A rival in contention, one for whom Ageless Federer will win the title at Wimbledon



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LONDON – Eleven years ago, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal set a new, incredibly high bar for Wimbledon matches. Nadal won this 2008 final in the dark after five annoying sets in front of a crowd stunned by the Court Center.

Federer and Nadal did not specify this high bar in their semifinal Wimbledon Friday, but Federer, winner by 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 bit. For 11 long years, he had to live with the fact that, while many considered him GOAT, he was the loser of what many consider to be the greatest game of all time. As for the stories of redemption, it was pretty close. Where is he on the Federer reference group?

"Obviously, extremely high," Federer said afterwards. "It's still very, very cool to play against Rafa here, especially [as we] have not played for so long. He lived up to the hype. (…) It's definitely, it's definitely one of my favorite matches to watch, again, because it's Rafa, it's at Wimbledon, the crowd was at the rendezvous, it was sunny . "

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Eleven years old is long, and a lot has changed for both men.

Nadal, 33, has long removed these clam diggers and sleeveless shirts from "Gilligan Island". His dark hair is now visibly finer, instead of framing his face in wicks soaked with sweat.

The 37-year-old Federer put on his beautiful retro cardigan, which he wore here in 2008, had four children and abandoned his 90 cm squared racket for a much larger model (97 ). square thumb head), the kind of racket that his 2008 auto might have boasted like a racket for the elderly.

This last detail is significant, because Federer admitted that the biggest racket, adopted after at least one failed test in 2013, had played a decisive role in his recent series of six victories over his career rival, a series that was finally stopped at the French Open match.

It was not so long ago, Nadal had snuck the backhand of a Federer hand to a hand, knowing that he could possibly break the shot by hitting it with that powerful roll of reversal. It's different now. As Federer said in March 2017, after a two-round victory over Nadal at Indian Wells: "This year, I feel really comfortable with the racket, and I think I have gained confidence in myself. [the backhand]. "

Federer was almost 32 years old and already 17 times Grand Slam champion when he decided to kiss the biggest racket. He was aware that his friend and former model, Pete Sampras, who had retired at age 31 in 2002, regretted never having left one of the newer larger rackets the opportunity to add a year or two to his career.

Federer's decision is one of many decisions that explain his longevity, as well as the level of tennis he has supported. His desire to ignore his success and to dare to reinvent himself goes hand in hand with his long vision of his career.

"I wanted to play long," Federer said earlier in the tournament. "I had the feeling of having made that decision a very long time ago, not just three years ago, and I hope I can still be on tour." This was picked up in 2004 when I became the world's number one. "

Roger Federer has qualified for the Wimbledon final with a four-set win over Rafael Nadal. Adrian Dennis / AFP / Getty Images

But Federer himself might be shocked by what he's doing again at 37 – or maybe even he's wasting time competing with his rivals. Among them, Nadal is his sentimental favorite, as well as his criterion of career measurement. Their rivalry has been reduced to its pure essence.

On Wednesday, men were asked to speak about forehands and setbacks, strengths and weaknesses. Both shrugged and took a pass: "I do not know, it does not matter, who cares?" Said Federer. "It's pretty much how he played up to now, how I have played until now." I hope that will happen to me. "

Yet 11 years is a long time, and the changes in both men were obvious in the game. The exuberance and explosive desire of youth have been replaced by patience, stoicism and opportunistic and vigilant attention.

Perhaps because he lost that historic match against Nadal, Federer seemed particularly eager to silence any distractions. He played the entire match on Friday with his head down, only communicating with himself, while the balloon was not in play. He was cautiously walking on one side to the other side. Other of the field. He waited patiently between the dots, his body all limp, forgetting that Nadal was taking his time, completing his elaborate rituals before letting the game continue.

The biggest surprise in the match was Federer's persistent ability to stay in the trade as they threw themselves at the speed of the chain, which Nadal always specialized in winning. These gatherings may not have taken place at the crucial moment of the match, and they were not numerous. But the way Federer introduced himself and exchanged blows with Nadal gave him confidence.

"Winning long exchanges is always nice," said Federer. "They've also been played at a very high level in terms of speed, power, spin and everything else.We are almost trying to win the point …. I think it's important that I can to win them too, I wonder if it took him anything. "

And it seemed to discourage Nadal.

Nadal was unable to execute a reliable game plan. But for the second set of Federer, Nadal failed to break the backhand. Federer's speed and the fierce return of his services took care of the rest.

"[He plays] very inside the yard. It does not give you time to open the field, "Nadal said. When I hit the ball with the forehand, [and] especially with the backhand, I could not open the field because [on] the other days. You will not miss it for the speed of the ball. You must make it miss because you put it out of position. "

Federer will likely have to bring the same determination and physical fitness to Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic. The defending champion looked solid in his own semifinal victory over Roberto Bautista Agut, though the match was a nonsense affair.

Federer's victory on Friday was short-lived (3 hours and 2 minutes) – compared to the 4 hours and 48 minutes that Federer and Nadal consumed in 2008 – so theoretically it should still have a lot in the tank. But it was an extremely intense, exhausting and deeply satisfying experience for Federer. Can he do everything Sunday?

"I do not have a lot of energy to train a lot now," Federer said jokingly, when asked how he would prepare for the ultimate test. "I do not think I have a lot to do in terms of practice.It's like a school: the day of the test, you're not going to read, I do not know how many books that day In any case, I do not have the time, it is clear that the work was done well before. "

Federer will probably have to work as hard and play an equally tight game if he hopes to neutralize Djokovic in the final. The Serbian champion tries to equal the five titles won by Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon. But Djokovic also hopes to get closer to Federer, eight-time Wimbledon champion and twenty-time Grand Slam champion, in the record book.

"We all know how much [Federer] is everywhere, but especially here, "said Djokovic after his own victory. This surface greatly complements his game. He likes to play very fast. "

Djokovic emphasized how Federer likes to "take time" from his opponents and how he does not often give his opponents the "same looks".

"He is rushing you to everything," added Djokovic. "So, for players like Nadal or myself who like to have a little more time, it's a constant pressure that I have to face." I played with Roger in some epic finals here. years in a row, so I know what to expect. "

"It's still very, very cool to play against Rafa here, especially [as we] have not played for so long. He lived up to the hype. "

Roger Federer

There are no surprises among these three men. Their trivality has been long and rich, with chapters still unwritten. The three men are now in their thirties (Djokovic is 32), so we do not know how long it will last. Nadal knows that the window is closing.

But then, what would he – or Federer – have said in 2008, if they were told after this epic finale that they would have to wait eleven years to find themselves in similar circumstances?

"Age comes into play," said Federer, in the prospect of the final. "I know it's not over yet, you do not have to start to party tonight or become too emotional, too happy, even though I'm extremely happy." I think the experience allows me to If it was the end of the tournament, it would be very different at the moment, I would speak very differently, I would feel very different, there is, unfortunately or luckily, one more. "

And a big one he is. It remains to be seen whether it will be nearly as big as the 2008 final for the man who was losing.

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