French Open Mens Semifinal Preview

Can anyone stop world No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal from a repeat of last year's final at Roland Garros? Now only Russian Nikolay Davydenko and Serb Novak Djokovic stand in the way.


Unfortunately it might not be much of stand, as Federer is 8-0 career against Davydenko (1-0 on clay), and Nadal is 3-1 career versus Djokovic (2-0 on clay).

The Friday semifinals feature three of the Top 4 players in the world, with Federer making his 12th straight semifinal showing in a Grand Slam. Nadal is undefeated in his previous three Grand Slam semifinals. Djokovic is making his Grand Slam semifinal debut.

In the Federer-Davydenko match, look for Federer to find the right balance of patience and attack against the rarely-missing Russian. In Nadal-Djokovic, watch to see if the Serb can duplicate the balance of trigger-pulling and making miraculous "gets" that earned him a win over Spaniard earlier this year on hardcourt in Miami.

"I won against him in Miami. It was a hardcourt, though, so it's a different surface," Djokovic said. "I think he plays much better on the clay. You know, he's a different player. It's not the same match. It's not the same player."