Roger Federer takes on Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this weekend.
There's plenty of spice going into this one. Federer may lead Djokovic 13-7 on the head-to-head but over the past few seasons it's been more or less even between these two and Djokovic knocked Federer out in the semi-finals of the US Open and the Australian Open.
Federer will be keen to put his younger rival in his place especially with the first two Masters Series events of the year coming up next month. It has been the Swiss who's looked the more impressive this week, not conceding a set en route to the final, though he did enjoy the easier half of the draw. He survived a few shaky moments to defeat Richard Gasquet 6-2, 7-5 in the semi-finals though his victory was coloured by a predictable capitulation from Gasquet from a break up in the second.
Djokovic had quite a battle on his hands in a dramatic semi-final against Tomas Berdych. The Serb continues to struggle when the on-court temperatures begin to soar and it was a scrappy match with Djokovic looking physically out of sorts. However he's still riding that wave of confidence from winning in Australia and he dug deep in the second set and began striking the ball with increased pace. The match ended slightly bizarrely with Berdych retiring in the decider with a thigh injury.
Federer was slightly prickly in his post-match interview when parallels were drawn between this match and their clash at the Australian Open. The Swiss has seemed relaxed all week but there is a definite sense of annoyance that some have suggested Djokovic may be gaining an ascendancy in their rivalry. It all adds extra intrigue to the match-up.
Prediction: Federer in two
