. Each of the five came in finals against either Nadal or Federer. If he advances to the final, it could be his first Grand Slam title in which he beat someone not named Rafael or Roger. 

Tennis legend Pete Sampras said in September of 2011 that Djokovic's 2011 campaign was "at least in my lifetime, the best ever" (per Palm Beach Post). 

Djokovic is seeking to win his fifth title in the last seven majors, and it'd be foolish to assume he won't at this point. 

No Rafa Nadal in the field

It has to be a bit odd for Djokovic to look across the bracket toward his potential finals match and not see the Spaniard's name.

Nadal-Djokovic showdowns in Grand Slam finals have gone from a rare treat, to a regular occurrence, to an absolute likelihood. Nobody, not even Federer, can touch the level of play achieved by the top two players in the world.

However, Nadal suffered one of the worst defeats of his career early in Wimbledon by getting ousted in the second round of a tournament that he was a sure-fire bet to reach the final match in.

Djokovic will be treating this bout with Federer as the final, knowing he'll be a shoe-in favorite to advance past the lucky gentleman that will await in the final.

Federer can't play experience card

The 30-year-old Federer may not be as skillful as his Serbian rival, but his one advantage is experience. However, he cannot use that to his advantage in this one.

Surprisingly enough, Federer and Djokovic have never met on a grass court nor at Wimbledon. That's even more shocking considering they have the largest Grand Slam rivalry in the sport's history with 11 matchups.

Each surface is incredibly different in tennis. The way the ball bounces, the way you plant your feet and the way the surface keeps throughout a grueling tournament all change significantly from court to court. 

Even though Federer holds a slight 14-12 lead over Djokovic in head-to-head matches, it'll be like facing a whole new player when he looks across the low-cut grass court at Wimbledon.