Roger Federer needs a quick victory in his duel with Rafael Nadal | Kevin Mitchell | sport

RFederer and Rafael Nadal have not met at Wimbledon since 2008, the year in which the Spaniard was imposed in a five-set final played over four hours and 48 minutes of a magnificence almost unbearable. Eleven years later, they will meet again in the semi-finals of Friday and, regardless of the millions of fan followers of Federer, Nadal should still win.

They are not the players that they were. But those around them are not so, young and old. Teenagers and other young contenders have long gone; are still familiar opponents, more threatening, Novak Djokovic, less Roberto Bautista Agut, in the other semifinal. But this is the match that will enter the Center Court, the 40th of their rivalry, and – who knows? – maybe their last. It's one to savor.

Sport is not just about statistics, you must not ignore the bottom line: the result. And, again to the dismay of the faithful Federer, almost all figures are favorable to Nadal.

Their story has always been told in a way that is too simple and misleading. It is true that no one plays tennis like Federer, with the almost divine presence of his sport, but Nadal is much more than the proud Majorcan with the fierce look and the fatal blow.

The perception that Nadal built his game solely on rigid principles of raw aggression, full of revolution and lacking the art and subtlety of Federer, has always been mistaken. He's a deep thinker who has been able to capture a lot of wisdom from his uncle, Toni, as well as the latest additions to his coaching team, former world No. 1 Carlos Moya, who arrived at the fourth tour at Wimbledon in 2004, and former double Francisco Roig, specialist

As Federer has stated: "Nadal's so improved over the years on this surface. He also plays very differently from what he was. It serves differently. I remember how he served and how much he serves now, how fast he ends his points. "

On Thursday morning, for about twenty minutes on a training ground, one could almost hear the confidence of Nadal's brains unfold as the double champion metonomically struck a setback after the other, shaving the net and heading towards the corners, where he hoped to put Federer forcing his 37-year-old lap to soak several times on the turf covered.

It was this attention to detail that helped the clay master beat Novak Djokovic on the allegedly hostile pitch of Flushing Meadows in 2010, when he strengthened his rearguard to make him less vulnerable along the line. basic, and increased his racket. The DIY then worked and could do it Friday.

Although Federer claims that Nadal is faster than his predecessor, he probably wants the exchanges and the match to last a long time. If they are short, if the drama ends in less than five years, Federer will probably carry it off. The quick kill is his refuge.

Federer spent nine hours and 23 minutes arriving here, losing his first set of the tournament against Lloyd Harris and opening the match in his win against Kei Nishikori on Wednesday. But he was also superb. Nadal was on 10 hours and 44 minutes and dropped one game, against Nick Kyrgios in the most fuel-efficient game of the table.

History tells us that only two of their 14 games in major were fast: at the Australian Open in 2014 and at Roland Garros last month. Nadal won both.

Another uncomfortable statistic for Federer is that he beat Nadal in none of their four Grand Slam semifinals. The only time they met at Wimbledon at this point in the fortnight, in 2005, is old enough to be on the sidelines of the debate. Nevertheless, Nadal is slightly favorite, trusting his body after a year of physical hell in 2018.

There are not many matches when he plays without pain, but he has moved with much of his old momentum into five wins. Federer, of course, will float and bow in his inimitable style. Whatever the winner, his embrace at the end will be sincere and, if it is his last fight, they will reflect with pride on one of the greatest rivalries of the sport.

Nadal said after defeating Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals: "The opportunities to play against each other are fewer but we are still there. I know he plays well. He feels comfortable here. And me too. I had a lot of defeats. I've had a lot of wins. The relationship has never changed. Always a big respect. Good friendship, relationship is everything. It will probably not change if I win, if I lose. "