Image Credit: Wimbledon
By Lee Clow 12 July 2019 | Wimbledon
11 years after losing in arguably the greatest Wimbledon final ever, Federer takes his revenge over greatest rival Nadal beating him 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 sending him to the 2019 Wimbledon final against World Number One, Novak Djokovic.
The 40th instalment of this great rivalry was won by the veteran Federer who reached his 12th Wimbledon final in the process. The illustrious pair had not met at Wimbledon since the 2008 showpiece which Nadal memorably won, but this time it was Federer who could celebrate as he beat the Spaniard 7-6 (7-3) 1-6 6-3 6-4.
Before the match up, fans were worried that the rematch would disappoint compared to the final 11 years ago, but as it commenced all fears were immediately lost. Everyone watching were treated to another fantastic game that contained huge pieces of quality by both players. It was an amazing sight watching two legends of the sport come together once again on the greatest stage at Wimbledon.
Serve dominated the opening set with both players trying to seek each other out. The only break point in the first set came in the eighth game and this was still saved by Nadal after a long rally. During the tie break at the end of the first set, Nadal was twice an early mini-break up, but Federer soon responded to win five points in a row to take it 7-3.
The second set was a complete change to the first as Nadal breezed through winning 1-6. At this stage, it appeared the momentum was on the side of the younger player, Nadal.
Despite this in the third set the moment shifted again now towards Federer. The 37-year-old broke Nadal for the first time in the match to take a 3-1 lead and then saved three break points in the next game. The former number one then went onto commanding the third set winning it 6-3.
Unlike the final in 2008 where it went all the way to 5 sets, this semi-final only played out 4 sets. Nadal won some amazing points in this fourth set as he looked to draw level, however it wasn’t enough as Federer was cool enough to take the set 6-4. Having won the game, Federer raised his arms in celebration with his emotion clear to see by everyone.
After the match Federer spoke on how tough the game was. "I'm exhausted. It was tough - at the end Rafa played some unbelievable shots to stay in the match," Federer continued. "I had spells where I was serving very well and probably the biggest points in the match went my way…That first set was huge, to get the lead and try to protect it. It was a joy to play."
On social media, Rafael Nadal congratulated his opponent on his victory. “Amazing match well deserved win by @rogerfederer I had some chances but... Roger played better. Good luck for the final @Wimbledon 2019. Thanks all for the support. Always fantastic to be here. See you next year!”
What’s next?
The 20-time Grand Slam champion will face defending champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final, targeting a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title. If Federer is to beat Djokovic, he will match Martina Navratilova's success in women's singles.
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