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On Friday, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will face Roland-Garros in the semi-finals. It will be their sixth meeting on the Roland Garros set and their first since 2011. Nadal's dominance on the set played an important role in the emerging rivalry of the duo, the French Open being the evasive title of Federer. one of them eliminated the king from clay.
Federer is still in a French Open title, while owning 19 Grand Slam titles among the other three combined. He does not need another player to consolidate his legacy, perhaps the greatest player of all time, but he obviously would like to have it.
Federer has beaten Nadal only twice, and never at Roland Garros. They do not meet in the final this time because they have been drawn into the same half of the range. But the stakes are about as high in the semifinals.
When Nadal beat Federer for the first time in the final of the French Open in 2006, it shocked a lot of people. When he started again, a year later, people were openly talking about the fact that Federer would never get the coveted Musketeer Cup. But what did Federer feel at the time? Let's see what Federer had to say every time he lost to Nadal at the Open de France
2005: Nadal beats Federer in the semifinals, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
It's here that everything started. Federer showed serious lightning in the semifinals, but was finally mastered by Nadal and did not have much to offer him in the fourth and final set. Federer was still very positive at this point, not too worried. He probably felt that he finally had what it takes to defeat Nadal.
"I was bad at first, good in the middle and bad at the end. I am disappointed but I will not break the locker room. My desire to win here is always huge. I thought I had the keys to beat him but I was not at my best. "
2006: Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the final, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
Roger Federer's idea of "missing an opportunity" in 2006 is still a little ridiculous, especially given his level of play that he still maintains today. Federer himself recounted how he would probably hear about this particular loss in the years to come.
"I tried it and I can not do more than that. It's obviously a shame, but life goes on. For years, I will probably hear that I missed my chance, but I have no choice but to accept it. My goal is always to win here and once again, I got closer. Unfortunately, on this occasion, I did not play the match I wanted or hoped for. "
2007: Nadal beats Federer in the final, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
When Federer lost to Nadal for the third year in a row and second in the final, he was strangely positive about his chances of winning. He was clearly depressed or even bewildered, but he always talked about things as if it was a certainty that he would finally get there.
"Well, you can say it as you want. All I know at the end of the day is that I'm disappointed today and I do not care how I played in the last 10 or 10 months. I wanted to win this match and I did not succeed. So, of course, it's a little sad. If I had won today, I would not have many other goals to pursue in my career. In the end, as I understand it, the taste will be sweet. I therefore hope that I will give myself more opportunities, again and again. I know I can do it now, that's for sure. "
2008: Nadal beats Federer in the final, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0
It's there that Federer seemed to be at the lowest. He was silent, reserved, almost sheepish during his post-game interview. He even seemed embarrassed to have managed to win only four games in an absolute rout. He had not fallen to 0-6 since 1999. He had nothing for Nadal that day. Fortunately, his title of Roland Garros would come a year later.
"I would of course have hoped to have more today than four games. But Rafa is really very very strong this year. He dominated this tournament as maybe never before. Like Bjorn. He deserves this title. It was still a good week. Losing in the final is never easy, but I will try again next year. He dominated from the first point until the end. It's the strongest Rafa I've ever seen. He was more dominant than in previous years. "
2011: Nadal beats Federer in the final, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-1
Two years after Federer's victory in his first and only Open de France title, he tried to win a second position when he met Nadal again. This time it was a much tighter match than the previous couple and Federer really pushed the Spaniard. But he has not held up well at the last meeting of the French Open until next Friday.
And you will see that Federer continues to talk about today as a concept, because he still believes there is another day when he can win the victory. But he is also more appreciative, probably because he already had a title at this stage.
"I thought he was tired in the third and fourth sets, but unfortunately I could not enjoy it." At 0-0 in the fourth set, you think we have a match again. In the fifth set, I would have felt very very strong, but Rafa played well and he deserved to win today, he plays better against the best and that's what he showed. He is a great champion, especially on clay.
And what about Nadal, who participates in his first meeting at the Open de France since 2011 (and his first participation in the semi-final of Roland Garros since 2012)?
"Having Roger in the lead in the semifinals is one more thing. We shared face to face the most important moments of our career.
"So this is another episode of the series, and I'm happy about that and excited. It will be a special moment. "
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