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WIMBLEDON, England – Unlike the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal duels in 2008 at the Center Court's twilight, he was not a candidate for the biggest match of all time.
After all, it was only a semifinal, but there were always tense and transcendent moments. He also had a different finish.
Nadal won this magnificent Wimbledon final in 2008, winning 9 to 7 in the fifth set after four hours and 48 minutes, ending up in a situation much closer to the dark than the day.
Federer won the rematch of 2019 on Friday, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, finishing in fifth place in his match by playing with as much daring as he did. he had it from the beginning, when he slapped him on the verge of opening.
"It's been up to the task," said Federer, who will face defending champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.
Federer was right. Even though the match lacked the mutual excellence and constant tension of its forerunner of 2008, the hands still sweaty in the bleachers, and Federer and Nadal still had genius shots under duress that brought fans almost involuntarily to stand up. .
These two exceptionally friendly rivals, who will be playing a charity show together in South Africa in February, will earn extra credit for another match of this type at Wimbledon after eleven years and all the changes in their lives.
Federer is now the father of four children. Nadal owns and runs his own tennis academy in Mallorca, his home island in Spain. They have won hundreds of millions of dollars over the last 11 years, but they are pushing each other.
"We know that every time there is less chance of playing in these high quality and very important games," said Nadal.
That said, it's too easy at this point to become obsessed with age, to shake your head in front of Federer's ability to handle the pace and pressure with his 38th birthday looming next month. It's too easy to marvel that Nadal, at age 33, has the same thirst for victory he had at the age of 22, although with a little more hair and sleeves.
Last Friday, however, these thoughts fell, as these great athletes tested the limits of their talents and nerves.
The match was fascinating in the fourth set, not because Federer and Nadal defied time, but because they challenged each other.
"They do not think about their age, I can tell you," said Finnish left-hander Jarkko Nieminen, who warmed Federer to face Nadal on Friday.
This victory has allowed Federer, second seed, to reconnect with another great rivalry, this one with Djokovic, the world No. 1.
Djokovic has qualified earlier in the afternoon on the center court with a hard fought 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, and 6-1 win over Roberto Bautista Agut.
Bautista, a Spanish striker, has beaten Djokovic twice this year on very tough pitches at the ATP circuit. He won many more basic duels on Friday.
But in the format of the best of five sets, Djokovic's ability to stay and his ability to pull on the biggest points was too difficult to overcome.
Djokovic, 32, won four singles titles at Wimbledon. Federer has won a record of eight and is the eldest man to reach the Wimbledon final since Ken Rosewall, 39, lost to Jimmy Connors in 1974.
"I played with Roger at some epic finals here a few years in a row," said Djokovic. "Then I know what to expect."
Federer now has a 3-1 lead over Nadal at Wimbledon. Djokovic however holds a 2-1 lead over Federer, having beaten him in the finals of 2014 and 2015.
Djokovic silenced the code on the grass with his ability to restore Federer's service effectively, to remain at the base of the rallies, to defend himself and to counter-attack in turns.
Federer does not need to remember, and after summoning the intense concentration and enormous energy needed to defeat Nadal, he has to pull himself together and try to do the same with Djokovic, who leads their series against face, 25-22.
"Of course it's difficult," Federer said. "So that the youngest can overcome the bump, they have to beat us afterwards, which is very difficult to do. I know it too well myself. Rafa, as a southpaw, poses for me or for other people problems different from those of Djokovic. Djokovic stays on his line, hits flat, moves differently and covers the field differently. So for that you have to adapt tactically. "
"But the most important thing is trust," he said. "If you do not trust yourself, it's very difficult to beat Rafa and Novak back to back."
Federer has not yet done it at a Grand Slam tournament, but he showed a lot of self-confidence on Friday. Although Nadal still leads his series 24 to 16, Federer has won six of his last seven games, the only defeat that occurred last Sunday in the semifinals of the French Open.
At Wimbledon, with the ball bouncing lower and the click of his serve, Federer won 62% of his points in the second service against Nadal and finished with 51 winners with 27 unforced errors, despite the majority of his losses instead of cut them.
Federer took control of the first set tie by winning the last five points. He then quickly bounced back after an unpleasant and disturbing play in the second set, when he misinterpreted back-to-back and lost 20 of the last 23 points in the set.
But while Nadal's emotions have become easier to read since 2008 – it is now possible to assume from his body language whether he wins or loses – Federer was more impassive than usual on Friday. He minimized the mid-match celebrations and perseverances, without even making a smile when he hit one of the best shots of the match, a winner of the cross race at the back of a short ball that is not 37 years old (or 27 years old). years) had no business to reach.
"I was a little zen and calm," he said.
Above all, he summoned inner peace to ward off fire and intermittent flash of Nadal in recent games as the Spaniard tried to recover urgently after a premature break from the fourth set.
Serving at 3-5, Nadal saved two match points with excellent services and maintained service with a volley winner and ace.
Federer then served for the match, missing just over 30 minutes to give Nadal a break point. But Federer kept this blunder and averted the danger when Nadal missed a sharp shot in the net, an iconic mistake of his day.
"I had a small chance, a few, and I could not convert," said Nadal. "I just did not play as well as I played earlier in the tournament."
But the fight was not over yet. Nadal kept a third point with a forehand to finish a rally of 24 shots, then a final point with a winning shot.
It was devil, with the courtyard covered in shadows and shouts of "Roger" and "Rafa" coming from the stands.
"Calm, please," said James Keothavong, the chair umpire, as Pascal Maria had repeated so often during the 2008 final in the scales.
But that was when Federer was at the central court. And after getting the last two points, with Nadal's last setback, Federer raised his arms and smiled, then stepped forward to give his friendly rival a firm handshake and pats on the back.
Unlike 11 years ago, no trophy ceremony was waiting for them. This time, Djokovic is waiting for Federer and it would be a surprise if he did not pose a difficult challenge on Sunday.
This thought was enough to remind Federer, to change, that he was 37 years old.
"Age comes into play," Federer said of the recovery process. "I know it's not over yet. No need to start partying tonight or become too emotional, too happy, even though I am extremely happy.
"I think I can, with experience, really separate the two. If it was the end of the tournament, it would be very different right now. I would speak very differently, I would feel very different. Unfortunately there is one, or thankfully one more.
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