More than a place in the final of the French Open is at stake.
To understand the personal animosity is to appreciate Federer's desperation to single-handedly kill off the so-called Novak Slam.
The most obvious sign of the feud was in the surly aftermath to Federer's loss to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the US Open last year.
Djokovic's Hail Mary forehand when Federer held two match points - described by John McEnroe as arguably the greatest shot ever hit - triggered a staggering turnaround as Djokovic rode his adrenalin and machismo to win four straight games and prevail 7-5 in the fifth.
Federer became passive and tentative while Djokovic roared. Afterwards, Federer was nothing but a sook. Djokovic had clawed and roared and spat and hissed his way to victory only for Federer to pout accusations of the whole thing having been a fluke.
Federer's reaction overlooked his own capitulation from a two-set lead, and a 5-3, 40-15 advantage in the fifth, and wrote across the sky how much he detested losing to Djokovic.
"To lose against someone like that, it's very disappointing," Federer said at Flushing Meadows. "Because you feel like he was mentally out of it already. Just gets the lucky shot at the end, and off you go."
Djokovic was honest enough to admit his atomic forehand was a gamble. Federer snapped when it was suggested Djokovic deserved a little praise for being confident enough to go for broke.
"Confidence? Are you kidding me?" he shot back. "I mean, please. Some players grow up and play like that being down, and they just start slapping shots. I never played that way."
Federer's blood boiled in New York because resentment was already deep-seated. It all began when Djokovic's mother, Dijana, infamously boasted about the end of Federer's dominance at Melbourne Park in 2008.
"The king is dead, long live the king," she told reporters after Djokovic defeated an ill Federer in the semi-finals.
At the time, Federer held 15 slams. Djokovic had none. Federer has always been aggravated by the enthusiastic barracking, to put it mildly, of Djokovic's entourage.
His own gang sits quietly during matches.
"Oh, come on," from Federer's wife, Mirka, when Rafael Nadal is dawdling between points, is about as feisty as they get. The Djokovics, however, make their presence felt.
At a tournament in Hamburg, Djokovic's father has stormed into a Belgrade radio station simulcasting a match and berated the commentator for failing to support his son with the appropriate vigour.
But the big snap from Federer came when he was playing Djokovic in Monte Carlo. If it wasn't captured on video, no one would have believed it. Federer requested the umpire take a look at a mark beyond the baseline.
He circled what he thought was the spot where Djokovic's ball had landed. Dijana and Djokovic's father, Srdan, were talking loudly in the front row. Loud enough for Federer to hear every word.
They were claiming he had circled the wrong mark.
Federer spun on his heels and snapped: "Be quiet, OK!"
Extraordinary. In the refined world of Roger Federer, where evil is neither seen nor heard, where the cool is never lost, it was akin to telling an opponent's parents to eff off.
So, bring on the semis at Roland Garros.
The big stuff has arrived. Djokovic is two wins from simultaneously holding all four major titles.
Every citizen on Planet Tennis agrees it would be the most significant achievement in the men's game since Rod Laver's calendar-year grand slams in 1962 and 1969.
Neither Federer nor Nadal have held all four slams at once. They deeply resent Djokovic having gate-crashed their love-in at the top of the sport and are united in their desperation to prevent the Novak Slam.
Nadal is expected to annihilate David Ferrer in the other semi-final, so if Federer falls short tonight, Nadal is likely to have the final say.
"If my level has been a one for all of my previous matches here, I know that I have to reach a level of 10 to play against Djokovic," Federer said last night. "So that's all I can say. We'll see."
via http://www.theaustralian.com.au
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