In his regular BBC Sport column, Andy Murray talks about hitting the gym as he tries to move closer to a singles return, what he enjoyed most about playing again at Wimbledon and the complicated world of setting up doubles ‘dates’.
Now my Wimbledon is over, my focus will switch to doing a lot of physical work over the next four to six weeks to improve the strength in my hip.
That means a lot of heavy weightlifting in the gym, which is a part of training that I don’t particularly enjoy doing.
During a hip resurfacing operation, where the head of the femur is capped by metal, a lot of muscles are severed and stitched back up so it takes a lot of time and needs hard physical work to recover properly.
That strength is not going to come back in just three or four months, it could take nine or 12 months.
I need to get those muscles back to a certain level before I can go on a singles court and try to play best of five sets, otherwise I could do damage if the strength isn’t there.
I’m happy to be pain free and want to get my hip as good as it can be, then once it is strong again I can get back to competing.
That means doing lots of lifting exercises with a hex bar and an Olympic bar – they are the type of barbells you see in the weightlifting areas of your local gym and used for dead lifts, squats and other strength-building exercises.
The Olympic bar weighs 20kg with weights on either side so I do a lot of work with those, but I don’t do loads of machine-based work.
Weightlifting is something which I find quite easy to do psychologically because you can either lift the weight or you can’t.
Cardiovascular training is different because if you’re not strong enough then you can stop and give up. That’s what I like about it, you have to push yourself to do better, run a little bit further or go a little bit faster.
If you’re not quite into it mentally then you’re not going to get as good a result so that side of training helps you improve psychologically too.
Last year, before I had the hip surgery, I went to Philadelphia to do some reconditioning work and there aren’t any plans to go there again.
But if I’m going to be here in London for a few months, then I will try to break it up a little bit and go somewhere, because it can be boring doing the rehab in the same place every day for a few months.
I was just glad to play Wimbledon after tough year
Of course I wanted to go further than the second round in the men’s doubles and the third round in the mixed, but considering how tough the past year has been, it was good to just get out there and play.
As I reflect on my return to Wimbledon, my overriding emotion is enjoyment.
I was practising here about six or seven weeks ago, hitting on the clay courts and not knowing if I’d be playing during the grass-court season or not.
They were starting to paint the lines on the court, prepare all the backdrops around the grounds and put all the hospitality tents up – it left me thinking how disappointed I would be if I had to miss the tournament again.
I was excited to be back playing here and, although I felt nerves and I felt pressure, it was not to the same degree as I usually would playing in the singles.
What I particularly enjoyed was being around the locker room and having that camaraderie with the other players and the support staff.
I know a lot of them really well having been on the tour together for years and it was great to be part of that again.
Doubles was fun – but finding a partner can be awkward!
Doubles is a competitive environment and the players want to win, obviously, but I found it is little more sociable because the players are chatting and interacting that bit more.
It was also interesting to learn how doubles works – when you’re trying to find partners it can get a little complicated!
I ended up playing with Pierre-Hugues Herbert after he decided not to play with Nicolas Mahut and in the mixed doubles I asked a few players, including Ashleigh Barty and Kristina Mladenovic, who said ‘no’.
When I mentioned I had been turned down by some people I started getting messages from a number of different players and then you wonder how you’re going to decide who to play with.
That was tricky but luckily I got to play with one of the all-time greats in Serena and it was an amazing experience.
Being part of a duo again was great because I’ve always enjoyed playing doubles.
I’ve had the opportunity to play a few matches with my brother Jamie in great atmospheres at the Davis Cup and people enjoy watching it.
It is a different set of skills to singles and the communication between the two players is so important.
You can never have a perfect partner but you need to complement each other’s games well and that is the secret to having a good team.
When I played with my brother, he is brilliant at the net and I set him up when I return. You need to work together which is not what I’m used to as a singles player.
I’ve enjoyed it a lot and could play more doubles in the future but ultimately my goal is returning to singles if I’m able to – and that’s my focus over the next few months.
Spaniard looking to improve to 25-15 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series
Rafael Nadal knows exactly what to expect when he and Roger Federer meet on Friday in the Wimbledon semi-finals, their 40th meeting and first at SW19 since their legendary 2008 final, which Nadal won 9-7 in the fifth set. The two have played three times at SW19, with Federer winning two of the three finals.
“[To] play against Roger always is a unique situation. Excited to be back on this court against him after 11 years. Means a lot for me and probably for him, too,” Nadal said.
“Excited about this match, excited about this opportunity to be again in that round against him. Always I say the same: of course, the opportunities to play against each other every time are less, but we are still here. After tomorrow we are going to have another chance.
“I just expect to play against probably the best player in the history of this surface and know that I have to play my best if I want to have chances to try to be in that final.”
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The Spaniard continued his merciless run through the Wimbledon draw on Wednesday, avenging his 2017 Acapulco final loss to American Sam Querrey 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. Nadal has lost only one set (second round, Kyrgios) and been broken only twice this fortnight. The left-hander was broken in the second set against Kyrgios and at 5-4 in the first set against Querrey.
Just as impressively has been Nadal’s return game. He broke Querrey six times. The 6’6” American had been broken only once in 72 service games before their quarter-final.
“Today was a big, big challenge against a server like Sam… In general terms, I am very, very happy the way I am playing,” Nadal said.
Flashback: Nadal Beats Federer In Paris To Make 12th Final
All eyes in the tennis world will shift to Federer-Nadal XL come Friday. Nadal won their most recent contest in the Roland Garros semi-finals last month en route to his 12th Roland Garros title. But Federer has thrived in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry (Nadal leads 24-15) when they’ve played on quicker surfaces.
“Probably is better to have that [Roland Garros] victory than to have defeat, of course. But on the other hand, it’s a completely different situation. [To] play on grass or play on clay is probably the biggest change in the world of tennis,” Nadal said. “I think the player who will have the chance to play better… will be the player who has more chances to be through. That’s all. These kinds of matches are like this.”
Nadal’s chances of returning to the Wimbledon semi-finals looked doubtful when he started his clay-court season by losing in the semi-finals of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. But the Spaniard quickly put his slow clay-court start behind him, and he hasn’t lost since mid-May.
“In the world of sport, things change very quickly. You need to be always ready for changes in a negative way or a positive way. You need to accept both things with a calm and clear mind to understand what’s going on later,” Nadal said.
“The last two months have been very positive for me personally, probably for Roger, too, because he played good [to make the] semi-finals in Roland Garros. He had the title in Halle. He’s now in the semi-finals here again.
“That makes us keep playing because we still feel that we have chances to compete for the most important things. That’s what really make us keep playing with this intensity.”
Why Federer Isn’t Worried About ‘Insane’ Roland Garros Match Against Nadal At Wimbledon
Jul102019
Legendary duo set to meet at SW19 for first time in 11 years
It’s been more than a decade since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have played at Wimbledon in the 2008 final, which today is still widely considered one of the best matches in history. But the pair has met far more recently — just more than a month ago, in fact — at Roland Garros, with Nadal triumphing in straight sets.
Federer doesn’t think that match holds much relevance heading into their blockbuster showdown at SW19, though.
“Not so much the French Open, I do believe. I feel like conditions were slightly different. It was so windy. It was just insane,” Federer said. “I haven’t heard it was going to be the same in a couple of days, so I hope not, even though that would be funny again.”
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Nadal won that match 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, with Federer unable to find many inroads against the Spaniard, getting broken six times in the match. Before that, Federer had won five straight FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against Nadal dating back to 2015 Basel. Each of those five victories came on hard courts.
“Maybe [the] Australian Open final [is relevant]. Obviously, best-of-five set match, five sets. Then again, I don’t know,” Federer said. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Who cares. It’s about how has he played so far? How have I played so far? I hope it goes my way.
“It’s going to be tough. Rafa really can hurt anybody on any surface. He’s that good. He’s not just a clay-court specialist.”
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It’s been 11 years since the pair has competed on grass. They’ve met three times at Wimbledon, battling in the championship match at the All England Club from 2006-08. Federer emerged victorious on the first two occasions, while Nadal earned his first trophy on the hallowed London grass in 2008, defeating Federer in a match that Jon Wertheim detailed in a book called “Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played”.
“[He has] improved so much over the years on this surface. He’s playing also very different than he used to. [We] haven’t played each other in a long, long time on this surface. He’s serving way different. I remember back in the day how he used to serve, and now how much bigger he’s serving, how much faster he finishes points,” Federer said. “It’s impressive to see how sort of healthy he’s stayed. A lot of them are saying, ‘Oh, it’s the end,’ by 2008. Similar to me in ’09. We’re still here. So it’s nice to play each other again.”
Both players have been strong at serve this fortnight. Federer leads the tournament having only been broken three times, and Nadal has only lost his serve four times. The Swiss star isn’t happy with one thing in particular, but is generally pleased with his game heading into the last four.
“I feel good on the court. Even if I’m down a set or down a break, no hurry there. I stay calm. I feel like I have the 1-2 punch sort of under control. I’m serving good. I’m going in phases in returning,” Federer said. “It’s been very different to play Berrettini in the last match where he’s serving big. I was chipping a lot today, I was coming over all the time. That obviously takes some getting used to.
“Overall I’m just very happy how I’m hitting the ball. Feel good off the baseline, too, which is clearly going to be important maybe for the next match.”
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Unseeded Barbora Strycova says she will have no fear when she bids to halt Serena Williams’ charge towards an 11th Wimbledon singles final on Thursday.
The Czech, at 33 the oldest first-time Grand Slam women’s semi-finalist, takes on the seven-time champion after Simona Halep plays Elina Svitolina.
“Of course, I don’t have as much power as Serena, but I have other weapons,” said Strycova, who beat Briton Johanna Konta in the quarter-finals.
“I have really nothing to lose.”
Among Strycova’s arsenal is an effective serve-and-volley game, honed in a way that will be familiar to many who loved the tennis of previous generations of players.
“I was playing at home against the wall, against the house, so I was kind of like playing with it,” she said.
“I love to play volleys, especially on grass. It’s working very well. When I’m confident, I like to play a lot of balls from the net. It’s my territory.”
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Strycova is, though, the overwhelming underdog against Williams, who is chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title and her first as a mother.
And, ominously, the American declared after her quarter-final victory over Alison Riske that she is feeling the best she has since January after being troubled by injury in recent months.
“This is the first time since Australia that I actually felt good,” said the 37-year-old, whose high-profile mixed doubles partnership with Andy Murray ended with a last-16 defeat on Wednesday.
“It’s been a really, really long year for me already, and hard year, because I’m usually not typically injured.
“I don’t know where I am. I do know I feel good. Now that I feel good, I can actually focus on training and technique and practice, something that I just literally haven’t been able to do a lot of.”
The pair have met three times before, with Williams winning every time including in the first round at Wimbledon in 2012.
But Strycova, who says her granddad took her to see the Wimbledon trophies in the museum as a two-year-old, is not dwelling on that record or Williams’ success here.
“When you go out there, you just focus on yourself and you focus how to beat that opponent, the way you want to beat her,” she said. “So I am not really scared to play her. I just really will try my best and I will fight as much as I can.”
Svitolina chasing first Grand Slam final
Ukrainian eighth seed Svitolina will be seeking to forget about the only other time she has met Halep, 27, at a Grand Slam.
The Romanian triumphed in three sets – taking the third 6-0 – in the French Open quarter-finals in 2017 with Svitolina having held match point in the second.
Svitolina, who is coached by Briton Andy Bettles, says a lot has changed since then.
“I think I’m a little bit different player now,” said the 24-year-old, who is appearing in her first Grand Slam semi-final after a major breakthrough last year when she won the prestigious end-of-season WTA Tour Finals.
“I’m playing free, I’m playing decent tennis. It’s the first time that we play in a semi-final, it’s going to be interesting for both of us.”
Halep, meanwhile, is banishing memories of her own, having lost her only other Wimbledon semi-final in straight sets to Eugenie Bouchard in 2014.
“I’m a different person,” said the 2018 French Open champion and former world number one.
“Everything changed. I have a lot of experience now. I’m more confident. I love grass – it’s first time that I have said that.
“I think it’s a big challenge for me, the next match. But I will take it like I took every match since I’m here. I’m relaxed. I’m happy. I’m motivated to win.
Watch the quirkier moments from day nine at Wimbledon as Katerina Siniakova gets nutmegged on court and Roger Federer shows off his commentating skills.
Bautista Agut Moves Bachelor Party To Wimbledon After Reaching SF
Jul102019
The Spaniard will play Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Friday
Roberto Bautista Agut seems to have had little confidence that he was going to reach the latter stages of The Championships at Wimbledon.
Such was his conviction, that the Spaniard had scheduled his bachelor party for the latter part of the second week.
“I had planned to be in Ibiza right now,” the Spaniard said, after beating Guido Pella on Wednesday for a place in the quarter-finals. “We had everything organised already. My friends, six of them, are all there.
“It feels better to be here in London.”
The 31-year-old, who is set to marry his fiancée, Ana Bodi Tortosa, in November, will now prepare to play World No. 1 and four-time former champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals on Friday.
When asked what’s the bachelor party plan is now, Bautista Agut said, “I think they will fly [to London] on Friday.”
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Through to his first Grand Slam championship semi-final at Wimbledon, having missed out on competing at the grass-court major in 2018, he said, “This year I was really, really motivated to come here. I wanted to play a good tournament. Well, everything worked well.
“My shots are really, really flat. I like to take the ball early, to be solid. With experience of coming year by year to the grass, I really learn more about the movements on the grass. I feel I can play a solid game also from baseline and I can really develop the good things I do on the court here on grass.
Bautista Agut, whose previous-best finishes at Wimbledon were reaching the fourth round in 2015 and 2017, now lines up alongside Djokovic, Roger Federer and his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.
“It feels good to be next to them,” he said. “They are one of the best players in the tennis era. They are such good sportsmen, good tennis players. It feels very good to be next to them and to be part of the semi-final in this tournament.
“My shots are really, really flat. I like to take the ball early, to be solid. With experience of playing each year on grass, I have really learned more about the movements on grass. I feel I can play a solid game also from baseline and I can really develop the good things I do on the court here on grass.”
“Me and my mates realised that there is a Scottish guy playing tennis and it drew me back into the sport more than I had been in years.
“Me and a couple of guys started sending a few emails back and forth, knocking up some images and we had such a laugh…”
That was how Edinburgh-based graphic designer Nial Smith began one of the most unique chronicles of Andy Murray’s celebrated career.
Since then his parody poster images have gone public and viral, catching the attention of Murray, his family and the tennis world at large.
Here he talks us through the inspiration behind the images, Grand Slam-by-Grand Slam, finishing up with Wimbledon.
US Open
“I like to hijack each Grand Slam’s own national history and heritage. If I can do that and put Andy in it, that is good.
“At the 2016 US Open I did a theme of album covers. Andy shouts so much with his mouth open, that he was a shoo-in for Gene Simmons’ role on the front of this Kiss album cover.”
“The joke was that it would be unrecognisable if it was any other player apart from Rafael Nadal. He is so notable for pulling his pants out of shorts, you just know it is Rafa.”
Australian Open
“The Australian Open was where it took off in a way.
“Mad Muzz – a joke on 1979 film Mad Max – was the first one I put out in public for the 2012 tournament. That did not get much traction, but the following year I put out Crocodile Dunblane.
“Andy said that he enjoyed it and I think he ended up being asked questions about wrestling crocodiles in press conferences.
“We have such a sporting rivalry with the Aussies and they like to have a go back so I think that is why their press have taken it on. It went a bit mad after that, being in all the papers.
“The Australian Open is the hardest in some ways, there are less bands or films to riff on than with the other three Slams.
“I used a cover on computer game Grand Theft Auto, which is internationally known, for one of the tournaments and that did well. If you can nail the wording and the style of the font, that is a key part.
“I have wanted to do one with 1994 film Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Andy in full costume on top of the bus, but I have not quite nailed it yet.”
French Open
“There is a bit of change in these, in that I have tended to focus on art.
“Nineteenth century French artist Georges Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres featuring Nadal for the 2016 tournament was a bit of a pun on the fact that Rafa had had to pull out before the third round with a wrist injury. This was him wistfully taking an early bath.
“The way that Novak Djokovic moves is very balletic so he was easy to put into Edgar Degas’ Rehearsal of the Scene.
“The Les Muzzerables one for the 2014 French Open initially had Ivan Lendl in it, but I had to change it after Lendl unexpectedly quit as Murray’s coach the month before.
“The crowd scenes take more time to do but they are fun because you can play around with the different caricatures of the players and the character names.
“There are lots of little details in there. You can see all the flags have been changed for the relevant ones, including the Scottish flag. The ancient racquets are in there as well. But it is the pun that makes it – Les Muzzables is just a bit daft.”
Wimbledon
“This James Bond was a deliberate take on a very British hero just before his first title at Wimbledon in 2013.
“I went back to the 1970s feel of Bond rather than the darker Daniel Craig stuff, with Andy’s head on Roger Moore’s body and a mish-mash of every baddie in the past.
“In all these posters, I don’t know these guys from Adam, but I have created this idea of Andy as the hero, Roger as the cool, too-smooth for school guy, Rafa as the bull, this beast who will not give up and Novak is just the nemesis, the evil genius.
“Zoolander 2, featuring Djokovic’s then-coach Boris Becker as evil genius Mugatu, was one I did for the 2016 Wimbledon tournament.
“It did less well hits-wise. Maybe it was just a bit too made, but it was a pretty awful film if I remember rightly which can’t have helped!”
“Now Andy is restricted to doubles I have been looking at famous double acts, which has been fun. I did one with him and Feliciano Lopez as Withnail and I for Queen’s, while he and Pierre-Hugues Hubert worked well as Sherlock and Holmes ahead of Wimbledon.
“I haven’t had a chance yet to do something for him and Serena though.
“There is a bit of a different, downbeat tone now as we don’t know what his future holds, he could retire at any moment if he decides it is not working.
“I don’t know if I will continue after Andy stops playing but I enjoy the ideas. It is a fun way to spend my time when I am not earning money!”
A recap of every match Nadal and Federer have played…
The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has been arguably the most enthralling in the history of tennis and well over a decade after it began, it is still going strong.
Fans have waited 11 years for a Wimbledon rematch, and on Friday, they will get one. The two all-time greats will meet for the 40th time, their fourth at SW19, during the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Federer has won two of three at Wimbledon, but Nadal won their most recent – and most epic – taking their five-set 2008 Wimbledon final that is commonly known as the greatest match of all-time.
Federer, however, has made headway in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry in recent years by tallying up wins on quick courts, and grass is his favourite surface. The Swiss has won a record eight Wimbledon titles, while two-time champion Nadal is seeking his first final since 2011.
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“[We] haven’t played each other in a long, long time on this surface. He’s serving way different. I remember back in the day how he used to serve, and now how much bigger he’s serving, how much faster he finishes points,” Federer said. “It’s impressive to see how healthy he’s stayed. A lot of them were saying, ‘Oh, it’s the end,’ by 2008, similar to me in ’09. We’re still here. So it’s nice to play each other again.”
Here is a history of their 39 career meetings:
2019 Roland Garros SF, clay, Nadal d. Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 The two hadn’t met on the Parisian clay since 2011, but for Federer, the time did little to improve his odds against the best clay-court player of all-time. The Spaniard, in blustery conditions, dismissed Federer for the sixth time (6-0) at Roland Garros and for the 14th time in 16 clay-court meetings.
Federer was playing at the clay-court Grand Slam for the first time since 2015, after missing the 2016 edition because of injury and skipping the next two clay-court seasons. He had beaten 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals as well, so the Swiss’ chances of challenging Nadal seemed high, even considering his opponent, who, at the time, was an 11-time Roland Garros champion.
But the Spaniard played his best match of the fortnight, never letting Federer into the contest by controlling his groundstroke length and neutralising Federer’s attacks to the net (17/35). The Swiss had no answer. “There is nobody who even plays remotely close to him,” Federer said.
Nadal would go onto beat Austrian Dominic Thiem and win his 12th Roland Garros title and his 18th Grand Slam crown, coming within two of Federer’s all-time record of 20.
2017 Shanghai Rolex Masters F, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-4, 6-3 However hard it is to believe, Federer is still doing new things.
For the first time in the rivalry, the 36 year old defeated Nadal for the fifth time in a row, earning his tour-leading third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the season in Shanghai. Not only did he halt the momentum of the Spaniard’s 16-match winning streak, but maintained his hopes of finishing at No. 1 in the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 2009. Nadal could have gained a nearly insurmountable 2,760-point lead over his rival, but Federer instead closed the gap to 1,960 points as the season nears an exciting finale.
Despite World No. 1 Nadal arguably entering the match as the favourite after earning back-to-back titles at the US Open and the China Open and eliminating two Top 10 players in Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic in Shanghai, it was Federer who came out of the gate firing, breaking in the first game of the match. The now two-time Shanghai champion broke twice more in the second set, and never faced a break point in the match to claim his third title-match victory over Nadal in 2017.
Perhaps Federer summed it up best.
“We didn’t think maybe we were going to have the year we did. I definitely didn’t,” Federer said. “Hopefully there’s more to come.”
Read Match Report & Watch Highlights
2017 Miami Open presented by Itau F, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-3, 6-4 Federer might have said it best before he and Nadal faced off for the 37th time during the Miami final on 2 April: “Feels like old times.”
Few would have predicted that Federer and Nadal would have fought over one ‘Big Title’ in 2017, let alone a second. But both players steamrolled into the Miami title match, where Federer picked up where he left off the last time they met, during the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The Swiss right-hander, who also won the 2017 Australian Open final against Nadal, dominated on his serve in Miami, saving all four break points faced and winning 87 per cent of his first-serve points (34/39). During their first two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings in 2017, Federer’s flat and much-improved backhand was the story.
In Miami, Federer’s forehand stole the spotlight. The fourth seed slapped 19 forehand winners, compared to 13 for Nadal. Federer left Miami with his third South Florida title, his third Sunshine Double and a tantalising question for fans to ponder: How long can one of the greatest of all-time keep up this stellar second act?
Read Match Report & Watch Highlights | How The Match Was Won
2017 BNP Paribas Open fourth round, Indian Wells, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-2, 6-3 Channeling the same game plan that reaped the ultimate reward in the Australian Open final in January, Federer has put on a stunning display of aggression to defeat Nadal in the fourth round. Federer’s victory marked the first time he had defeated Nadal three times in a row in 36 FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, following his five-set triumph in Melbourne in January and a three-set win in the 2015 Basel final. It was the first time the pair had squared off before the quarter-finals since their first meeting in the 2004 Miami third round.
Federer came out of the blocks in a hurry against Nadal. The Swiss secured the opener 6-2, consistently finding his mark coming over the backhand to keep Nadal on the back foot. His fifth backhand winner of the first set was followed by an explosive wrong-footing forehand winner to bring up a break point on the Spaniard’s serve at 3-1. He secured the double break off a spectacular backhand return winner for 4-1 after 23 minutes. He would close out the opening set in style as he threaded back-to-back forehand winners to bring up two set points and sealed it on his first with a serve-volley winner after 34 minutes.
Determined to make a statement he would not go quietly, Nadal started the second set with authority, holding to love with a forehand winner and an ace out wide for 1-0. Federer’s aggression continued to gnaw at Nadal, however. His confidence surged further when he broke early for 2-1 and now redlining, the pressure from the 36-year-old Swiss was relentless. He held to love for 4-2 off an ace out wide and drew the error from a looping backhand.
Read Match Report & Watch Highlights
2017 Australian Open final, Melbourne, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 For years, many tennis observers thought they’d never see this again: Federer and Nadal meeting in a Grand Slam final. The fans and analysts weren’t being pessimistic, either. It had been three years since Nadal had won 2014 Roland Garros and almost five years since Federer hoisted the Wimbledon trophy in 2012. But here the all-time greats and friends were, proving the doubters wrong once more.
Federer had surprised even himself by reaching the Melbourne final. He was playing in his first tour-level event in more than six months after taking the second half of 2016 off because of a lingering knee injury. Nadal, too, had missed the last five weeks of the 2016 season to rest his left wrist. But it was like old times again in Melbourne, with the level of tennis high from the start of their final.
During the first four sets, the players peaked at different times, with Federer starting hot but Nadal answering. In the fifth set, though, both legends were near their apex, and it looked like Nadal would take this 35th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting as he broke to start the decider. The 35-year-old Federer, though, would make his comeback even more special.
The Swiss fell behind 1-3 in the fifth set but reeled off the next five games, including two service breaks, to beat Nadal and claim his fifth Australian Open title and 18thGrand Slam crown in three hours and 38 minutes. The right-hander did it with his serve, 20 aces, and his backhand, which had been solid all tournament long and stood up to Nadal’s topspin forehand as best as it ever had. Federer flattened out his one-hander and delivered several cross-court winners against Nadal, which forced the Spaniard to stay home and limited his ability to run around his backhand.
The two have now won a combined 32 Grand Slam titles. At 35 years and 174 days, Federer became the oldest Grand Slam champion since Ken Rosewall, who won three major titles in 1970 and ’71 after celebrating his 35th birthday.
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2015 Swiss Indoors Basel final, Basel, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 The long wait for one of the greatest rivalries of all time to be renewed finally ended, with Federer and Nadal drawn to clash for the ATP World Tour 500 series title in Basel. It had been 21 months since they last faced off on the hard courts of the Australian Open and both competitors were eager to notch another victory in the clash of titans. After more than two hours on court, it was Federer who claimed his sixth title of the season, seventh in his hometown and 88th of his career, clawing past his rival in a high-octane affair.
Predicated on an attacking mentality, both players looked to open the court and keep rallies short throughout. After splitting the first two sets, a Nadal double fault in the third game of the decider would give Federer a break chance to claim a potentially decisive break, but the Spaniard dispelled any such notion. He would win the battle, but the Swiss would win the war, grabbing the decisive break for 5-3 and serving it out a game later after two hours and three minutes on court. The former Basel ballboy out-aced Nadal 12-0 and struck 44 total winners. He converted on three of seven break points.
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2014 Australian Open semi-final, Melbourne, hard, Nadal d. Federer 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-3 Nadal and Federer had met on the same court exactly two years ago, when Nadal prevailed in four sets before losing out to Novak Djokovic in a near-six-hour finale. As they returned to Rod Laver Arena, it was with renewed hope for Federer that he might get his first Grand Slam win over Nadal since the 2007 Wimbledon final.
With Stefan Edberg in his corner and a larger racquet head paying dividends, Federer came into the semi-finals feeling confident on the back of impressive victories over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray. With Nadal also struggling with a troublesome blister on his left palm, would this be Federer’s chance to reach his 25th major final?
In short, no. Nadal produced an awesome display, punctuated with remarkable passing shots, to which Federer had no answer. While Nadal excelled, he needed to, to combat the high level of aggression from Federer. The Swiss did not relent in coming to the net, despite often being thwarted by Nadal’s passing shots, and stepped in to hit over his backhand returns, instead of slicing them all.
But with Nadal looking to chase down Federer’s tally of 17 major titles, the Spaniard afforded Federer no mercy as he claimed the victory in two hours and 23 minutes, setting a final clash with Stanislas Wawrinka.
2013 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals semi-final, London, indoor hard, Nadal d. Federer 7-5, 6-3 Federer had won all four of their previous encounters at the season finale, most recently in the 2010 title match at The O2, but Nadal defeated the six-time champion in straight sets to reach his 14th final of a remarkable year.
After three straight service breaks, Nadal closed out a hold to love with his eighth forehand winner to end the 43-minute first set. Federer, who needed to be aggressive, struck 11 winners and committed 15 unforced errors in a high-quality opener. In the second set, Federer committed a forehand error in the fifth game to give Nadal the break. Nadal tightened up his game and at 5-3, created one match point opportunity at 30/40. Federer serve and volleyed, but Nadal’s backhand return was low enough to get Federer into trouble. He hit a backhand volley long to end the 80-minute encounter.
2013 Western & Southern Open quarter-final, Cincinnati, hard, Nadal d. Federer 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 In arguably their most riveting encounter since their 2012 Australian Open semi-final, Nadal outlasted Federer after three sets of high quality tennis. The Spaniard needed five match points to close out the 32-year-old Swiss, extending his winning streak on hard courts in 2013 to 13-0 and moving one step closer to a 37th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final.
Federer executed a highly aggressive game plan early on, which included topping many backhand returns and attacking the net with authority. He would capture the first set on a late break at 5-5 30/40, but Nadal would refuse to succumb to his rival, turning the tables late in the second set. As Federer’s unforced error count rose to 44, Nadal continued to apply pressure on his serve with deep angled returns with significant pace. The World No. 3 took an immediate lead in the third set, breaking for 2-0 and holding serve from there to the finish line. In a dramatic final game, Federer rallied from 0/40 and eventually saved four match points before Nadal rifled a forehand down the line to close it out.
Nadal improved to an overall record of 21-10 against Federer with the win, ending the five-time Cincinnati champ’s bid to repeat.
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