(May 18, 2012)—Roger Federer trounced Italy’s last remaining player in the men’s draw at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia in Rome this evening, moving past surprise quarterfinalist Andreas Seppi, 6-1, 6-2.

The 54-minute victory leaves Federer plenty of time to rest for tomorrow’s highly anticipated semifinal against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Despite receiving plenty of support from the Roman crowd, Seppi barely got his feet wet in his ninth career loss in nine attempts against the world No. 2. Federer won 18 of 22 points on his serve in the first set, and brushed aside the only break point he faced against the Italian.

In the second set, Federer was tested a bit more. Seppi had double break point to go up 2-0 after drilling a backhand pass passed Federer down the line that brought the crowd to life.

But Federer served his way out of trouble, and would not face another break point from the Italian.
 

Federer scored the decisive break at 2-2 when he blasted an inside-out crosscourt forehand that Seppi pushed weakly back into the net.

From there Federer, who made 81 percent of his first serves and hit 25 winners to Seppi’s 7, did not concede another game.

Federer will continue the quest for his fifth ATP title of 2012 when he meets Djokovic in Saturday’s evening semifinal.

The last two matches that Federer and Djokovic have played were two of the most memorable matches of 2011. In June last year, Federer handed Djokovic his first defeat of the season when he upended Djokovic in four sets in the French Open semifinal. At the US Open, Djokovic exacted revenge when he saved two match points to defeat Federer en route to his third Grand Slam title of the year.

Federer holds a 14-10 career advantage against the Serb, with Djokovic winning four of the last five.

Djokovic, aiming for his third career Rome title, also had an easy go of things today. He defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-5, 6-1 in the last match of the day session.

After surviving a sloppy first set that featured five breaks of serve, Djokovic hit his stride in the final set, winning 25 of 36 points, including all 14 of his first serve points.

With the win Djokovic evened his career head-to-head record with Tsonga at 5-5.

(May 9th, 2012) For a city that loves to entertain well into the night, Roger Federer and Milos Raonic certainly obliged Madrid with another evening classic at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Playing in his first match since losing to Andy Roddick in Miami six weeks ago, Roger Federer took to the blue courts of Madrid to play his opening match of the clay court season against rising Canadian star Milos Raonic. With Raonic serving 16 aces in his previous match against David Nalbandian, Raonic was tipped by many to actually surprise Federer with an upset.

But it was the "magicinal" Federer (as tennis analyst Robbie Koenig would say) that provided a few surprises of his own.

As expected, Raonic opened up with his biggest weapon firing, bombing down eight aces in the first set. Raonic was a perfect 14 of 14 on his first serve points and when he converted on his only break point, it was all he needed to wrap up the set 6-4.

But Federer displayed his usual steely calm while at the same time choosing to serve and volley almost on every point during the second set. The slippery blue court with its low bounces at times played more like a fast grass surface with both men using a variety of shots to their advantage.

Serving at 5-6, Raonic looked poised to force a tiebreak. But perhaps Raonic thought too much about the moment and what he was about to pull off as it was Federer who went on the attack instead, winning three return points including one with a delicate drop volley to steal the set 7-5.

Raonic would have his chances to break Federer mid-way through the third set when an errant Federer backhand gave the Canadian two break points at 3-all. But Federer surprised Raonic with another serve and volley that won him the point followed by an ace to pull things to deuce before Federer held for 4-3.

Both men held serve from there to force a final set tiebreak. A netted backhand from Raonic gave Federer an early mini break that he held onto until Federer pulled a forehand wide to allow Raonic to close to within 4-5 and with two serves on his racquet.

But Raonic, as he did late in the second set, couldn't bring his best when he needed it as he blew an easy forehand wide to give Federer two match points. Federer, sensing the moment, attacked Raonic's next serve with a whipping crosscourt forehand winner to seal a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 win.

Raonic hit 47 winners to Federer's 36, but it was clear that the experience of the former No. 1 was what saw him through this difficult night. Federer will now meet Richard Gasquet in the next round.

Other winners on the day included Rafael Nadal who had no trouble dismissing Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-2 during the Spaniard's debut on the blue courts. The last two American men left in the draw also departed as John Isner played two poor tiebreaks to lose to Marin Cilic 7-6, 7-6 while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saw off Ryan Harrison 6-2, 7-6.

NUMBER CRUNCH: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are still re-writing the record books of tennis, with the Swiss bagging the most Slams (in singles), Nadal dominating the Roland Garros clay, and Djokovic impressing the tour with his winning record in 2011. As they go about their own achievements, something to consider about this exciting time in men's tennis: the three of them together might just be the most dominant concurrent trio in Open Era history.

Since the 2005 French Open, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have combined to win 27 of the 28 (96%) Grand Slam titles, the lone exception being Juan Martin Del Potro's triumph over Federer at the 2009 US Open -- that's 12 titles for Federer, 10 for Nadal and five for Djokovic.

No three men have ever dominated the ATP like these in the Open Era. The closest by comparison came from 1974-1979 when Sweden's Bjorn Borg, ArgeNtina's Guillermo Vilas and the US' Jimmy Connors racked up 17 out of the 25 (68%) Slams during that span (two Australian Opens in one year makes for the odd number). Borg’s haul tallied eight, Connors five, and Vilas four.

Also impressive is the achievement of Aussie trio Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe between 1969-1973. Of the 20 Slams held in that timeframe, Laver and Newcombe each won four and Rosewall notched three for a total of 11 (55%). From 1978-1984, the dominant trio was Borg, Connors and John McEnroe. McEnroe and Borg each won seven Slams, and Connors added four for a total of 18 out of 28 possible - 64%.

From 1984-1990, it was a different posse, but almost as dominant: Ivan Lendl (eight), Mats Wilander (four) and Boris Becker (four) combined for 17 out of 28 - 61%.

In the 1990s, it was an American trio that took control - Pete Sampras (11), Andre Agassi (five) and Jim Courier (three) racked up 19 crowns out of a possible 32 (59%). This is the most dominant performance from any one country on the tour.

What has been a relative statistical anomaly for the men over 40 years of the Open Era has been vastly more commonplace for the women of the WTA.

Beginning with the 1969 Australian Open and stretching through to the same event in 1974, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, and Billie Jean King combined to win 19 of 21 Slams - with only Britain's Anny Haydon Jones (1969 Wimbledon) and Virginia Wade (1972 Australian Open) interrupting the streak. Court was the heavy hitter of the era, with 11 wins, followed by King with five and Cawley with three - totalling 90%.

Beginning midway through 1978, the WTA tour became the near-exclusive home of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. From Wimbledon in 1978 through the US Open in 1987 - a span of 37 Slams - Navratilova and Evert won a combined 28: 17 for the Czech and 11 for the American. Add in the four titles won by Hana Mandilkova, and this trio took 21 of 28 crowns (75%).

From the beginning of 1988 until just after the 1994 Australian Open, it was another two-woman wrecking crew demolishting the ladies' tour. Of the 25 Slams played, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles took 14 and 8 titles respectively - 88% of the Slams.

For a shorter period, and with four players in the mix, a bloc of American women thoroughly dominated the Slams. Beginning with Lindsay Davenport's triumph at the 1998 US Open and lasting through to Serena Williams' victory at Wimbledon in 2003, Davenport, Serena, Venus, and a resurgent Jennifer Capriati racked up 16 of the 19 possible Slams (84%), including a stunning 11 straight from Serena's 1999 US Open crown (her first Slam) to her win at the Australian Open in 2003.

The current WTA women haven't formed their alliances; in recent years, the winners' list has included four straight first-time winners beginning with the French Open last spring.

 (March 18, 2012)—The 81-minute BNP Paribas Open title match was shorter than the usual final—but that didn’t make the 7-6(7), 6-3 victory over John Isner any less sweet for Roger Federer.

The 30-year-old notched his record fourth Indian Wells title (passing Jimmy Connors and Michael Chang) and his record 19^th Masters crown (tying Rafael Nadal), in addition to procuring a $1 million dollar paycheck and gobs of that highly valued commodity on the ATP Tour—confidence.
 

Playing quick-strike tennis from the onset, Federer beat the missile-serving Isner at his own game, losing only two points on his first serve, and hitting 29 winners past the 6’9” first-time Masters finalist.
 

The victory was Federer’s 15^th consecutive win, and 39^th out of his last 41.
 

After Isner failed on three break point opportunities in the first game, Federer was never even remotely troubled on his serve again. But Isner kept his end of the bargain, serving somewhat larger than life, and digging himself out of trouble in the twelfth game, when he blasted an ace to erase the only break point he faced in the first set.
 

In the tiebreaker, Isner had his chances too.
 

Isner took the first mini-break when Federer netted a forehand, but he gave it back on the next point when Federer handcuffed him with a perfect return to the baseline. Federer was in trouble again when he double-faulted for 4-4, but a service winner that kissed the line on the next point put him back ahead.
 

Federer missed on his first two set points, but after Isner made an error in judgment at 7-7, electing to let a Federer passing attempt go by—it landed smack on the line—he gave the Swiss Maestro his third set point.

Once he converted that, it was pretty much one-way traffic for Federer. He won 16 of 17 points on serve in the second set, and finished winning 17 of the last 22 points, breaking Isner in each of his last two service games.
 

Isner, while discouraged, engaged the crowd afterwards and paid his respect to Federer. “Playing against you on this court in a final this big was an absolute honor,” Isner said afterwards.
 

For Isner, his first Masters final also provided American fans with some good news. Isner will join Mardy Fish in the top ten when the rankings are released tomorrow. 
 

Federer, meanwhile, will enter next week’s event in Miami with a new lease on life. As Djokovic and Nadal’s level has slipped since the US Open, he’s played some of the most superb tennis of his career.
 

He’ll have a small chance to pass Rafael Nadal in the rankings next week, but deep down he knows he’s still got a lot to prove. “For now Novak’s the best player,” Federer said in a post-match interview. “Still is.”
 

If things keep going this way, some intense debate on the subject is sure to follow.

 (

Not exactly what he wanted, but he used the time productively.
 

Federer came out of his chair to nail an ace after a brief rain delay, sealing his 6-3, 6-4 victory over the Spaniard in windy, sometimes wet conditions at the BNP Paribas Open.
 

With the win Federer now leads the hardcourt head-to-head with Nadal at 6-5.
 

“It felt like ten,” said Federer of the less-than-five minute rain delay.
 

Federer’s victory over Nadal is his tenth in 28 tries, and it marks the first time he has beaten his rival on an outdoor hard court since 2005.
 

“It was a great match under tough conditions,” said Federer. “Man I couldn’t be more happy. Against Rafa it’s always special – he’s a great champion.”
 

Unlike their last meeting (won by Nadal in four sets at the 2012 Australian Open in January), Nadal had trouble dominating points with his forehand. Refusing to deviate from the script, the world No. 2 continued to serve to the Federer backhand even though Federer seemed to have an answer every time.
 

It’s a gameplan that’s worked before for Nadal, but Federer was just too good today.
 

Federer took the early lead in the match, using a wide-angle topspin backhand to draw the Nadal error for his first break in the second game. After Nadal broke back in the fifth game, Federer struck the decisive blow in the eighth, earning a break point on a backhand cross-court winner, then goading the backhand error on the next point to go up 5-3.
 

Federer held to love, closing out the set with a dropshot that Nadal didn’t even bother to chase.
 

He then broke Nadal to love in the third game of the second set; and again in the seventh to claim the double-break lead.
 

Nadal, finally finding the range on his forehand, answered back with an authoritative break of serve. He then tried to strike again in Federer’s last service game, but it wasn’t meant to be.
 

Nadal got to 15-30 but the Swiss won the last three points to finish the win.
 

A happy Federer will seek to tie Nadal tomorrow when he goes for his 19^th career Masters title. 

(March 16, 2012) -- The two most loved and revered players of their generation, and arguably of all-time, will take the court with the purpose of forcing the twenty-eighth installment of their rivalry today. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be the heavy favorites in their respective BNP Paribas Open quarterfinal matches, but attempting to block their paths are a couple of Argentines who’d like nothing more than to pull a double upset that would surely reverberate back home in South America.

It should be a fine Friday for tennis—here’s a preview of what’s in store:

Federer vs. Del Potro, 1:00 Pacific Time

Federer leads head-to-head 10-2

Federer has been the thorn in Del Potro’s side ever since the big man shocked the world by notching back-to-back wins in the 2009 US Open final and the ATP World Tour finals a few months later. But Federer took the power back when Del Potro returned from wrist surgery, and since then he’s toyed with him, winning nine consecutive sets against the Tower of Tandil.

But in the Dubai semifinal, Delpotro pushed Federer to tiebreakers in each set. If it’s any indication, the steadily improving Argentine could be ready to break through and actually take a set. If that happens then we might have ourselves a thriller.

Federer, meanwhile, is a three-time Indian Wells champion who hasn’t won the tournament since 2006. He’s won thirty-six of his last thirty-eight matches, losing only to Nadal in Australia and John Isner in Davis Cup.

To beat him, Del Potro will have to serve well and take control of as many points as he can. And when he does he’ll have to hit his spots. This rivalry peaked in 2009, when Del Potro pushed Federer to five sets in the Roland Garros semis, then pulled the miracle in New York later in the year.

It’s about time that they played another thriller, and what better place for that than Indian Well?

Nadal vs. Nalbandian, Next Match, Not Before 3:00 Pacific Time

Nadal leads head-to-head 3-2

Roger Federer apparently isn’t the only thirty-year-old that can still make some noise at the Masters events. David Nalbandian, currently ranked No. 74 in the world, but coming off a confidence-building upset of No. 6-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the round of 16, will take the court against Rafael Nadal in today’s second semifinal.

Nadal and Nalbandian played one of the most memorable matches in recent years at Indian Wells, when in the 2009 round of 16, Nalbandian misfired on 5 match points in the second set. He paid dearly for that, eventually getting bageled by Nadal in the third set, and he’s never beaten the Spaniard again.

In spite of losing three straight to Nadal, Nalbandian still matches up pretty well with the 10-time Grand Slam champion. He seems to not be bothered by Nadal’s high-bouncing topspin as much other players, and he’s also exhibited the ability to outmaneuver Nadal in rallies, something that very few people can do.

But as good as Nalbandian plays, it’s likely that his age will catch up with him at some point in this match. And even if it doesn’t, the fine form of Rafael Nadal—who has won all fourteen sets he’s played this year at Indian Wells (six singles and eight doubles), is a two-time champion and is bidding to reach his seventh straight BNP Paribas Open semifinals—likely will.

By Erik Gudris

(March 5^th, 2012) Professional tennis once again returns to Madison Square Garden with tonight’s BNP Paribas Showdown, an exhibition event featuring four of the sport’s best players and all former No.1’s.

Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki will face each other in the women’s match, with Sharapova leading the overall head to head three to two. In a recent interview, Sharapova said about taking part in the upcoming event at one of the world’s best known sports arenas, “There is really nothing like an experience at Madison Square Garden and I think for every athlete around the world, just to be in the stadium but to be performing there is really an honor and I can’t wait for that opportunity.”

Roger Federer and Andy Roddick will meet in the second match of the evening with their last meeting in New York being during the quarterfinals of the 2007 U.S. Open. When asked about playing Roddick in the unique format of tonight’s event, Federer said, “He’s got one of the greatest serves of all-time in the game, and has a great personality for the game, and I really enjoy his matches. So I see him as a really difficult match and I’ve never played him in an exhibition really next to a couple of games for some charities, so it’s going to be different. In New York, as you can imagine, it’ll be really exciting for him to play against me. So I’m really looking forward to it.”

Tonight’s event will also promote the USTA’s “Tennis Night In America” (http://www.tennisnight.com/) initiative to promote youth tennis in America. Along with showcasing the new “10 and Under” format, parents and kids will be encouraged to register for USTA events throughout the month of March.

"Tennis Night in America is the perfect venue to kick off our latest youth registration efforts," says Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. "The night is sure to generate momentum for youth tennis and create excitement for spring and summer programs at facilities nationwide."

The BNP Paribas Showdown starts at 7pm EST with coverage on ESPN3.com.

(March 3, 2012) The finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships featured a pair of men seeking to build on recent momentum as they headed into the spring hardcourt season. For Roger Federer, it was a chance to win his second title in a row after his recent run in Rotterdam while for Andy Murray, after his upset win yesterday over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, today's final was an opportunity to further prove he is closing in at warp speed on the "big three".

Having not faced each other since the ATP World Tour Finals in 2010, it was expected the first few games of the match would be a stage for each man to feel each other out on the slick outdoor court. Both players held serve comfortably early on in the first set, but Murray was the first to have break points opportunities at 3-2 on Federer's serve.

When the Scot was unable to capitalize on them, it was Federer who got his own chance with Murray serving at 5-all when a mishit slice backhand return winner from Federer gave him 0-40. Murray found his first serve at the right time and brought things level to deuce but on Federer's fifth break point chance, another slice backhand return that just landed inside the service box, forced an eventual volley error from Murray giving Federer the first break of the match. Federer closed out the set 7-5 on the next game when a Murray backhand went wide.

It was Murray's normally reliable backhand that continued to be a source of errors for the Scot in the second set. When another Murray crosscourt backhand went wide, giving Federer an early service break for 2-1, it appeared Murray had run out of steam in the contest with Federer looking poised to end the set in a hurry.

But down 2-3, Murray found himself with another break point chance and during an extended rally, Murray hit two sensational lobs while Federer was up at net forcing a volley error from the Swiss No. 1. It was the first break of serve Federer had suffered all week in Dubai and a now animated Murray looked ready to take things into a deciding set.

But whatever charge Murray got from that game was quickly lost when serving at 4-all, Murray once again began missing with his backhand. Sensing his opportunity, Federer charged the net as he opened up a 0-40 lead. Another netted backhand from Murray gave Federer the break for 5-4.

Murray challenged Federer to 30-all in his service game, but with a flourish of mid-court crosscourt forehand winners, Federer finished off the match to earn his fifth Dubai title with a 7-5, 6-4 victory and his 72nd overall career title.

"Winning is great. It solves everything," said Federer after the match and one can't blame Federer for feeling extra confident after winning back-to-back titles in as many weeks. If the former No.1 can use his new momentum to solve his next challenge of closing the gap between him and the current No. 1 will be the question Federer must answer as he heads into Indian Wells next week. But for now, Federer can celebrate a great week in one of his favorite cities in the world.

By Erik Gudris                             Photo Credit: Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images

(February 27th, 2012) The Dubai Duty Free Championships always seems to find itself dealing with some form of controversy blowing up like a sandstorm spitting dust from the nearby desert onto the courts. This year it took the form of raised eyebrows when Marko Djokovic, the younger brother of defending champion Novak Djokovic, received a last minute wildcard into the event that was previously reserved for an Arabic player. It's not the first time this sort of thing has happened, but the comments made by the tournament organizers and the elder Djokovic himself suggested that the event was really trying its best to make the world No. 1, and his entire family and team, feel even more welcome.

Marko Djokovic, currently ranked No. 869 lost his opening round match today to Andrey Golubev 6-3, 6-2, probably to the relief of the event so that now all of the attention can focus on the return of the Australian Open champion, who won his opening round match today against Cedric-Marce Stebe 6-4, 6-2, to the tour along with a star-studded lineup that features Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Rafael Nadal isn't here, along with fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, but the rest of the top ten is here with a good chunk of the top 20, it's a safe bet we'll see some entertaining matches this week. 

Federer, who looked impressive in winning Rotterdam earlier this month, is probably looking forward to another showdown with Djokovic after losing to him in the finals last year. His first round opponent is Michael Llodra, who after reaching the finals of Marseille, joked that Federer was probably waiting for him by the pool with an ice cream cone, suggesting Llodra already knows he'll be spending most of the week in Dubai playing doubles as the No. 1 seed along with partner Nenad Zimonjic.

Federer could also face early on American Mardy Fish, who won his first round match over Germany's Andreas Beck 6-1, 6-1. Fish, who's had a dismal start to the year, including his first round loss last week in Marseille, needs some kind of momentum heading into Indian Wells. The same could be said for possible semifinal opponents Juan Martin Del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga, who's now climbed to a career high ranking of No. 5 and Del Potro, who many are saying will get to that position very soon, could both use a win over Federer to backup all the recent hype surrounding them.

And what of Andy Murray who keeps saying he's almost there with the other "big three" and ready to get past them in the Majors? It's likely he'll face Djokovic in the semis, though a stern test from either Nikolay Davydenko or Tomas Berdych could be waiting for him before then. But even if Murray knocks out Djokovic, would that really prove anything other than Djokovic won't be starting any huge winning streaks anytime soon? Maybe that's a tad cynical, but Murray's fine record in ATP 500 and 1000 events isn't what concerns him now and it's unlikely Djokovic himself would dwell on a loss too long with Indian Wells and Miami looming in the distance.

That's why this week, even though all the early attention is on Djokovic, and for good reason, the real focus will be on Federer. If he really wants to be No. 1 again, something that he said still motivates him, then Federer must take advantage of this week to reassert himself over Djokovic while also keeping breathing room between him and Murray. It will be a tough challenge, but Federer would love nothing more than to reclaim his title away from the new royal family of tennis.

By Chris Oddo                         Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

“If I go up to the net, I hit to his backhand,” writes

It may seem strange that Rafa’s strategy against Federer could be so simple, but it is. As much as we’ve all seen Federer’s majestic backhand wreak havoc on other opponents, the cold, hard truth is that it is grossly mismatched against Nadal’s lefty serve and forehand, and Nadal takes the court knowing that he can grind Federer down this way. It’s not that Federer has a weak backhand, either. He’s got one of the best one-handed backhands in the history of the sport.

The problem is, the one-hander is becoming a dinosaur in the modern game. And Nadal is the prototypical modern player, primed to feed on this dinosaur. With high-bouncing topspin and relentless pace and depth on his shots, Nadal creates chaos for Federer’s backhand. In moments of inspiration Federer can hit clean, aggressive shots from that side, but almost always, over the course of a long match, it is the primary reason that Nadal is able to dominate him with such regularity.

It’s probably also the reason that other wildly gifted one-handed players such as Stan Wawrinka (ranked No. 22, 0-7 lifetime vs. Nadal), Nicolas Almagro (ranked No. 10, 0-7 lifetime vs. Nadal) and Richard Gasquet (ranked No. 18, 0-10 lifetime vs. Nadal) have all been blown off the court by Rafa each time they have faced him. Yes, there have been exceptions to the rule (Mikhail Youzhny has four wins vs. Rafa, but three were before ’06), but by and large it holds fast. A one-handed backhand is a death sentence against Nadal, and Federer has done remarkably well just to win 9 of the pair’s 27 career matches.

I asked Federer last year if he thought that players who hit the one-hander would be able to make it to the top of tennis anymore. It seems like the double-handed backhand has maybe a slight advantage,” he said. “I think slower conditions might favor a double-handed backhand, but then I’m not sure if that’s the right thing I’m saying. Honestly, time will tell. I guess we’ll see.”

Time is telling observers that the one-hander may be fine against everybody else in tennis, but for a right-hander, even one with a versatile, technically perfect backhand like Federer,  Nadal is a complete nightmare to face. We saw it yesterday and we’ve seen it throughout the history of the rivalry.

Strangely, Nadal claimed after the match that he didn’t rely on the matchup as much in their semifinal match yesterday. “I didn't play all the time against his backhand like I did a lot of times,” said Nadal. “Today I think I played more normal match, playing in his backhand, playing in his forehand, too.” It didn’t seem that way to me. Nearly every serve hit by Nadal went to Federer’s backhand or body, and he still relied heavily on the pattern from the baseline throughout the match as well.

It’s a very interesting tactical struggle that Federer and Nadal finds themselves engaged in when they play. Even though the rivalry has been bogged down by Federer’s lack of success at the Slams against Rafa, it’s been enhanced by the complex tactical approach that each takes against the other. It seems like Federer has gotten a lot closer to finding a workable gameplan against Nadal, but he’s still unable to hit enough good backhands (or avoid having to hit them) to win.

What’s amazing to me is that Federer was still able to do enough to have many opportunities to win their semifinal. There was a third set tiebreaker, and Federer also missed an inside-out forehand by inches that would have given him a chance to serve for the fourth set.

(January 26, 2012) While the argument will rage on regarding whether or not Roger Federer is the greatest player of all time, he never seems to play his best against World No. 2 Rafael Nadal. Meeting in a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time since Nadal’s first major title at Roland Garros in 2005, the Spaniard showed exactly why he holds such an advantage over Federer in a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win.

Often praised as having one of the most fluid and effortless styles on the tour, Federer has seen major opportunities come and go by the wayside thanks to the efforts of Nadal, a punishing bruiser of both the tennis ball and his own body. Their contrasting styles and attitudes have always made for a great rivalry, whether it be on the issue of the length of the season or on court, but over their 27 matches, Nadal has won the majority with 18 wins.

The problem with this rivalry is that it has been largely one-sided, especially in the Grand Slams, where Nadal now holds an 8-2 record, at least partially due to his style being tougher to fight against over the course of a best-of-five match. So why is it exactly that Federer is unable to break the barrier of Nadal’s defense?

The answer lies in how the opportunity to play Federer brings out the best in Nadal, while conversely the style of Nadal has detrimental effects on the Swiss. In a way, Nadal’s greatest strength is his ability to take his opponent out of their comfort zone.

For the first set, this was not having a great effect on Federer, who won the first set in a tiebreak. After falling behind two breaks in the second set, the match was suspended for about 10 minutes due to a fireworks show for Australia Day with Nadal about to serve for the set. When the players came back on court after the delay, Federer seemed out of sorts and agitated, quickly losing the second set and struggling in the third.

Fighting his way into a tiebreak in the third set, Nadal stepped up his game again and took a two-sets-to-one lead. Try as he might in the fourth, Federer missed chances late in the set to take the advantage, eventually surrendering a break at 4-4.

With the finish line in site, Nadal looked poised to take the match easily, but Federer earned chances to break back. A scrambling lob from Nadal while facing break point led to Federer’s worst error of the match, a mistake he would not recover from in the loss.

The win will advance Nadal to the Australian Open final for only the second time in his career. His only other trip to the final was in 2009 where he defeated none other than Federer to capture his first hard court Grand Slam title.