Federer ousts Nadal in long-awaited rematch
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND
Roger Federer waited 11 years to get another shot at Rafael Nadal on Centre Court. This one was a semifinal, not a final. It was settled in four sets, not five.
Felt like just as much of a classic contest, though, one that anyone present is not likely to forget.
That, of course, includes Federer, who managed to pull away and beat longtime rival Nadal 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Friday by finally coming through on his fifth match point.
“I’m exhausted. It was tough at the end,” Federer said. “Rafa played some unbelievable shots to stay in the match. I thought the match was played at a very high level.”
Federer closed in on a ninth championship at the All England Club and 21st Grand Slam trophy in all. In Sunday’s final, Federer will go up against Novak Djokovic, who is the defending champion and seeded No. 1.
Djokovic overcame Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 earlier Friday to reach his sixth Wimbledon final. Djokovic is eyeing a fifth championship at Wimbledon and 16th major title.
As entertaining Djokovic vs. Bautista Agut was — including a 45-stroke point won by Djokovic
Roger Federer turned the tables on Rafael Nadal in the semifinals Friday, 11 years after losing a five-set thriller to his longtime rival. Federer will face No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final.
Famer in tomorrow’s Single A minor-league baseball game. LeBron James was dominating a middleschool game once, before the cameras discovered him. Tom Brady might not have even been the best player on his Pop Warner team.
Venus Williams, now 39, has won seven majors, the last in 2008. She has had a great career.
Serena, 37, another birthday in two months, has won 23.
On Saturday, at Wimbledon, she is playing for history.
In the women’s final vs. Simona Halep, Serena is after a 24th major singles title that would tie the all-time record set by Margaret Court in a career that ended in 1977.
Court’s record has stood impenetrable for 46 years, since her final major in ’73.
This is Serena’s sixth attempt at magic, elusive No. 24.
Maternity leave in 2017 took away three chances. Her last major win to this point, the ’17 Australian Open, came just before her pregnancy.
After the birth of her daughter Serena suffered a pulmonary embolism that kept her in bed for some six weeks. She has been trying since, while balancing the demands of motherhood, to prove she has another major — or two — in her.
Serena has always downplayed her pursuit of Court’s record, of tennis history, but her coach since 2012, Patrick Mouratoglou, hinted to reporters in London this week how much it means to her.
“Twenty-four means she will equal the record of all time. That’s why she came back to playing tennis after having a baby and so many medical complications,” he said. “The effort she has put in, I have never seen something like this. You have no idea how hard she worked to come back, and she came back for that record.”
Serena’s race against time to achieve her sport’s greatest record is analogous to Tiger Woods trying to catch Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 golf majors. Tiger, at 43, won his elusive 15th in the Masters in April — his first major win in 11 years.
His chase unfolds gradually.
Serena’s is right now. Saturday to tie, if she can. Williams is 9-1 head-tohead in her career against Halep, but the Romanian is 10 years younger.
Serena’s 23 major crowns include seven at Wimbledon, where she is a fan favorite only accentuated by the record she is after and the clock working against her.
Twenty-one years. All that time since a teenage girl wearing clackety-clack beads introduced herself to Miami, and to tennis.
And we had no idea.