Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer: Preview for 2016 Australian Open Semifinals

The 45th career meeting between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will decide which tennis superstar earns a berth in the 2016 Australian Open final. Fittingly enough, the all-time record in the friendly rivalry currently stands at 22-22.

They faced off twice on the Grand Slam stage last year. Djokovic emerged victorious at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in four hard-fought sets. The question heading into the latest meeting is whether Federer can raise his level and turn the tide back in his favor.

Let's check out all of the important details for the semifinal battle. That's followed by a match preview and a prediction for which player will punch his ticket to the championship match.

Match Information

Where: Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia

When: Thursday, Jan. 28 at 3:30 a.m. ET (7:30 p.m. AEDT)

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Preview

Djokovic and Federer have been on a collision course since the moment the draw was released. Yes, they had moments of tennis mortality (Djokovic vs. Gilles Simon and Federer vs. Grigor Dimitrov), but they survived and it certainly comes as no surprise they meet for a spot in the final.

Although the head-to-head record is even, it's been trending in the Serbian star's direction over the past year. Federer claimed three victories over Djokovic in 2015, however the world No. 1 has won four of the last six meetings with the Swiss, including their most recent encounter in the ATP World Tour Finals title match.

ESPN Tennis provided some more numbers from those 44 previous meetings:

"

In Thursday's semifinal, Djokovic & Federer will be attempting to reach their sixth @AustralianOpen final. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/JNSmHCGAAV

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 26, 2016"

Federer understands that he doesn't want to get caught up in an extended, grind-out-every-point battle with the top-ranked player in the world. He must be aggressive and take some chances in order to pull off what would qualify as a minor upset.

It's a strategy that will include going to net with hope of winning some easy points or forcing Djokovic into mistakes. He won 24 of 29 points at net in his quarterfinal triumph over Tomas Berdych. He expects a similar approach in the semis, as noted by Danielle Rossingh of Forbes.

"Looking at the stats it (seems like) an easy thing (to do)," Federer said. "I do feel really good at net since a few years now. It's where it all sort of started for me when I came on Tour. I know how it works up there. I still think there’s room of improvement. Every player manages to defend or pass it differently."

He won't catch Djokovic off guard, though. The top seed has noticed the change in tendencies, but also understands the danger of playing a talented veteran like the Swiss legend, who's hungry for another major title, per Matt Wilansky of ESPN.

"It's obvious that he's a very complete player," Djokovic said. "He's trying lately to come to the net more, kind of shorten up the rallies. I mean, he definitely has the game for that. He's got a great variation from the backhand side with the slice, short slice. He's got great defense, amazing offense."

While Federer owns the record with 17 career Grand Slam titles, he's added just one to that total over the past five years (2012 Wimbledon). At 34, there's a limited number of chances for him to add to his impressive trophy collection, even when taking into account that he's still a top-tier player.

He's played well enough throughout the tournament to believe there's a legitimate chance of knocking off Djokovic. And the top seed has been forced to endure some uncharacteristically shaky moments, particularly against Simon, where he couldn't find a rhythm.

Ultimately, Djokovic has dominated the Grand Slam stage as of late by winning four of the past six majors. So it's going to take a vintage effort from Federer in order to reach the final. It should be a highly entertaining match regardless of which player comes out on top.

Prediction: Djokovic in five sets