Looking back at the 4 times Federer and Djokovic have met at the Australian Open
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are the two most successful players in the history of the Australian Open. The duo, with 6 and 7 titles respectively at the tournament, have won more than a quarter of the Australian Open titles in the Open Era.
Not surprisingly, Federer (102) and Djokovic (73) have the most match wins and most finals (7 apiece) of any player at Melbourne Park.
The two met for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament in the fourth round of the 2007 Australian - a contest which went the way of Federer, who went on to win his third title at the tournament that year. Since that meeting, the duo have locked horns on 15 subsequent occasions at Majors, which includes 3 meetings at the first Grand Slam tournament on the tennis calendar.
You may also like: What's at stake in the 50th denouement of the Federer-Djokovic rivalry at the 2020 Australian Open semifinals?
As Federer looks to end a five-match Grand Slam losing streak against Djokovic, let us have a look at how the four match-ups between the two most successful players at the Australian Open materialized:
#1 2007 4R: Federer beats Djokovic 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
Defending champion Roger Federer faced up-and-coming Serbian teenager Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the 2007 Australian Open. It was the pair's third meeting, having previously met in the opening round at 2006 Monte Carlo and in a Davis Cup clash between Serbia and Switzerland later that season.
The dominant World No. 1 trumped Djokovic in straight sets, sending down 12 aces and dropping just 20 points on serve. He ran out a 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 winner in under two hours.
Federer would go on to successfully defend his title, in the process becoming the first player since Bjorn Borg at 1980 Roland Garros to win a Grand Slam without dropping a set.
You may also like: 3 milestones awaiting Federer in 2020.