The two are struggling to beat each other from the baseline, with only four groundstroke winners combined so far. Roll on Friday. Federer, 37, and Nadal, 33, had not played at Wimbledon in the 11 years since Nadal defeated Federer, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, in a final that is … RF may have won 20 GS's but for me RN is the better player. Unsurprisingly, Centre Court’s Royal Box is full of notable names for this match. Federer has won eight, the men’s record. Thiem won 171 points in the match, five more than Nadal, and hit 74 winners compared to 55 by the Spaniard. Nadal became the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. I’ve just come out of Ashe.... probably one of the best matches I’ve seen live. After dropping the first set and leaving the court, Nadal ran away with the second set, taking it 6-1 in 37 minutes to level the match. Rafael Nadal hits practice court at his Academy ahead of Roland Garros Tennis World 19:08 22-Sep-20. Thiem twice more had to recover from break-point deficits on his serve in the fifth, deservedly taking the match to the sudden-death finish it deserved. To use comments you will need to have JavaScript enabled. Nadal - who won the Melbourne title in 2009 - then broke in the next game as Ebden double faulted and served out the first set in 35 minutes. 1 Federer on clay in the French Open final a few weeks before, but dethroning Federer on grass was a huge step in Nadal’s rapid ascension. Astonishing match, felt like a coming out party for Thiem who was breathtaking. RF may have won 20 GS's but for me RN is the better player. Neither player outwardly showed signs of fatigue as they continued to trade blows deep into a high-octane match. Federer will now serve for a spot in the final. Federer will serve to open the third set. 2 Nadal had routed the No. Case in point, the earlier semifinal between Djokovic and Bautista included a 45-shot rally from the baseline. He will play Argentine third seed Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 champion, in Friday's semi-finals. Despite the drama, the 24,000-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium was only about a third full when the match concluded under the lights, with many fans needing to leave early to get home. Reports that it is such poor quality that it is unwatchable. Nadal has lost only two points on his serve. Nadal did save the first break point of the match by winning a 21-shot rally, the longest of the match. The next month, Nadal supplanted Federer at No. Par . Playing tennis until 3.00am? Daily live commentaries on the BBC Sport website, listen to Tennis Breakfast daily from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and watch highlights on BBC TV and online from 19 January. Federer nullified the advantage on the next point, however, forcing a backhand error from Nadal. Asked about how he got through the tense moments, Nadal added: "Suffering is the right word. 1 Rafael Nadal will play Stanislas Wawrinka in the Australian Open final after defeating Roger Federer 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-3 in a stunning display on Friday night in Melbourne. Difficult not to feel for him after that performance, much as i'm willing Nadal to defend his US Open title. Federer, 37, and Nadal, 33, had not played at Wimbledon in the 11 years since Nadal defeated Federer, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, in a final that is considered one of the greatest matches in tennis history. Live radio coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website. One of the few joys of being a shift worker is being able to see games like that live , Nadal and Thiem different class , hope Nadal's body can recover quickly enough , beating Del Potro isn't a foregone conclusion on his favourite surface. He, of course, hadn’t noticed a difference. serve down the middle. They have combined to win 11 in a row. He broke Federer at love to lead 3-1, helped by two Federer forehand errors, and then quickly consolidated with a hold to 15 of his own for a 4-1 lead. Nadal saved Federer’s first two match points on his own serve, and with Federer serving for the match in the next game, Nadal earned a break point when a backpedaling Federer could not corral an overhead smash. i guess that's what you get when you are World Number 1. In their last Wimbledon meeting, in 2008, Nadal saved 12 of 13 break-point chances. Roger Federer won, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, and will face Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. Federer also got to 40-40 with Nadal serving at 5-6, but Nadal closed out the game to force a first-set tiebreaker. He held easily in the next game to go ahead by 3-1. The No. Nadal is a fantastic athlete who fights for every point. Nadal, left, and Federer walking on to Centre Court. They had gone 11 years without playing at Wimbledon. You can play from the baseline without any problem. In three games, he held serve without Nadal winning any points. Nadal surprisingly came into the match with more aces during this tournament than Federer, 47-42. Eventually Nadal's endurance came out on top in this match, which was his 17th at a Grand Slam to go past the four-hour mark. He showed both brilliance and naivety in a tight fourth set where he twice fought back from 40-15 down on serve and won just one of seven break points, eventually taking the tie-break to force a decider. After that aggressive start, the question was whether Thiem could sustain his intensity over a longer period. The good news continues for Federer: Nadal has never come back to win against him after trailing by two sets to one. He has plenty of time to win. Well I got up at 4am to watch this and thought it was a match of unbelievable quality. “Honestly, the surface for me is the same as always,” he said. As Britain's Andy Murray has his second hip operation, we find out what the operation entailed and what his long-term outlook is. They had gone eight years between matches at the French Open before Nadal won their semifinal last month. Vamos Rafa! Rafa played some unbelievable shots to stay in the match.”. One of them has ALSO been been the losing finalist 26 times. He saved the first break point with relative ease, putting away a smash winner. He said the courts were “much slower” than in the past. If Thiem can polish up his net game, titles await. The match was widely viewed at the time as a passing of the torch. World number one Nadal lost the opening set 6-0 after being outpowered by the Austrian ninth seed in New York. World No. Del Potro beats Isner to reach semi-finals, Federer needs to play more tournaments - Cash, Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone. After nearly two years of not playing each other, Federer and Nadal have met twice in five weeks. However, Nadal produced a fine body serve to wrong-foot his opponent and hit a clean forehand winner to secure the match. It was interrupted twice by rain. "I said to Dominic: 'I'm very sorry and keep going.' Federer saved the break point with a sharply knifed backhand slice, which Nadal could not lift back over the net. And Thiem came out swinging against Nadal in a 24-minute opening set which left the packed crowd inside Ashe stunned. Is there a special prize for tenacity and self composure? Nadal is aiming to become the first man in the Open era to win each of the four Grand Slam titles at least twice. Nadal is a fantastic athlete who fights for every point. Federer quickly followed suit, holding for 5-3, finishing with two unreturned serves. Djokovic has played Federer 47 times and beaten him in 25 of those matches. The most pivotal points for Nadal in the 16-point game were the shortest: he saved Federer’s first match point with a strong 121 m.p.h. Please let Thiem have it. Federer has four aces so far and has lost only three points in his three service games. Just shows, on paper, Nadal had a relativly easy quarter but i very much doubt anybody but Nadal could have won the last 3 matches he has played, everyone has raised their game against him. How to get into tennis - it's fun, will keep you fit and caters for all levels and abilities. On the brink of defeat, Nadal saved two Federer match points to hold serve for 4-5 in the fourth set, winning the longest game of the match so far. Watch the best shots as Nat Sciver scores 82 from 61 balls in the third T20 between England and West Indies in Derby. One word has been bandied about frequently to describe the courts at Wimbledon this year: slow. Nadal opened with a mini-break, chasing down a short Federer forehand volley and flicking it up the line with a backhand, leaving Federer to turn and look as it landed inside the corner. The two are still playing each other in late rounds of majors. Nadal edged a tense fifth-set tie-break to win 0-6 6-4 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5). Rarely get such drama in the woman's game. Last updated on 16 January 201916 January 2019.From the section Tennis. Stylish and powerful winners continued to flow from the racquets of both players until the end, despite the match entering an energy-sapping fifth hour in hot and humid conditions at Flushing Meadows. Wow, what a game, what a guy. The only slight sign of nerves came when Nadal served for the match, with Ebden saving match point before creating another break opportunity. Federer then pounced again, leveling the score at 3-3 before the change of ends and then taking his first lead with a forehand winner. Preview: Nadal back & chasing 20th major at unfamiliar French Open 'First time I've watched a draw in 10 years' Murray being drawn against Switzerland's Wawrinka in … Counter to most assumptions about this matchup, Federer is benefiting when points grow longer: He has won 35 of 60 rallies that last five or more shots. Daniel Leal-Olivas/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. A slower court means fewer aces and longer rallies. Ebden had an early chance to take the lead, creating three break points on the Nadal serve in the first set. Analysis and opinion from the BBC's tennis correspondent. Find your nearest court and learn the basics with our guide. It was so dark by the end, around 9:15 p.m. local time, that Nadal said, “In the last game, I didn’t see nothing.”. Incredible domination of these three over all others for such a long time, in an incredibly competitive sport! This is the only the fifth time they have faced each other in a Grand Slam semifinal, and Nadal has won them all — at the French Open in 2005 and 2019 and the Australian Open in 2012 and 2014. The 32-year-old will play Alex de Minaur after his battling 6-4 6-2 6-7 (9-7) 4-6 6-3 win over Henri Laaksonen. They include golfers Gary Player and Nick Faldo; the TV personalities David Attenborough and Bear Grylls; the actors Eric Bana, Hugh Grant, Jude Law and Damian Lewis; the singer Leona Lewis; and the soccer coach Alex Ferguson. But it had its moments, both transcendent and surprising, and it also had a different finish. A book and a documentary about the match are called “Strokes of Genius.”, Bjorn Borg, whose 1980 Wimbledon final against John McEnroe is quite famous in its own right, called the 2008 final “the best tennis match I’ve ever seen in my life.”, It took 4 hours 48 minutes, and remains the longest Wimbledon men’s final. 17 04 10 Nadal Ferrer, Monte Carlo, commentaires - Duration: 9 minutes, 29 seconds. Nadal jumped over the net to console his Austrian opponent at the end, the pair embracing as those left inside Arthur Ashe Stadium rose to their feet to give them a thunderous ovation. How to get into tennis - it's fun, will keep you fit and caters for all levels and abilities. Nadal has found particular success, as usual, targeting Federer’s backhand: that side has produced 10 unforced errors, 14 forced errors, and just one winner. Read about our approach to external linking. In the periods where Thiem's powerful groundstrokes were finding their target, Nadal was in trouble. It's a match like this that clearly shows why it's most unfair if not inhuman to award the same prize for both the male and female singles. Get the latest tennis headlines sent straight to your phone, sign-up to our newsletter and learn where to find us on online. He survived the second on a nail-biting 23-shot rally, the longest of the match, finally drawing a forced error from Nadal’s backhand. Rafael Nadal dominated the second set against Roger Federer, taking it 6-1 in just 37 minutes to tie the match at one set each. Nadal then closed out the hold with an ace. Federer’s next two match points were saved with stellar play by Nadal. But more unforced errors were beginning to creep into Thiem's game - and at crucial times. Thiem refused to entertain a different tactical approach and continued to go for broke - a risk and reward strategy which, although he did maintain, ultimately did not pay off in the cruellest of circumstances. Rally length has increased at Wimbledon this year; the earlier semifinal between Djokovic and Bautista Agut featured a 45-shot rally, the longest at the tournament since 2005, when Wimbledon started tracking rallies. On the second, Nadal hit a cross-court backhand winner. I hadn't expected the behavior of the crowd, it's certainly not Wimbledon. He just won't quit until the last ball is hit. The Spaniard, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, overcame his 47th-ranked opponent 6-3 6-2 6-2 in Melbourne. Djokovic, the defending champion, has won four Wimbledon singles titles. Page 1 sur 2. He celebrated by punching the air in triumph. Federer has the men’s record with 20 major championships, followed by Nadal’s 18 and Djokovic’s 15. “I think the matches are more playable than in other years. Winning the first set was crucial for Federer: in the 20 times he has lost the first set to Nadal, he has come back to win only twice. Federer has generated the only break-point opportunity of the match so far, but Nadal has often known how to stave off such moments of danger in their matches. He is the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon final since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall lost to Jimmy Connors in 1974. The advantage was quickly endangered: Federer went down, 15-40, in the next game. 1 seed this year, has won 14 of his 15 major championships since then. Somebody should be concerned about that rather than what dress an athlete wears. Federer maintained the break advantage he earned early in the fourth set, and now leading 5-3, one game from booking his spot in the Wimbledon final. Nadal’s coach, Carlos Moya, has focused on improving the serve and shortening points. Nadal got the edge back in the fifth point, jamming Federer with a looping forehand that he awkwardly sent back into the net. 1, in Sunday’s final. The second game of the second set was the longest game of the match so far, with Federer digging out a hold after 12 points. Federer has carried his momentum into the fourth set, breaking Nadal in the third game to put himself up, 2-1. WIMBLEDON, England — Unlike Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s duel into the twilight on Centre Court in 2008, their match Friday was not a contender for the greatest match of all time. Nadal saved them, then closed out the hold with his fifth ace of the match. Federer is now 6-1 in tiebreakers against Nadal at Wimbledon. Millions around the World are being denied watching these great events. Once trailing by 23-10 in their head-to-head, Federer has since won six of his last seven matches against Nadal. This year has ended some significant droughts in the Federer-Nadal rivalry. Its too hot , the cameras were too loud , the bounce on the court wasn't right etc etc........Yawn! Those who were left were treated to a tense final-set tie-break, which proved to be a fitting end to a great match. the 2009 champion, in Friday's semi-finals. Federer quickly held the next game to squash any possible momentum swing, going up by 5-2 with a backhand volley winner. Potent off both flanks, Thiem hit 13 winners and fired down five aces to comprehensively win the first set. Nadal, Djokovic, Thiem Return To Roland Garros; When Is The Draw & More ATPWorldTour.com 20:19 22-Sep-20. After a set with no breaks of serve, five of the first seven points in the first-set tiebreaker were won by the returner. After losing the second set, 6-1, Federer looked on his way to handing Nadal an equally lopsided loss of the third set, going up by 4-1 and holding two break points for a 5-1 lead in the sixth game. However he was unable to convert them, with a missed backhand volley allowing Nadal back into the game before the Spaniard held for 4-3. Federer had beaten Nadal in the Wimbledon final the two previous years. Amazing result. Djokovic advanced earlier in the afternoon on Centre Court with a hard-fought, four-set victory of his own over Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. “It was tough at the end. Incredible match - greatly to the credit of both athletes, especially to Nadal who is such a warrior. Top grass-court players like Federer and Petra Kvitova and big servers like Milos Raonic and Karolina Pliskova have all commented on the pace of the courts. Nadal fought back, however, saving the first with a service winner and drawing an error on Federer’s backhand for the second, eventually holding for 2-4 with an 123 m.p.h. They have somehow never faced each other at the United States Open. Second seed Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the Australian Open with a straightforward victory over Australia's Matthew Ebden. In contrast, 25-year-old Thiem had never previously gone past the four-hour mark in his whole career. Get the latest tennis headlines sent straight to your phone, sign-up to our newsletter and learn where to find us on online. Thiem has gained a reputation as one of the most powerful players on the men's tour, with Nadal identifying his thunderous groundstrokes as the danger before their last-eight tie. Nadal is an incredible player & athlete, his sheer will to win is fantastic. After being trounced in the second set, Federer started the third with renewed purpose, holding his first two service games to love. Nadal earned two break-point opportunities, but Federer saved both, each time coming forward to the net to finish the point, the first with a smash winner and the second with a backhand volley. Federer won the 2019 rematch in the semifinals, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, finishing it off on his fifth match point by playing as boldly as he had from start to finish. The victory continues a remarkable chapter in their storied rivalry, which has suddenly swung hard in Federer’s favor. For much of their careers, Federer and Nadal took turns at No. "It is good to have two days that probably give me the chance to be 100% in the semi-finals," Nadal added. It was much easier for us to move, to play like a clay court.”. Nadal could not come back from an early break in the fourth set. Federer had 11 unforced errors in the set, and won only 15 of the 45 points. The first was a 24-shot rally in which Nadal was able to eventually plant his feet and hit a clean forehand winner down the line. Nadal rediscovered his service game in the second set, levelling by going on to take two of three straight breaks at the end of the set as both players wobbled. Ultimately, though, the torch wasn’t passed so much as it was shared. serve down the middle, then the second with a sliding 103 m.p.h. Read about our approach to external linking. Nadal won the 2008 final at Wimbledon, prevailing by 9-7 in the fifth set in something much closer to darkness than daylight. Federer then consolidated by winning two points on his serve, giving himself triple set point at 6-3. I thought that this was a sports forum about tennis and, in particular a fabulous tennis match last night. Is this the year? Federer continued pressing in the seventh game, including chasing down a short Nadal shot for an improbable backhand winner, but Nadal held. There is something seriously wrong with tennis in the USA... Criminal that to watch the US Open you have to subscribe to the useless Amazon Prime. The victory earned Federer, 37, a chance to renew another great rivalry: this one with Novak Djokovic, the world No. Viewing on Amazon P - I see it as a bonus to be able to watch it. The fifth match point was the charm for Federer, who forced a backhand error long from Nadal to end the match. A fascinating and revealing look into his career. Rafa is something else though. It was a great battle.". Nadal won just seven points as he was 'bagelled' for the first time at the US Open since a second-round defeat by American second seed Andy Roddick in 2004. “I’m exhausted,” Federer told the BBC. "Then it ends up in the fifth set tie break and he made one more point than me.". mrtnfre • 2 Mars 2014 • 275 Mots (2 Pages) • 320 Vues. 1 in the rankings. No way RF would have lasted the pace. After Nadal gained a slight edge by winning a 26-shot rally, the longest of the match, Federer dug out of a 15-30 deficit in the sixth game. Federer has found range on his groundstrokes, pressing Nadal with consistently deep hitting. Defending champion Rafael Nadal dug deep to win the longest match of this year's US Open in a classic five-set quarter-final against Dominic Thiem - which finished at 2:03am local time. Federer carried the momentum from his hold into the next game, earning two break points of his own at 15-40. Federer has not defeated Djokovic since 2015, and lost two of their three matches at Wimbledon — the finals in 2014 and 2015. After dropping the second set, Federer claimed an emphatic third set to put himself one set from the Wimbledon final. He will have his chances in the future without a doubt," Nadal said. Federer praises Evans after straight-set victory, Murray criticises lack of grassroots growth. Rafael Nadal schedule: Spanish star aims to protect knees ahead of US hard-court season RAFAEL NADAL was beaten at Wimbledon by Roger Federer and will … He won it, 7-3. with a forehand winner down the line. My eyes hurt and so do my teeth from having them gritted for nearly five hours. One such player was Guido Pella, 29, who was a quarterfinalist despite only winning two matches at the All England Club in his career before this year. No way RF would have lasted the pace. (Djokovic, the No. After saving two Federer break points in the third game, Nadal rapidly surged ahead in the second set. After a set with no service breaks, Federer wins the first set tiebreaker, 7-3. Watch the best shots as Nat Sciver scores 82 from 61 balls in the third T20 between England and West Indies in Derby. "This match didn't deserve a loser, but there has to be one.". Nadal had break-point chances in all three Federer service games and broke him twice to take a commanding lead. Federer calmly closed out the set, 6-3, after squandering advantages in his previous two return games. Not many like him, and probably no one will ever grace the courts with the determination, motivation like he does. 1 and No. What a guy! There have been four straight holds since Federer broke for 2-1. 2 in the rankings, so they could only meet in tournament finals. 31 views; 6 years ago; 6:39. Analysis and opinion from the BBC's tennis correspondent. Recherche parmi 241 000+ dissertations. "This match is going to be stuck in my mind forever - tennis is cruel sometimes," Thiem said. Friday’s semifinal results ensure that the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic will retain their hold on Grand Slam titles. Last updated on 5 September 20185 September 2018.From the section Tenniscomments212. It has been smooth sailing for the server in the first six games. However, the 32-year-old Spanish top seed recovered to lead two sets to one before Thiem levelled in a tie-break. Novak Djokovic took home $12 more than women's Italian Open winner Simona Halep in 'petty' display of gender pay… INSIDER 18:29 22-Sep-20. I stayed up to watch this. Nadal is aiming to become the first man in the Open era to win each of the four Grand Slam titles at least twice. Federer takes an early lead in the third set. Ultimately, he faced more disappointment against one of the sport's all-time great fighters. Can he do it again against DelPo and then Novak?...its a tough ask but Vamos Rafa!!! His remodelled, quicker serve worked well, with Nadal hitting six aces and winning 81% of first-serve points. Roger Federer is seeking his 21st Grand Slam singles title and ninth championship at Wimbledon. Nadal had faced two gruelling matches against Karen Khachanov and Nikoloz Basilashvili coming into the quarter-final, and Thiem was keen to test his energy levels from the start. Wow...what a great champion, but unlucky Thiem you played a blinder. Nadal won only five points during Federer’s serve in the set. Shame on the ATP for selling out to Amazon. Since the 2008 final, Federer has won eight Grand Slam singles titles for a total of 20, the men’s record, and Nadal is right behind him with 18. Martina Navratilova noted the number of players better known for clay-court prowess to reach the later rounds at Wimbledon. A great match between a legend and a brilliant youngster of the game. Find your nearest court and learn the basics with our guide. All major sporting events should be free to view. By Christopher Clarey, Ben Rothenberg and Naila-Jean Meyers. [Read Christopher Clarey’s column about Federer’s win over Nadal.]. Federer’s frustration surfaced in the final game, even going for a low percentage rush return (the so-called SABR — Sneak Attack By Roger). Thiem was aiming to earn a measure of revenge over Nadal, who dismantled his game for a straightforward victory in the French Open final in June - the Austrian's only appearance in a Grand Slam showpiece. He then cracked Nadal’s serve for the first time in the match, converting his fourth break point of the day with a backhand volley winner to end a 12-shot exchange and go up by 3-1 in the third set. The 17-time Grand Slam champion clinched victory when Thiem hit an overhead smash long on the first match point, the drama continuing until the last shot in an epic encounter lasting four hours and 49 minutes. serve out wide, neither of which Federer could return. Fantastic entertainment and sportsmanship. An absolute epic, neither player deserved to lose. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have won a combined 50 of the last 63 grand slams mens single titles since 2003. A fascinating and revealing look into his career. So far only three of the first 41 points between Federer and Nadal has lasted nine or more shots. Awesome performance and compassion by Nadal...... just shows why he is a class apart from Federer who always manages to whinge about something when he loses rather than praises his opponent. Remarkable how Rafa can reassert himself in the face of that barrage - one of the great competitors in all sport. “Like a clay court” should be music to the ears of Nadal, the greatest clay player in history. Commentaires Composés: Match Nadal-Federer 2012. ), How Federer Beat Nadal to Advance to the Wimbledon Final. Ridiculous timings and also ridiculous to pay women the same. After saving one more break point, Federer held for 4-1, putting himself commandingly ahead in the third set. "If we skip the first set it was an open match from beginning to the end," Thiem added.