Novak Djokovic Will Dismantle David Ferrer En Route To Australian Open Finals

The men's bracket at the Australian Open has been chalk, with the top four seeds making up the semifinal field.

The top dog is Novak Djokovic and despite needing nine sets to advance pass the last two rounds, he will easily dispatch No. 4 seed David Ferrer to reach the finals.

Both men are known for their great endurance and never-say-die attitudes, but in 14 previous meetings, none of their matches have gone five sets.

It's an odd little tidbit for two guys that have made their names in epic five-set triumphs, but this match won't break the trend.

In those past meetings, Djokovic owns a 9-5 edge over Ferrer. This isn't surprising, considering Ferrer generally struggles with all of the sport's elite players.

The Spaniard is 5-17 against countryman Rafael Nadal and 0-15 against Roger Federer. Of the top four players in the world, Ferrer has had the most luck against Andy Murray at 5-6.

In fact, if Nadal hadn't withdrawn from the tournament due to illness (ESPN), Ferrer probably wouldn't even be in the semifinals.

Rafa would have been seeded anywhere from second to fourth, and Ferrer would have been dropped to fifth.

As a fifth seed, he would have had to face Djokovic in the quarterfinals. That match would have ended just as this semifinal match will. Though Ferrer has taken five matches from Nole in his career, the Serbian has dominated him on hard courts.

He's 8-2 lifetime on the surface against him, and that includes a 2-0 record at the Australian Open. Djokovic will improve that record with a clean straight-sets victory on Day 11 in Melbourne. 

Ferrer will go down in history as a very good player who wasn't quite elite. That point will be proven yet again on Thursday.

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