Wimbledon 2012 Semifinals: Latest Web Buzz Surrounding Djokovic vs. Federer

With the semifinals of the 2012 Wimbledon set, the web is a buzz surrounding the enticing matchup between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

With two huge talents in the game playing each other, it's no wonder why.

When Rafeal Nadal fell very early in the tournament, the bottom half of the draw became incredibly weak in comparison.

The semifinal match between Djokovic and Federer could very well be the real final with the winner most likely being able to dominate whomever they face—be it Andy Murray or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

To get just an idea of how big a match this will be—and how much people are talking and getting excited—here is the latest web buzz surrounding Wimbledon's semifinal between Djokovic and Federer.

Djokovic's Praise

He is still the No. 1 player in the world at the moment, but that does not stop Novak Djokovic from giving credit where credit is due.

He knows that going into his semifinal match against Roger Federer, he will still have his hands full.

He goes on to tell Ron Aitken of wimbledon.com that:

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"Grass courts suit his style of game the most, so it's going to be an interesting match...Roger has been on top of the men's game for so long. This is where he won six titles, and he definitely wants to prove to himself and everybody else that he can win it once again. He has won the most Grand Slams in history and is rated as probably the best player in history. He has won everything that a tennis player can win and he's coming back for more."

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Djokovic does not doubt his own talents—after all he is a remarkable player—but rather just respects what his opponent can, and will, bring to the table.

With Roger Federer as his opponent, Djokovic can only expect to be part of a hard fought battle, one that could go the distance.

An Instant Classic

When you put the No. 1 player in the world up against—what could be easily considered—the best player ever, you get yourself a very nice match.

That is exactly what has happened at Wimbledon this year and what will be taking place on center court tomorrow.

John Coon of Yahoo Sports! is able to show exactly why a matchup between the two is something people will be talking about:

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"There is no disputing Djokovic will be the favorite when he and Federer duel again on Friday. Still, it will not be a cakewalk to the final. Federer is doing what he needs to do to win in his pursuit of his seventh Wimbledon title and a shot at regaining the world No. 1 ranking. Djokovic is enjoying a dominant streak in grand slam play that only a handful players have enjoyed in their tennis careers."

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Federer is still trying to shake off all the age questions that keep coming up again and again while Djokovic is trying to hold that No. 1 ranking and get himself back to the form he had last year—which was utter dominance.

They have a history against one another too, a good history.

It was Federer who last year was able to finally break the streak of 41 matches that Djokovic had going of undefeated tennis.

If this semifinal turns out to be anything like the classic five-set match that happened at last years US Open, then we fans are going to have our hands full containing ourselves.

A First Time for Everything

Surprisingly, this semifinal match up between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be their first time playing each other at Wimbledon. Ever.

As good of a match the two of them present on their own, this added extra incentive is really great to see.

It could potentially be the last time they play each other at Wimbledon, and each of them will want to be the one that can call that victory theirs.

The Wimbledon Twitter account tweeted the following, just to make sure that everyone knew what they were going to get into before they settled down to watch the semi's:

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Federer: "I'd love to play Novak. I don't think I've played him here at #Wimbledon so that would be a first and a nice match obviously."

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2012"

This is not just any semifinal anymore—it has an extra piece to it. Obviously each player is going to be putting in 100 percent in order to make it to the finals, but each will also not want to concede the first loss to the other at Wimbledon.

All the build up to this historic match will undoubtedly be having an effect in each players preparations before play begins. 

The Master of Grass

When you think of Federer's brilliance, an image of Federer in all white standing on the fabled courts of Wimbledon automatically pops into your mind. It is where he belongs.

Nike Tennis was able to put it right on the money when they tweeted this:

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The unstoppable grass master. #Federer

— Nike Tennis (@niketennis) July 4, 2012"

Although he is not a one-dimension player, he does strike a lot more fear in his opponents when he is playing on a grass court.

Djokovic has a game that can wear a player out, but surely Federer knows all the tricks to controlling any game while playing on the grass.

After all—he is the grass master.

A Shot at the Record

It has been a few years since Federer was last crowned the champion at Wimbledon, but fans have not forgotten that he is able to tie the record for most titles there with one more win.

Diane Pucin of Tribune Newspapers (Via Chicago Tribune) tells just how important that win will be for Federer:

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"Federer, 30, is aiming for his seventh Wimbledon title, which would tie him with Willie Renshaw and Pete Sampras—whom Federer often has called the player he most admired and whose coach, Paul Annacone, is now Federer's mentor."

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After the French Open saw Rafeal Nadal break Bjorn Borg's record there, if Federer can tie the record at Wimbledon, it will make for a great year in tennis.

A win for Federer would be more of an honor to him. To be able to hold a record with a player that he admires—and looked up to for so long—would be like a dream come true.

It will also be good for the game of tennis.

The next crop of players coming to Wimbledon will be looking at Federer in the same way as he did with Sampras. They will also be encouraged to try and get to that level where they can hold a record with their idol.

A Battle of the Ages

Although they are only six years apart, the age difference between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer seems immense.

Maybe it is because Federer has been at the top of his game for so long, but it still seems to always bring out the question of, "will this match will be the one where Federer finally loses an edge?"

However, Federer has gone about disproving that rumour for quite some time now. Ian Darke of ESPN tweeted how he even gets caught up in the expected age factor Roger Federer brings to the table:

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I know he is supposed to be in gentle decline, but still marvel at the imperious class and grace of Roger Federer.

— Ian Darke (@IanDarkeESPN) July 4, 2012"

So yet again, this match between Djokovic and Federer will bring the age old question as to whether or not Federer still has what it takes to keep up with the young guys, per say.

Most likely the answer will be yes—this time around anyways—and he will still be able to battle it out to the end with Djokovic. If that means a win or a loss, only time will tell.

The "Real" Final

With Rafeal Nadal no longer in the tournament, Federer now becomes the second best seed. That means the top half semifinal will be between the two best players in the tournament.

Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News very bluntly explains the situation at hand:

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"There will be no Rafael Nadal waiting in the wings this time, which infuses this pairing with even greater importance. In the other half of the draw, the forever doomed-and-gloomy Brit, Andy Murray, and the inconsistent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will play in a second semifinal. The match between Federer and Djokovic will likely produce the Wimbledon champion, not the runnerup."

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Although it is no knock on whoever wins the other semifinal, this match coming up between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer is the one people really want to see.

A match between Djokovic and Murray in the finals, for example, only carries one story line: if Murray can finally put together a win—which against Djokovic is a big long shot.

In the end, the winner of this match will most likely be able to easily go on and win the finals. Both of these players know that and will be leaving it all on the line to get past each other.