As expected, Novak Djokovic is the number 1 seed heading into the 2012 Wimbledon tournament, knowing that he has to go through Roger Federer in the Semi Final, if all goes according to plan for both, with the six time champions at the All England’s club getting the #3 seed, according to his ATP ranking.
It’s not like Nadal was going to meet Rafael Nadal before the final. Wimbledon seeding can be a bit unorthodox during certain years, like they certainly were when Pete Sampras reigned on the London grass courts. But despite Federer – Nadal still being, probably, the most popular rivalry in Tennis, there’s no reason to deny the public #1 – #2, the best match in Tennis today, Nadal vs Djokovic.
For Djokovic, it probably didn’t really matter if he would have been seeded with Murray instead.He has a 8-5 edge of Murray, although the two haven’t met on grass previously. Djokovic does hold the lead in recent meetings, big meetings. Most recently it was an epic Semi Final in the 2012 Australian Open. Previously it was the 2011 Australian Open Final, something that started something very special for Djokovic, while Murray hasn’t seemed to really bounce back since that loss.
As for Federer, Djokovic is probably feeling equally confident. He’s still behind on the all-time series, with Federer leading 14-12, but that is due to the pre-2011 era. Since 2011, Novak Djokovic has beaten Roger Federer six times, losing only once. They’ve never met at Wimbledon, with Tsonga’s epic comeback denying the two’s meeting in the Semi Final last year.
Djokovic’s only loss against Roger Federer over the last 18 months has been in the 2011 Roland Garros Semi Final. In between, he’s beaten him in Semifinals matches three times – Australia (2011), US Open (2011) with an epic comeback from 0-2 down and most recently, a 3-0 drubbing in Paris at the French Open.
In fact, Djokovic hasn’t dropped a set against Federer in their two matches in 2012, which makes you feel he’s quite confident about their potential Semi Final in the upcoming month. Still, I’m pretty sure he’d rather face others in the Top Half of the draw, Like Tomas Berdych, Janko Tipsarevic or John Isner.