Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer (Photo : Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are set for a potential semifinal clash at the Monte-Carlo masters on Apr. 10-17.
Top seed Djokovic could face the third-seeded Federer in the semifinal of the ATP 1000 Masters Monte-Carlo if both players win their matches in the earlier rounds, which could mark the rivals' second meeting of the season.
Djokovic leads Federer by 23-22 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup and has won three of his last five matches, including this year's Australian Open, where Nole defeated the Swiss en route to an 11th Grand Slam title. Federer's last victory over Djokovic came at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals last year, although it was only on a round-robin match.
Djokovic is coming off a historical victory at the Miami Open, surpassing Federer in career prize money to be the first $100 million man of the sport. The Serb has been in stellar perform this season after winning four of the five tournaments he joined, including back-to-back wins in Indian Wells and Miami.
The Belgrade native enters the Monte-Carlo Masters as the heavy favorite to defend his title, but could face a tough task of winning on the dirt, with the Big Four present at the event.
Meanwhile, Federer will compete for the first time since suffering a knee injury a day after his Australian Open loss against Djokovic. After recovering from knee surgery that repaired a torn left meniscus, Federer was set for a return at the Miami Open, but a stomach virus forced the 34-year-old to withdraw from the tournament and delay his return in Monaco.
"Expectations are really low, which is nice for a change," Federer said, reports The National. "Just see where I am, go out there."
"But once you're out there, you want to win, it's clear. I'm a competitor. I'm just really pleased I'm back."
It would be massive to see two of the greatest players in the Open Era to once again entertain fans and go head-to-head on the clay-court. But with Federer coming off a setback, there are concerns whether the 17-time Grand Slam winner could reach the semifinal round of the tournament, although he holds the experience advantage against all of his potential opponents in his side of the bracket.
Djokovic could open his bid to defend his Monte-Carlo title against Czech Jiri Vesely or Russian Teymura Gabashvili, while Federer could face either Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci or Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
