Roger Federer gave a display of his class as he defeated Rafael Nadal 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinal at Wimbledon on Friday. With the victory, Federer will now face Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. This will be the 31st Grand Slam final for Federer and his 12th one at Wimbledon, a favoured hunting ground for the Swiss ace.
The semifinal on Friday was considered less exciting than the 2008 Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer, which earned the title of the “greatest ever” match in the tournament. Nadal had then ended Federer's five-year reign as Wimbledon champion in a five-set contest, which extended into evening.
Nadal saved four match points in the fourth set, almost threatening to spoil Federer's hopes for a ninth Wimbledon title. This is Nadal's second straight semifinal loss at Wimbledon; he lost to Djokovic in a hard-fought contest in 2018. Djokovic went on to win Wimbledon last year.
Federer, who will turn 38 next month, will be the oldest player in a men's final at Wimbledon since Ken Rosewall in 1974. Federer had lost to Djokovic in 2014 and 2015.
“Rafa played some unbelievable shots to stay in the match. The match was played at a very high level. It was a joy to play today. I hope I can push (Djokovic) to the brink and hopefully beat him but it’s going to be very difficult,” Federer stated.
