2015 Australian Open: Novak Djokovic Ready To Face Defending Champion Stan Wawrinka In The Semifinals

Four-time Australian Open finalist Novak Djokovic has secured a semifinal berth after beating Canada’s Milos Raonic, 7-6 6-4 6-2, on Jan. 28. Djokovic is now set to face defending champion Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals, which is the Serbian’s 25th straight grand slam semifinal appearance.

Djokovic is on his quest to win his fifth Australian Open trophy. Ahead of his semifinal clash with Wawrinka, a confident Djokovic said that he is ready for the battle.

The upcoming match between Djokovic and Wawrinka is a rematch of last year’s Australian Open quarterfinal that the Swiss had won. It will be the pair’s third meeting, and the top-ranked Serbian athlete remains positive that he will have enough preparations to analyse Wawrinka’s game so that he will know what it takes for him to win to secure a final berth in the tournament.

Djokovic had played against Wawrinka twice at the Australian Open. They met during the Round 16 match of the 2012 Australian Open, then they played again at the quarterfinals of the 2013 Australian Open. Both of their recent Australian Open matches have been played in a five-set absolute thriller contest.

“Grand slams are the tournaments where you want to perform your best and I'm sure we both are very much aware of that fact, and it's why we get to play on a high level against each other and we push each other to the limit in a way,” Djokovic told the reporters. “It's a very physical battle as well, but I haven't had too many long matches during this tournament; I'm ready for it.”

Djokovic won the Australian Open title in 2008. It was the first time that he had won a major title. In 2011, Djokovic won his second Australian Open title and successfully defended it until 2013. If he beats Wawrinka in the semifinals, he would be facing the winner of the Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych semifinals match.

Meanwhile, defending champion Wawrinka has said that he doesn’t feel any pressure at all coming in to the tournament. After Wawrinka’s win, 6-3 6-4 7-6 (6), over Kei Nishikori on Tuesday, Jan. 27, he said that he is not really looking to defend his trophy. Instead, Wawrinka said that he is taking the tournament as a new challenge. He added that he will just try to enjoy the matches and get ready for the semifinals.

Wawrinka said that he is confident with the way he is playing right now. However, he is also aware that he needs to boost his performance and bring his A game against a top-ranked player like Djokovic, who leads their 16-3 head-to-head record.

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