The 2019 Wimbledon fortnight is inching toward its conclusion. The All England Club’s once green courts are showing signs of wear, and a field of 128 has been trimmed down to four contenders. Practice sessions, relegated to another end of the grounds to this point, are held on the courts adjacent to Centre Court, the site where the remaining singles matches will be contested.

One day before he faces Roger Federer on the hallowed ground of Centre Court, Rafael Nadal works out on Court 7 under a sweltering July sun. It’s been 11 years since a 22-year-old Nadal and Federer, then 26, clashed in an epic final for the Wimbledon crown. This year, they’ll meet for a place in the final of The Championship.  

Nadal seems to be enjoying himself throughout the rigorous one hour, 40-minute practice session. Following Nadal’s final preparations, his coach, Francisco Roig, steps off the court to discuss his charge’s semi-final match against Federer and the possibility of playing for the title at Wimbledon.

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Nadal feels great following his quarter-final win 
Rafa managed to get off to an impressive start once again, imposing his will on Sam [Querrey] and building steam throughout the match. Sam was only able to earn points with his big serve. Things got a little shaky in that first set, when Rafa’s forehand seemed to let him down for a moment. He seemed on the verge of breaking Sam’s serve again and taking the set, but the break didn’t materialise the second time around. These things happen on grass. When that does occur, it’s dangerous because one misstep and the momentum can shift quickly.

The exact situation we were prepared to avoid unfolded: Sam raised his game and just like that, he was back in the match. Luckily, Rafa knows how to manage those situations and he regained control.

“I’m not necessarily a better player; I’ve gained some things, but I’ve also lost some things. ” – Nadal
It’s a statement I’ve been hearing a lot recently and I stand by Rafa’s sentiments. I’ve said it before: Rafa is doing things now he couldn’t do before, but he’s also lost a few things. On a physical level, obviously he’s not the same person at 33 years of age that he was at 22. When you’re younger, you tend to play more carefree and without hesitation. When you are older, you’re more responsible on the court and play with less impulse. You’re more wary because you’ve been through critical moments and you know the possible outcomes… Is Rafa better today than he was in 2008? I don’t know, I can’t say who would win if they met. But today he’s capable of doing a lot more on the court.

A few months ago, it was hard to imagine Nadal would be battling for a place in the Wimbledon final
In Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, we were at a low point. Rafa was coming off an injury at Indian Wells and was sidelined for a while. He had lost the spark that sets him apart from the rest. We were a little demoralised. After he lost to [Dominic] Thiem [at Barcelona], Rafa came to the locker room and told us not to worry. He explained how he felt he had performed well; the difference between winning and losing was a couple of games and had he been able to take advantage of a few opportunities, the outcome would have been different. He assured us he hadn’t lost the spark. He played better in Madrid and even though he didn’t win, he understood some things were out of his control.

We saw the real Rafa in Rome, when he defeated [Novak] Djokovic in the final. That was a pivotal point and paved the way for success at Roland Garros. Since then, he’s been on a roll. He’s already exceeded expectations for the year. Winning a Grand Slam mean a lot to Rafa. No year goes down as a failure when Rafa wins at a major. It gives him so much peace of mind. When he arrived at Wimbledon this year, after having played well the last two years, he was already feeling confident. That confidence built after getting through a tough first week.

What’s at stake for Nadal and Federer
The two go into this match knowing what they’ve accomplished so far is enormous. But everything to this point won’t matter when they step on to the court. Nerves will be a factor; even if they’ve been through this so many times, there’s so much on the line. Experience, though, will be even more key. They’re both playing so well; whoever can keep their composure during tense moments will have the advantage.

What will determine the outcome of the match
The serve is a crucial factor on grass. Everything needs to be working at the highest level, of course, but it’s the serve that’s most critical. All the other factors come next. Taking advantage of opportunities is also very important. Getting out ahead and not falling behind on your serve is also imperative. To put it simply: Rafa can’t afford any lapses in concentration and he can’t risk falling behind at any stage of the match. When Federer gets ahead, he’s tough to catch. Rafa has to dictate the match on his terms. With all his weapons finely tuned, he should be able to control the points and the flow of the match.

Simply attacking the backhand isn’t a sound strategy on grass. Roger’s backhand is fluid; he’s in a groove and shows no signs of vulnerability on that side. At Roland Garros, we found his forehand to be the stronger of his two groundstrokes, with the wind making it difficult for him to control his backhand. We must keep Roger constantly under pressure and not allow him to drive forward and approach the net. There are no secrets; they know each other very well. It’s a very even match.

Each player has an equal shot at winning
Federer is the stronger player on grass, but Rafa has also proven his worth. He managed his way past pitfalls against [Nick] Kyrgios and Sam [Querrey], two very dangerous opponents on this surface. Rafa paid his dues in those encounters. I give each a 50-50 shot at winning.

Tracking Federer
I’ve kept a close eye on Roger throughout the tournament, knowing this day might come. We focused Rafa’s entire practice [today] on how to execute our plans and how to continue doing what has gotten him here. I always watch videos and try to glean as much information as possible to figure out the best approach going into a match. Sometimes it’s the little things you pick up that make a big difference when the match plays out. Even if they’re very familiar with each other’s games, there are always things you can learn that maybe you didn’t notice the last time you watched video or you didn’t pick up on the last time you watched them play. Convincing Rafa he’s entering the match with as much knowledge as possible goes a long way.

Talking strategy before matches of this magnitude
We speak and, of course, we debate. Rafa shares his opinion and the team provides feedback. We didn’t make many adjustments this time around, because everything is working for Rafa so far. He’s bullied his opponents, made them move, used all corners of the court, and that will be a big plus against Roger. We do our best to gauge where Rafa is at the moment and take factors, even as basic as Rafa being left-handed, into account…. Communicating openly with Rafa is important, and what we want is to have a discussion now, as this will be the last thing we leave him with before he steps into battle.

While Rafael Nadal forges his way past one opponent after another at Wimbledon, former World No. 1 Carlos Moya is busy attending exhibition matches on his home island of Mallorca, Spain.

Coach Moya, an integral piece of Nadal’s team since 2017, opted to skip the trip to England as Nadal’s longtime coach Francisco Roig’s oversees matters at The Championships. That doesn’t mean coach Moya isn’t keeping track of his charge’s matches; the Spaniard is following all the action on television as a partial spectator and as a shrewd tactician.

Moya spoke with ATPTour.com to discuss Nadal’s progress so far at the tournament and to break down the semi-final clash against Federer.

You spent the first week of Wimbledon preparations by training with Nadal in Mallorca.
That week in Mallorca, two weeks before this event, was spent adapting to the grass, nothing more. The training was almost exclusively with me, where we made slight alterations after a long period playing on clay.

That week isn’t meant to be perfect; it’s more about adjusting to the surface. Then came the week before Wimbledon, when he played games and spent hours on the court in London. From there, training shifted to strategising specifically for the tournament. I tell Rafa this all the time: During training, things don’t have to be perfect every day, they need to be perfect when the tournament starts. And even then, at most other events, it isn’t critical to be performing flawlessly through the first two or three rounds.

Here though, it is crucial he’s at his best from the start. Wimbledon is one of the few tournaments where everything needs to be 100 per cent from the beginning, especially considering the draw and the surface. The most important thing is that he stays measured and gauges his progress.

That week in Mallorca wasn’t the time or place for him to peak. Each day is a step forward in terms of raising his game.

That second-round contest against Nick Kyrgios felt like more than your average second round.
This year’s draw was the worst possible (for Nadal). On a mental level, what Kyrgios demands of you … He’s a player who has already triumphed in these circumstances, just as he did in 2014 (d. Nadal 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3). He won at Acapulco this year as well (d. Nadal 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(6)). He is a very dangerous player for anyone to face, the opponent everyone hopes to avoid.

The good in that is if you defeat someone like him or you manage to come through a tough side of the draw, your confidence rises, just as Nadal’s has. He has taken his game into another gear. If you overcome that adversity early on, it gives you confidence in the later stages of the tournament.

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We can agree then that the match against Kyrgios was a turning point.
Yes. Overcoming a stiff test against Kyrgios in the second round has given Rafa the confidence to compete at the level he’s at now.

What’s his best asset at the moment?
Rafa’s doing everything right. His serve, his return, his rhythm, his defence … I’m watching from home, breaking down plays as I see them and thinking in my head how I’d be handling every situation, playing every point… I can honestly say he’s doing exactly what I’d be doing or wanting him to be doing. That doesn’t mean I’m right, but the results prove he’s performing at a spectacular level.

Like never before?
Last year he played very well. Each year he’s proving to be more and more effective on grass. In 2017, he had two bad sets with Muller and couldn’t recover, but he was playing very well throughout. Last year he convinced himself that he could win Wimbledon again, and he was very close to doing just that. His positive attitude has been key to his success. His game is very potent on this surface; I’d almost go so far as to say it’s his second-best surface.

Nadal handled Roger Federer a few weeks ago at Roland Garros. What changes going into this semi-final match, considering it’s on grass?
Defending and second-guessing on grass are more complicated. The one who strikes first is the one who has more options to win the point. In the end, the grass rewards aggression.

You always have to try to play in favour of the surface on which you compete. On clay, you can work the point more and afford not to take as many risks. It’s the opposite on grass. Rafa is doing very well at dictating play so far. Against Federer, he doesn’t need to change anything, since his grass-court play is perfect the way it is. We know Rafa is set to face a very tough opponent, but he should not change anything.

Is there one clear favourite?
There is no favourite. When he plays like this, Nadal is not inferior to anyone. The outcome is wide open. When he’s at full strength, Rafa is almost always the favourite, regardless of the surface. I don’t feel he’s inferior to anyone, honestly.

Nadal is just two majors shy of Federer’s record 20 Grand Slam haul. What are your thoughts on that?
You have to forget about that, even if it isn’t simple to look past. It’s always on people’s minds when Rafa and Roger meet, but I hope they know Rafa sees Roger as a lifelong rival, a special opponent. Their rivalry goes back a long way, many years and a lot of history now. It is probably the most important rivalry in the history of tennis. All that doesn’t matter to Rafa when they meet. He’s just looking for ways to inflict damage on Federer.

Have you recently re-watched the 2008 Wimbledon final?
Yes, but not for reference. They are two very different players compared to back then. They’ve both changed significantly. The fact that, 11 years later, they’re still in the Top 3 in the ATP Rankings says a lot. There are new faces, younger challengers, stronger athletes, but none can compete in terms of vast knowledge. At the end of the day, both Rafa and Roger are players who understand the game much better now than they did back in 2008.

The 2008 final was decided in five sets. Who would benefit in a match like that today?
Historically it should benefit Rafa, but we know what happened in the final of the Australian Open in 2017. Nadal understands that the match is going to be decided by fewer and fewer shots, even if that’s not what he wants. Shorter rallies, shorter points, shorter matches, less wear and tear.

Something else is clear: If Federer does not want a long, drawn-out match, there won’t be a long, drawn-out match. Whoever is more aggressive will have the upper hand in dictating the rhythm and flow of the match. Whoever goes on the attack in an ultra-aggressive manner will emerge victorious.

Fans have waited 11 years for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to meet again at Wimbledon, where the two legends seared their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry into memories with the 2008 final, one of the greatest matches ever played.

Nadal, leading by two sets to zero, held on to knock Federer off his SW19 throne and celebrate his first Wimbledon title. But, to date, Federer has had the last chuckle on the rye grass: he entered his 21^st Wimbledon with a record eight titles. The Swiss, however, hasn’t faced Nadal at SW19 since their 2008 epic.

Ahead of their Friday semi-final, ATPTour.com remembers their three FedEx ATP Head2Head Wimbledon matchups.

2006 Final, Federer d. Nadal 60 76(5) 67(2) 63
The question – Could Roger Federer be beaten on grass? – was not a rhetorical one in 2006, two years after the surging Nadal introduced himself as a potential challenger to the Swiss. Heading into their 2006 final, Federer, the top seed and three-time defending champion, was riding a 47-match grass-court winning streak.

But while Nadal had proved a worthy fighter on clay and hard – the Spaniard had won 17 tour-level titles, including two Roland Garros crowns, all basically before his 20^th birthday – he had yet to carry that success over to the grass. The 20-year-old was playing in his first Wimbledon final and his previous best finish was the third round.

The duo had split the season’s two first Grand Slams – Federer winning the Australian Open (d. Baghdatis) and Nadal Roland Garros (d. Federer). But during their second meeting in a Grand Slam final, it was Federer who began in hot form and maintained his level.

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The Swiss eased through the opener and broke Nadal when the Spaniard served at 5-4 to close out the second set. Nadal rebounded in the third, but Federer took early control in the fourth, breaking Nadal at 2-1 and 4-1 and eventually winning the Championships when serving at 5-3.

Federer, who captured his 39th career title and eighth Grand Slam crown, became the sixth man to secure four straight Wimbledon titles. He’d go onto have one of his best seasons ever, winning three Grand Slam titles and becoming the first man to reach all four Slam title matches since Rod Laver in 1969. Federer finished 2006 with 12 tour-level crowns.

2007 Final, Federer d. Nadal 76(7) 46 76(3) 26 62
Nadal had again beaten Federer in the Roland Garros final, the Spaniard’s third consecutive Paris title. And, during their second Wimbledon final, he showed he would be a formidable foe for Federer on quick surfaces for years to come by producing the best grass-court performance of his career despite having endured a draining fortnight.

Nadal, playing for the seventh consecutive day after rain wreaked havoc on the tournament schedule, showed his mental and physical toughness by pushing the four-time defending champion Federer to five sets for the first time in his 34-match win streak at the All England Club.

Federer, who had never lost a match at Wimbledon after winning the first set, claimed the first set tie-break despite Nadal’s gallant effort to save three consecutive set points at 3/6.

An attacking Federer made many forays to the net but Nadal had his blistering passes dialed in. The Spaniard saved a break point in the first game of the third set and then didn’t face another break point until Federer claimed the decisive break in the sixth game of the fifth set.

Having seen Nadal save 16 of 17 break points against him to win Roland Garros, Federer twice rallied from 15/40 in the fifth set to avoid going down an early break.

Federer, who clubbed 65 winners – including 24 aces and a plethora of crosscourt backhand winners – equaled Bjorn Borg’s record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles. Nadal was attempting to become the first player since Borg in 1980 to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, a feat he wouldn’t have to wait much longer to accomplish.

2008 Final, Nadal d. Federer 64 64 67(5) 67(8) 97
For the third year in a row, here they were, defending champion Federer and reigning Roland Garros champion Nadal. The two were owning the European clay and grass swings, making it six straight Roland Garros-Wimbledon finals between the two of them.

In one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of their 18-match rivalry, Nadal won the first set but fell Federer looked to have things under control in the second with a 3-0 lead.

The World No. 2 Nadal, however, fought back to silence the Centre Court crowd and take a two sets to zero lead. The third set was interrupted by rain, with Federer leading 5-4. The duo returned after a 71-minute delay and, despite windy conditions, held on for a tie-break. Federer forged ahead 5/2 and eventually clinched the set on his third set point.

The fourth set moved into an inevitable tie-break, which kept the thousands of spectators on Centre Court on the edges of their seats. Two unforced errors from Federer on the forehand wing gave Nadal his first championship point at 7/6. One shot and the Swiss’ reign would have ended right there, but again his serve rescued him.

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Nadal, though, struck a forehand winner with Federer approaching the net for his second championship point at 8/7. Serving for the match, Nadal was drawn to the net by Federer who passed the 22-year-old with a backhand winner down the line. With Nadal’s confidence dented, Federer seized control of the tie-break and took the final to a decisive set.

More rain interrupted the match at 2-2 in the fifth set. After a 30-minute delay, the final resumed and as darkness set in, Nadal finally converted his fourth break point opportunity for an 8-7 lead after Federer hit a forehand long.

Another championship point went begging, but at the fourth time of asking Nadal clinched the 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 victory in four hours and 48 minutes. It was the longest final in Wimbledon history (since 1877). The battle for the No. 1 ATP Ranking had just intensified, and the greatest match ever played had just finished.

In the years since, the match has become commonly known as one of the greatest ever. Sports Illustrated tennis writer Jon Wertheim later wrote a book – which spawned a documentary – about the match, titled, “Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played”.

Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and two-time winner Rafael Nadal’s semi-final blockbuster is 11 years in the making. Not since the final of The Championships in 2008 have they stood across the net from one another at the All England Club.

Both players have shown tremendous form to reach the semi-finals on the hallowed London grass. Before they battle on Centre Court, test your knowledge of their rivalry at Wimbledon.

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