Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played their 40th and last match on the Tour in the 2019 Wimbledon semi-final. Nadal toppled Federer a couple of weeks earlier at Roland Garros, and it was Roger’s turn to deliver his grass-court magic and beat a great rival in their milestone duel.
Roger bested Rafa 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court, scoring his 16th win over the Spaniard and the seventh in the least eight meetings. Thus, Federer reached his 12th Wimbledon final, 16 years after doing that for the first time in 2003!
It was their fourth match at Wimbledon and the first since that legendary 2008 final. Federer threw everything on Nadal, keeping the points on his racquet and unfolding the rallies in the way he wanted. Defending his backhand nicely, Roger avoided slices and lengthy exchanges to hit in full throttle.
The Swiss maestro tamed his shots well and overpowered Rafa in sets three and four to book a place in the final against Novak Djokovic, the first since their title clash in 2015.
Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in their last match at Wimbledon 2019.
Eager to go at least one step further than a year ago and advance into his first Wimbledon final since 2011, Rafa gave his best in sets one and two.
He dropped a tight opening set and had the upper hand in the second to level the overall score. Roger gave the second set away, preparing for the third, where he had the advantage. He continued in the same style in the fourth to cross the finish line and stay on the course for his ninth Wimbledon crown just a few weeks before turning 38.
Roger had 51 winners and 27 unforced errors, leaving Rafa on a 32-25 ratio and playing better on the return to gain the crucial advantage. Both players converted two break points, and Federer delivered those in the more important moments to celebrate his 101st victory at The All England Club.
Federer had the advantage in the mid-range exchanges in the opening set, with only one break point in the entire set that Rafa saved in the eighth game. They arranged a tie break, and Roger rattled off five points to claim it 7-3 and gain a boost.They saved break points early in the second set before Nadal raised his level to grab five straight games and leave Federer far behind.
The Spaniard returned almost every serve of his opponent and claimed 60% of the return points, scoring breaks in games four and six and gaining massive momentum ahead of set number three. Starting from the beginning, Federer was thundering again.
He hit 15 winners and two unforced errors and broke Nadal in game four to forge the advantage he carried home with a hold at love in game nine to move closer to the finish line. The Swiss broke again in the fourth set’s third game to gain the advantage and wasted a match point on the Spaniard’s serve.
Roger served for the victory in the tenth game and faced a break point. He denied it and sealed the deal on his fifth match point to advance into the title clash.
