In the evening session, Novak Djokovic produced a stunning display to crush the No. 4 seed David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and 29 minutes. The world No. 1 has seldom played better.
It was extraordinary to witness such a highly ranked player left helpless in the face of the brand of tennis he was facing. Djokovic admitted that it was one of the best performances of his career.
"Definitely at this stage of the tournament, playing semifinals against world No. 4, somebody that I have great respect for, great competitor, and being to perform as well as I did, it's incredible."
With two days of rest before Sunday's final, Djokovic will be in a good position to take on either Andy Murray or Roger Federer. "The two-day break definitely serves me well," he said. 'Physically, mentally, emotionally so I can give all my strength for that final."
Djokovic is obviously feeling very relaxed. Apparently of the opinion that the capacity crowd on Rod Laver Arena had not received their money's worth, Djokovic suddenly appeared on court in the middle of the Legends match featuring Pat Cash and Goran Ivanisevic against Henri Leconte and Guy Forget dressed as a medic, wearing a white bib with the big red cross on it.
He immediately laid out Leconte at courtside and began pumping his chest and checking vital signs, laying ice bags just below his midriff. Djokovic is funny at the best of times, but this was pure theater for the fans.
Asked about it later, Djokovic dead-panned, "The diagnosis we
determined is that Leconte is definitely crazy. He needs long term
treatment."
