Eleven years ago, iconic champions collaborated on a Wimbledon classic.
Amid fading light, Rafael Nadal edged rival Roger Federer 9-7 in the fifth set of the 2008 final that was a match for the ages.
More: Wimbledon Quarterfinal Preview with BBC's Pete Odgers
The rivals are on course for Episode 40 of the Fedal rivalry in the Wimbledon semifinals. While many in the tennis world want to see Roger and Rafa share Centre Court again, the pair don’t see eye-to-eye on court conditions.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion says the court is playing slower and points to big-serving Italian Matteo Berrettini managing just three aces in Federer’s 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 fourth-round flogging as proof.
“The guy is serving on average 130 miles and second serve 105 or 110. He gets three aces,” Federer said following his 99th career Wimbledon victory. “Not wrong, but it's just slow. Especially tonight, conditions are a bit cooler. I just felt like, you know, it's not really going through.
“If you're almost clocking 140 serves, you should be rewarded a little bit more probably. There is definitely an issue with the speed of the balls or the speed of the courts. “
Two-time champion Nadal asserts court conditions have not changed since his 2003 debut at The Championships, but believes the Slazenger balls are heavier now.
“When I hear people saying, that's very slow, faster, slower than ever,” Nadal said. “I have been here for 15 years. Every time I am hearing the same. Sometimes the feelings of the players are not exactly the same. For a player who is playing very well, they can feel the things perfect. For a player that not playing that well, they feel slower or too fast because is difficult to find the timing out there.
“Honestly, the surface for me is the same as always. I have been playing here since 2003. Honestly, I don't see a difference on the surface. Is true that sometimes the balls are heavier than the other events here. That's true. Balls are heavier.”
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