Nadal can blame a thigh injury and the fighting spirit of his Spanish compatriot David Ferrer, who stopped his run for a Slam in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Australian Open.

“This is the opportunity that very few tennis players have in their lives,” Djokovic said. “I’m aware of that, but I accept it as a challenge. It makes me even more motivated, if can say, in a positive way. It makes me feel good about it, rather than, you know, feeling pressured and worried.”

That certainly sounds like the right attitude. But when Djokovic last faced big-match pressure at the French Open, last year, Federer knocked him out in a full-throttle semifinal, which stopped Djokovic’s 43-match winning streak and kept him from rising to No. 1 for the first time. Djokovic would not squander his second opportunity, rising to No. 1 after winning Wimbledon a month later.

He remains on top, and he and the second-seeded Nadal can only play here in the final. Federer, though certainly a contender and in Djokovic’s half of the draw, is only a bit player for a change in the historical drama. He still has designs, though, on reclaiming the No. 1 ranking this year.

“I’m not taking anything away from anyone else, but I do hope that it is a Novak-Rafa final because I’d love to see those guys spar in that scenario,” said Jim Courier, the United States Davis Cup captain and a former French Open champion. “It will be easier for Novak because he won’t have the No. 1 ranking riding on it like he did last year with the semis. That put a lot of undue pressure on him.

“He’s just more settled now. He’s gone through more. He’s won three majors since then. He’s in a different place mentally.”