Wimbledon 2019 result: Roger Federer beats Rafael Nadal in four-set classic to reach 12th final

The Swiss won 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 and will now play Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final

Eleven years after losing to Rafael Nadal in what many regard as the greatest match of all time, Roger Federer made amends here on Friday with an emphatic victory over his greatest rival. While their Centre Court semi-final never quite delivered the same drama as their historic final of 2008 in the same arena, Federer’s 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph was another vivid demonstration of his grass-court excellence.

Federer will now attempt to win his ninth Wimbledon title on Sunday when he takes on Novak Djokovic, a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 winner over Roberto Bautista Agut in the other semi-final. At 37 years and 340 days, he will be the oldest man to play in a Grand Slam final since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall at the US Open in 1974. It will be his 12th Wimbledon final, which is five more than any other man has contested.

Nadal’s victory in last month’s French Open semi-finals had been his first over Federer for five years. The Spaniard still leads their head-to-head record by 24 victories to 16, but this was confirmation that it has been the Swiss who has generally got the better of their battles in recent times.

“It’s always very, very cool to play against Rafa here, especially as we haven’t played here for so long,” Federer said afterwards. “It’s definitely going to go down as one of my favourite matches to look back at, because it’s Rafa, it’s at Wimbledon, the crowds were into it, great weather. I felt like I played well also throughout the four sets. I can be very happy.”

Although this latest confrontation was on Federer’s most favoured surface, many observers had seen Nadal as the more likely winner of what was just their fourth meeting on grass. Federer had won the first two, in the Wimbledon finals of 2006 and 2007, before Nadal’s extraordinary triumph in that unforgettable final of 2008.

Both men have been in stunning form this year, having won more matches than any of their rivals in 2019, and both had looked in excellent shape in their first five matches here, with Nadal in particular making a remarkable turnaround after his exertions on clay.

The 40th meeting of the two greatest players of all time featured some superb shot-making and athleticism, though both men had periods when their level dipped and Nadal in particular struggled to find his form. Constantly pushed back by Federer’s aggressive tactics, the Spaniard never found a rhythm on his backhand or on his returns.

Federer’s level dipped in the second set, but he recovered in admirable fashion and in the latter stages held firm in the face of Nadal’s efforts to take the match into a deciding set.

It had been a largely overcast afternoon until the sun emerged shortly before the two players walked on to Centre Court just after 4.30pm. With the temperature at 25C and barely a breath of wind in the air, the conditions were all but perfect, as they have been for most of the fortnight.

The first set, in which both players served beautifully, took a while to catch fire. Nadal saved the only break point when he served at 3-4 as Federer netted a backhand at the end of the best rally of the match so far. On the only occasion when Federer looked remotely in trouble, serving at 4-4 and 30-30, he responded with two successive aces.

Nadal drew first blood in the tie-break, chasing down a volley in thrilling fashion to squeeze a backhand winner down the line, and appeared to have the advantage when he served at 3-2, Federer having just netted what should have been an easy backhand. However, the Swiss immediately upped his game to win the next five points, the last of them with a forehand winner after pulling Nadal out of position in masterful fashion.

If the first set had been a slow burner, the second caught fire immediately as Nadal moved further up the court and turned on the aggression. Federer saved two break points at 1-1 and Nadal saved two in the following game, only for the set to take a wholly unexpected turn. From 1-1 and 30-40, Nadal won 19 of the next 22 points to take the set.

We did not have to wait long for the next change of momentum. With Nadal serving at 1-2 and 30-30 in the third set Federer went to break point with a moment of brilliance. Nadal thumped a huge forehand down the line which would have won the point against most opponents, but Federer not only reached the ball but hit a winner with a sensational cross-court forehand which was almost a half-volley.

Nadal celebrates yet another memorable win over his long-term rival (Reuters)

Federer went on to break serve with a winning volley at the end of a lively net exchange and proceeded to serve out for the set. By now he was looking increasingly dominant and at 1-1 in the fourth set he broke again as Nadal missed a forehand on break point. Nadal, nevertheless, was not going to go down without a fight and finally found some better form.

Serving at 3-5, the Spaniard saved two match points with big serves to reduce the arrears to 5-4. When Federer served for the match Nadal had a break point, only to net an easy backhand. He went on to save two more match points with some breathtaking play, but on the fifth the Spaniard hit a backhand long.

“It lived up to the hype, especially with the way we came out of the gates,” Federer said afterwards. “We were both playing very well. Then there was the climax at the end with the crazy last game, some tough rallies there. It had everything at the end, which was great. I’m just relieved it’s all over at this point.”

Nadal offered plenty of resistance but was unable to clinch the win (EPA)

Nadal thought he had had chances but failed to play as well as he had in previous rounds. “He played little bit better than me,” Nadal said. “He played well, so he deserves it.”

He added: “I think his return was better than mine. I didn’t return well today. When that happens, he’s got an advantage, he’s in control of the match generally because you feel under a bit more pressure than him.

“My backhand didn’t work as well as in the previous rounds. I was too worried about my backhand, so I was not able to move with freedom to the forehand. I was a little bit too worried about not missing with the backhand.”

Federer said he did not expect to train too hard before Sunday’s final against Djokovic. “I don’t have much energy to go and train right now,” he said. “Honestly, it’s about recovery, hitting some balls tomorrow, warming up the next day. It’s more about the tactics.”

The Swiss added: “He’s the defending champion and he’s showed why this week. He’s been rock-solid from start to finish so far. I hope I can push him to the brink and hopefully beat him but it’s going to be very difficult.”