Wimbledon 2012 Mens Semifinal Live: Djokovic vs Federer

There is plenty at stake when world no. 1 Novak Djokovic meets world no. 3 Roger Federer in the Wimbledon 2012 men's singles semifinals. If Djokovic loses, Federer will be the first ever player to reach eight Wimbledon finals. Furthermore, it provides the opportunity for Federer to supplant Djokovic at the top of men's tennis world rankings, a position he hasn't held since May 2010. This will only happen if Federer wins his seventh Wimbledon title, tying Pete Sampras with the most Wimbledon wins. Watch Wimbledon 2012 men's semifinal live online stream featuring Djokovic vs Federer here.

Federer is already assured of supplanting Rafael Nadal as the world no. 2 after the rankings will be released next Monday. The pair will be meeting for the 11th time at a Grand Slam championship when they take to court on Friday. Both have split their last 10 meetings in Grand Slams but it was the Serbian who has had recent success winning semifinal encounters in last year's US Open and this year's Australian Open. In their over-all career head-to-head, Federer leads 14-12 but it was Djokovic who has emerged victorious in their previous two meetings this year in Melbourne and Rome.

For Federer, a return to the top ranking will mean that he will equal Pete Sampras' 286 weeks at no. 1, and due to top players inactivity in the week after, he is also expected to break that tie in a record that looks to stand for a very long time. Many tennis fans and observers believe that Federer deserves that world record as he also is the player with the most Grand Slams and whose dominance in tennis was unparalleled in the Open era. Still, Djokovic is expected to battle well and with his previous form, will not go down easily even in the tournament that Federer has owned as his personal playground. Djokovic is aiming to be the first repeat winner at Wimbledon since Federer did the same in 2007.

When asked about potentially losing the World No. 1 ranking to Federer, Djokovic said, "When you're playing at this stage of a Grand Slam against one of your biggest rivals, there is a lot of things involved, a lot of things on the line. It's not the first time that I'm playing to win or lose a ranking. It's not something that I think about too much. I really just want to focus on the match."

Djokovic added, "It is a challenge when you play Roger and Rafa or any of the top players. Roger has been on the top of the men's game for so long. This is where he won six titles. He definitely wants to prove himself and to everybody else that he can win it once again... We [have] never played on grass, so we'll see how that is going to turn out. He has a really smart game for this surface. But I [have] improved playing on grass in last couple of years. I won the title here last year, got to another semi-final this year, so I'm feeling good about this surface, about myself on the court. I really have nothing to lose."

Come Friday, expect the tennis world to be tuned in to the Centre Court at Wimbledon as both players step into the court for their 1pm semifinal date. Watch Wimbledon 2012 men's semifinal live online stream featuring Djokovic vs Federer. May the best man win.