By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Rafael Nadal defused dangerous Sam Querrey, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, streaking into his seventh Wimbledon semifinal and a blockbuster 40th meeting with archrival Roger Federer.
Photo credit: Getty
Masterpieces seldom spawn successful sequels.
A dream-day duel between icons could change that on Friday.
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The Wimbledon semifinal showdown between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer promises to be major masterpiece theater.
On the strength of a snarling serve and twisting topspin, Nadal defused dangerous Sam Querrey, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, streaking into his seventh Wimbledon semifinal.
The victory sets up a blockbuster Roger vs. Rafa showdown—their first Wimbledon clash since their classic final 11 years ago—with a spot in Sunday’s final on the line.
“To play against Roger always is a unique situation," Nadal told the media at at Wimbledon. "Excited to be back on this court against him after 11 years. Means a lot for me and probably for him, too.
"Excited about this match, excited about this opportunity to be again in that round against him. Always I say the same: of course, the opportunities to play against each other every time are less, but we still here. After tomorrow we going to have another chance."
Earlier, Federer fought off Kei Nishikori, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, powering to his 100th career Wimbledon win to become the first man to reach the century mark in match wins in a Grand Slam.
Episode 40 of the Fedal rivalry comes a month after the pair met on a wildly windy day in the French Open semifinals.
A masterful Nadal navigated brutal conditions and his aggressive arch rival rolling past Federer for the first time in five years, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, and roaring into his 12th Roland Garros final with his 22nd consecutive win in Paris.
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Overall, Nadal leads the iconic rivalry 24-15, though Federer has won five of their last six meetings.
The third-seeded Spaniard has not posted successive wins over the second-seeded Swiss since 2014 when he swept Federer in the Australian Open semifinal for his fifth straight win in the rivalry.
Empowered by a 12-match winning streak, Nadal says his aim is simple: bring his best against the greatest grass-court champion.
"I just expect to play against probably the best player of the history in this surface and know that I have to play my best if I want to have chances to try to be in that final, no?" Nadal said. "That's all. I know he's playing well. He feels comfortable here. And me, too. I'm playing well, too."
In their last Centre Court stand-off, Rafa edged a resilient Roger, who fought off three championship points, dethroning the five-time defending champion with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 triumph in the 2008 Wimbledon final that spanned a record four hours, 48 minutes and will remain embedded in the minds of many as a match for the ages.
“I think I have just witnessed the greatest match I have ever seen,” said Hall of Famer and NBC analyst John McEnroe immediately after the 2008 final. “The drama, the quality and the way it ended when it seemed as though no more tennis could possibly be played was remarkable, to put it mildly. I am just happy that I was able to be part of it in just a small way.”
Times have changed and both icons’ games have evolved. All four of the Wimbledon men’s semifinalists are over the age of 30. Roger expects to meet a more assertive Rafa in their first grass clash in 11 years.
“(He has) improved so much over the years on this surface,” Federer said after advancing to his 45th Grand Slam semifinal. “He's playing also very different than he used to. Haven't played each other in a long, long time on this surface.
“He's serving way different. I remember back in the day how he used to serve, and now how much bigger he's serving, how much faster he finishes points.”
Indeed, Nadal’s stinging serve saw him win 82 percent of first-serve points and deny six of seven break points against the explosive Querrey. A superb volleyer, Nadal won 13 of 14 net points in today’s quarterfinal.
The owner of 11 doubles titles, including partnering Marc Lopez to the doubles gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Nadal may well try to take the net away from Federer at times on Friday.
Two legends come together in a Centre Court crossroads with one shared pursuit.
The Roger-Rafa rematch carries major repercussions in the all-time Grand Slam race. Nadal captured his 18th career major title in Paris, narrowing the gap on 20-time Grand Slam king Federer.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion is aiming to put more major distance between himself, Nadal and 15-time major winner Novak Djokovic, who will face Roberto Bautista Agut in Friday’s other semifinal.
Riding a 10-match grass-court winning streak into his 13th Wimbledon semifinal, Federer is hoping for calmer conditions when the icons step into the swirling Centre Court cauldron of pressure on Friday.
“It was so windy, as you know. It was just insane,” Federer said of the Roland Garros semifinal. “I haven't heard it was going to be the same in a couple of days, so I hope not, even though that would be funny again.
“It's going to be tough, you know. Rafa really can hurt anybody on any surface. I mean, he's that good. He's not just a clay court specialist, we know.”
Playing for his first Wimbledon final since 2011, Nadal knows now is the time to summon his most dynamic tennis.
Time moves forward and so do ageless champions.
"Here we are," Nadal said. "Of course, the last two months have been very positive for me personally, probably for Roger, too, because he played good semifinals in Roland Garros. He had the title in Halle. He's now in the semifinals here again.
"Well, that makes us keep playing because we still feeling that we have chances to compete for the most important things. That's what really make us keep playing with this intensity."