Grand finale! Federer, Nadal to meet again

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Now Roger Federer gets Rafael Nadal on his turf.

With a performance he deemed flawless, three-time Wimbledon champion Federer won the most lopsided men’s semifinal in tournament history, beating Jonas Bjorkman 6-2, 6-0, 6-2 on Friday.

Top-ranked Federer’s reward?

A championship match Sunday against No. 2 Nadal, who got past No. 18 Marcos Baghdatis 6-1, 7-5, 6-3 to extend his surprising run at the All England Club.

Federer is 0-4 against Nadal in 2006, 55-0 against everyone else. But three of the losses came on clay, including in last month’s French Open final, and they’ve never met on grass  where Federer has won a record 47 consecutive matches, including 27 at Wimbledon.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13752836/
“He is the best on all surfaces,†Nadal sai, “but here more.â€Â

 

[MiamiDolphins34]

Vamos Rafa kick his laffy taffy.

 

[MikeO]

This is what the sport needs. 2 guys who meet in the finals at every tourny. Build some drama

 

[WestCoastPhins]

Its the unstoppable force vs the only guy to dominate him. Guy has lost 14 matches and 6 are nadal, thats just crazy. 239 wins 1 against nadal. Federer is due.

 

[Boomer]

These two are set to dominate mens tennis for the next 8-10 years.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

Nadal is a pest. He reminds me of a kid who lived in the house behind ours when I was growing up in Miami. Every other kid in school or the neighborhood I could kick their rear in ping pong, just whip it past them either topspin forehand or backhand. The games would be 21-5. But my friend Perry was a defensive magician. He got everything back. Eventually that wears on your mind and you start going for crazy shots, really pressing.

I realize the level is a billion times higher, but that's exactly what it reminds me of when I watch Federer play Nadal. He has to win the point two or three times against Nadal. In the vital points Fed goes for too much and makes uncharacteristic errors. I saw the same thing with Agassi against Nadal. Once he realized Nadal was extraordinary on defense, Agassi was tensing up and trying to hit the intersection of sideline and baseline, or at least it seemed that way. Plus, when Nadal runs down the shots and makes the incredible returns, they are hardly waffles. The shots have terrific pace and angle.

I would never give the 1/5 odds on Federer in this match. Once it gets to 3-3 or 4-4 in these sets, the playing surface diminishes as a factor and the mental aspect kicks in, and that's where Nadal has Federer's number. Unless Federer serves phenomenally, this will not be a one sided match since he doesn't get the cheap points at net like Sampras or McEnroe did.

I'll tentatively pick Federer but not easy and not in straight sets. IMO it's much better for the sport if Fed wins. That really sets up the US Open as a rubber match, and on a court more or less neutral for the two of them. If Nadal wins Sunday, he will be the clear cut number one regardless of the point system.

 

[phinman1]

Yes, this budding rivalry is great for the sport. I'm a big Federer fan and hope he wins. If he can't beat Rafa on grass, he has serious problems with the "best ever tag" everyone wants to throw on him, not to mention mentally against Rafa he will be in the tank.

Even though I'm a big fan of Federers', I'm glad Nadal is around or else Federer would have no one to measure himself against. Otherwise, it would be way to easy for him, as in my opinion the depth in the men's game blows right now.

This kinda reminds me of the Borg/Mac dynamic. Borg cruising along and winning everything until a young lefty comes around. McEnroe retired Borg, but I don't think Roger is going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[phinman1]

That really sets up the US Open as a rubber match, and on a court more or less neutral for the two of them. If Nadal wins Sunday, he will be the clear cut number one regardless of the point system.

The U.S. Open surface is faster than you think. Last year it was really fast, so Federer may have an edge on that surface.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

The U.S. Open surface is faster than you think. Last year it was really fast, so Federer may have an edge on that surface.

I know it's fast. I was referring more to confidence and familiarity, which Federer has all over Nadal on grass. On hard court Nadal can adjust to any speed.