Djokovic, Murray reach semis

With Novak Djokovic clutching his leg and struggling to breathe, it looked like the "Big 4" semifinal lineup at the Australian Open might not come together.

Then Djokovic's championship instincts kicked in.

The top-ranked Serb held off No. 5 David Ferrer in a second-set tiebreaker Wednesday night and then raced through the third set for a 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-1 win, setting up a rematch of last year's final against fourth-ranked Andy Murray.

Order was restored.

For 10 days, nearly everyone at Melbourne Park has talked about the top four players and how they are on a higher level than the rest of men's tennis. But with the other three already in the semis, Djokovic looked to be in trouble in the second set.

"No, I don't have any physical issues," Djokovic said, playing down any health concerns. "I feel very fit and I feel mentally, as well, very fresh.

"It's just today I found it very difficult after a long time to breathe because I felt the whole day my nose was closed a little bit. I just wasn't able to get enough oxygen."

The win ensured that the top four men reached the semifinals for the third time in four Grand Slams. Murray beat Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 earlier Wednesday, while second-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Roger Federer were already preparing for their semifinal showdown early this morning, their 10th clash at a major but their first meeting at that stage of a Grand Slam since 2005.

The "Big 4" have reached the semifinals of the past two Grand Slams, and three of the past four. But it needs to be put into perspective: that has only happened twice before at the Australian Open, in 1988 and 2005.

It's only the 14th time since the Open era began in 1968 that the top four seeded players reached the semifinals in a major.

And with Djokovic and Murray winning their quarterfinals in straight sets, the "Big 4" had dropped only three sets between them in five rounds.

Players ranging from former No. 1 Andy Roddick to retired greats have talked about the gap between the top four and the rest of men's tennis widening. No. 7 Tomas Berdych, after losing in the quarterfinals against Nadal, said it was "probably the toughest time to play because of those four really strong guys … making almost history every week."

On Wednesday night, Ferrer confirmed the gap.

"I think the top four players, they are better than the other ones," the Spaniard said.