For the second slam in a row, the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal rivalry will be renewed. Friday’s other semifinal will pit Novak Djokovic against Roberto Bautista Agut. The Grandstand’s Ricky Dimon and Cheryl Murray along with Pete Ziebron of Tennis Acumen make their picks.
(3) Rafael Nadal vs. (2) Roger Federer
Ricky: What have we done as fans to deserve Federer vs. Nadal at two straight slams? Well, the answer is: sit through a whole bunch of bad tennis and lopsided matches featuring players outside the Big 3 trying to beat the Big 3. Now everyone other than Roberto Bautista Agut is out of the way, so the stage is set for at least one dramatic semifinal and perhaps an epic final, too. Nadal has been awesome this fortnight, beating the likes of dangerous grass-courters Nick Kyrgios and Sam Querrey while dropping only one set along the way. The Spaniard just thrashed Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 at the French Open, improving to 24-15 in the head-to-head series. That came on Nadal’s personal playground; now they move to Federer’s stomping grounds. Still, gael force wins in Paris should have leveled the playing field…but they didn’t. Grass obviously gives Federer a much better chance, but conditions have been slow and the Swiss wasn’t as impressive in the quarterfinals against Kei Nishikori as his arch rival was against Querrey. Nadal in 4: 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Cheryl: It’s THE match (no offense to Djokovic): the one that we thought might never happen again, first because Nadal had a horrid run at the All-England Club for a few years, and then because Federer hasn’t yet mastered aging in reverse. It’s Roger vs. Rafa at Wimbledon. Of course, it would be more fitting if it was the final, but we take what we can get. It’s the 40th edition of the greatest rivalry in tennis history. Their last encounter at Wimbledon was all the way back in 2008–a match for the ages that finished in near complete darkness, when Nadal just edged Federer 9-7 in the fifth in what is widely considered the greatest tennis match of all time. There’s no guarantee that we’ll get a repeat of that encounter, but both men have played beautiful tennis this fortnight. And you can be sure that the desire to win is as strong as ever. They’re going to fight for it as though their tennis lives depend on the outcome. That Nadal dismantled Federer at Roland Garros will be a factor (even though that was clay and this is grass). Nadal will need a superior serving day; Federer will need to apply his best grass-court game; they’re both capable of doing so. In the end, Nadal seems to have been the slightly more impressive player through the fortnight. Nadal in 4: 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4.
Pete: Federer-Nadal XL with the winner most likely having to face Djokovic for the Wimbledon title…. The Golden Years in men’s tennis continue to be lived before our eyes. Both players head into the semifinal with solid match play under their belts, including surviving first-set tussles in their quarterfinal matches. This will be the first time in this series at Wimbledon that the winner still must play another match to win the title. The recent inroads that Federer has made and discovered against Nadal in their matches the last couple of years will be the deciding difference. Federer in 4: 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4).
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (23) Roberto Bautista Agut
Ricky: Djokovic has not run into any trouble since the first two sets against Hubert Hurkacz in round two, a match he won 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4. Something similar may be in the cards against Bautista Agut, who almost always plays Djokovic tough. The Spaniard is 3-7 lifetime in the head-to-head series (better than most!) and he is actually 2-0 against the Serb this season–with victories from a set down in Doha and Miami. Djokovic, though, completely destroyed Ugo Humbert and David Goffin in his last two matches, and his urgency level will obviously be higher than it was in Doha or Miami. The world No. 1 will be too good on Friday, but this should be an incredibly high-level match. Djokovic in 4: 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Cheryl: I don’t know when RBA became a fixture in the latter stages of tournaments, but here he is again. He made the quarters in Australia and now he’s in the semis at Wimbledon. Interestingly, RBA has been a tricky matchup of late for Djokovic. The Spaniard has, in fact, won his last two meetings with the Serb. Of course, this is a Grand Slam–and one at which Djokovic especially excels. He is, after all, the defending champion. Djokovic puts up his best tennis in the latter stages of events, so RBA is going to have his hands full. The world No. 1 completely dismantled Goffin in the quarters and he looks like he’s now on a bit of tear. RBA is a fighter and he won’t give in easily. I doubt if Djokovic will win in straight sets, but as it’s a slam I have to think that Djokovic is going to pull it out. Djokovic in 5: 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Pete: Interestingly enough, Bautista Agut has won the last two meetings and they both happened to have taken place this year. That said, Djokovic has been rolling at Wimbledon–losing just 19 games in eight sets since dropping the second set to Hurkacz in the third round. Similary, Nadal arrives at the semifinals having lost just one set at the Championships. Unfortunately for Bautista Agut, he will face Djokovic when the Serb is in “deep in a major mode” rather than in ATP tournament mode. As a result, the Serb will continue to dazzle and advance to the final for the sixth time. Djokovic in 3: 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
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