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PARIS – Same superlatives, different day.
Roger Federer returned to Roland-Garros after a three-year absence with the intention of putting himself in opposition to Rafael Nadal, the most inexorable force on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
He got double the opposition he had desired for Friday's semifinal: Nadal plus a whimsical and whirling wind. Frequent gusts swirled and altered the trajectory of the firing and projected red clay dust into the main hallway of the Philippe-Chatrier exhibition, sometimes making the two men appear as if they were participating in a fire. road rally in the desert.
It was a difficult afternoon, with conditions that would encourage recreational players to visit a sports bar. N ° 3, Federer and N ° 2, Nadal, have sometimes encountered difficulties such as pilots trying to level their wings to land suddenly. But Nadal, 33, has, as usual, found solutions and landed safely on the ground on which he has ruled almost continuously since his teenage years. He has relatively qualified for a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win and will face the winner of the rain-delayed semifinal between Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic on Sunday.
"There is no one who even plays very close to him," Federer said with an admiring resignation at his post-match press conference. "I do not even know who I have to look for to coach with someone who plays like him." He smiled. "I was thinking about it during the game – it's amazing how he plays in the depths and then is able to bounce back from the baseline – it's quite interesting."
"In my opinion, I did not play in the first two mediocre sets, I thought that Rafa really had to find the material to make the difference, and the difference was a shot going over here, a recovery there. and then it was great, you know. "
Nadal, as usual, came back strongly. "Well, I do not find a training partner playing like Federer either," he said. "There are not two people like Federer on this planet, luckily, actually.
"I always wait for the best of him and I prepare myself accordingly to respond as best as possible to his tennis because he's done everything he's done over the years, every single one." matches we have played, all this experience makes it a good reason to think, he will be able to give his best tennis, and sometimes he succeeds and others do not. "
Even with the unusually modest expectations that came with it on Friday, the Swiss megastar is not a just happy guy to be there. It became crystal clear when he fired a frustrated ball at the beginning of the third set, which was followed by an official warning from the chair umpire.
The match had almost passed the Federer ropes at that time. He had lost two key service matches in the second set – one when he was serving 2-0 but losing the advantage, then 40-0 at 4- all. Nadal then conceded nine points in a row, sparking Federer in a devastating volleyball volley and then holding on to seal the set.
During the change, Federer's gaze focused on an invisible point in the distance. This French Open has been a feast of love for him over the past 12 days, but even at age 37, he wishes more than a sentimental welcome, or even the warm applause and kind words that Nadal subsequently addressed him.
"Crowd support could not have been better – perhaps one of the best of my 20 year career," said Federer. "I surprised myself, perhaps, how deep I took this tournament and how much I was able to play, and next year, as in any other tournament, I do not know, we'll see what happens. "
Nadal, who lost just one set at this tournament and will play for a 12th record here, has returned to unbeaten after what now seems to be a long lead over clay.
In response to a question from a journalist at the Italian Open – that Nadal won in front of a promising sign right in front of Roland Garros – Nadal made a quick tour of his psyche that turned to social media: "This that happened in Monte Carlo happened, what happened in Barcelona happened, what happened in Madrid happened, we are here, we are in Rome. is a different event. "
We are now in Paris, where he is in a different category.
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