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A lethal lob and a gaping hole

ESPN staff
January 27, 2011
Novak Djokovic was roared on by his Serbian following © PA Photos
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Li and Clijsters through to final
Djokovic topples Federer

A changing of the guard? Not a bit of it
The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will not contest the final of the Australian Open, as Roger Federer joined Rafael Nadal on the plane home after being beaten by Novak Djokovic in their semi-final. It is only the second time since the 2005 French Open that a grand slam final has not featured either Nadal or Federer. Swiss legend Federer is heading towards 30 and there has been plenty of column inches written about his demise, while Nadal is only 24 but seemingly increasingly injury prone. With neither making the final, talk is sure to continue about a changing of the guard. It's not happening quite yet folks. Nadal looked a broken man when injury ended his campaign in Melbourne in 2010, but he bounced back to win the next three slams. Federer looked brilliant towards the end of last year and again during his run to the semi-finals, before running into a player in Djokovic who was simply better on the day. Federer and Nadal have 25 slams between them and that total will be added to before they call it quits.

You must be Djoking?
Djokovic was a man with a plan as his power hitting from the back of the court proved too much for Federer. But he proved to be far more than a one-trick pony, as he showed at the start of the second set. Federer dinked a superb drop shot that Djokovic appeared to have no play on, but he turned on the afterburners to track it down and found a stunning angle to guide the ball over the net and past a stunned opponent.

Vera Zvonareva was left open-mouthed by the quality of Kim Clijsters © PA Photos
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A lethal lob
Federer did not have his best day at the office, his backhand being particularly shaky, but he did produce one moment of brilliance - and no it wasn't a hotdog. Federer and Djokovic traded blows from the baseline before Federer drew Djokovic in with a short ball. The Serb attempted to flash a pass down the line, but Federer read it and rather than hitting a pass of his own he produced the cheekiest of lob volleys that not even Djokovic could track down.

A gaping hole?
Djokovic worked three break points to take a 6-5 lead in the second set and had a decent play on a forehand at 15-40. He wound up to whip a top spin crosscourt but only succeeded in hitting thin air as he completely missed the ball. The look on the Serb's face was worth the entrance fee alone as he stared at his trusty blade as if to say 'did the ball go through the strings?'. It mattered little as he took the break one point later.

On a string
Although not the No. 1 seed, Kim Clijsters was the bookmakers' favourite for the title even before a ball had been struck. In her semi-final, she had to finally prove herself worthy of that billing against No. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva. And that she did with a performance that will make uncomfortable viewing for Zvonareva fans. Clijsters at times toyed with her opponent, moving her from side to side as if she had the ball on a piece of string. Zvonareva's level was down a bit on previous rounds, but that was simply down to the quality of Clijsters. "I think she played a very good match, very clean match," Zvonareva said. "I tried to hang in there. I knew what I had to do, but I think she was, executing her shots really well."

The cloud grows bigger
The world No. 1 tag has proved a millstone around the necks of a number of players in the women's game and it is threatening to be the same for a certain Caroline Wozniacki. The likeable Dane mopped up tournaments last year to take the top spot, but time and again she has fallen short at the slams and the 2011 Australian Open falls into the same bracket. She has looked good for most of the tournament and started impressively against Li Na, taking the first set and moving up a break in the second. But she failed to close out a second break and after squandering a match point when going on the defensive, her game unravelled as Li grew in confidence.

Clearing the mind, very quickly
Wozniacki faced the inevitable questions in her press conference about still being without a grand slam, letting a big chance to win one slip through her fingers etc, etc, etc. Well she was asked if she will be able to bounce back from this latest setback and how long will it take. The response was pretty unequivocal. "I will come back, just need to have an hour or two and I'll be back and on the right track again," Wozniacki said.

An hour or two? That's pretty impressive mind-clearance techniques.

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