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Federer, Nadal Closing In On Another Final Showdown
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Published: July 4, 2008
WIMBLEDON, England - WIMBLEDON, England - Roger Federer is back to his old self on the Wimbledon grass, and Rafael Nadal is moving ever closer to a new level of success at the All England Club.
The top two players in men's tennis are on course to meet in their third straight Wimbledon final, but both have to get through the semifinals first.
"I don't want to think about the final," said Nadal, who lost to Federer in the last two Wimbledon finals but stretched the five-time defending champion to five sets last year. "Not yet."
Both players dominated their quarterfinal opponents, with neither facing a break point in straight-set wins. Federer hasn't been broken once through five matches at this year's tournament.
"I feel so comfortable on this Centre Court that my confidence level is obviously very high," Federer said after beating Mario Ancic to set up a semifinal match against two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin.
Federer's comfort in Wimbledon has been obvious. Despite struggling at the start of the season with mononucleosis and coming into the third major of the year with only two titles, the 12-time Grand Slam champion has stretched his grass-court winning streak to 64 matches and his Wimbledon streak to 39.
Federer has reached the semifinals at a Grand Slam event for the 17th consecutive time.
"It's something fantastic, no doubt. Because I know the streak before that was way lower," Federer said of Ivan Lendl's previous record of 10 straight major semifinal appearances. "Getting so far in every Grand Slam I've played for so many times in a row, it's something that means a lot to me."
Nadal isn't exactly shaking at the prospect of facing Federer again, however. Last year, he wasted four break points in the fifth set, coming as close as anyone to beating Federer at the All England Club for the first time since 2002.
"Only one more point and probably I have the trophy in my home," said Nadal, a four-time French Open champion who beat Federer in the last three finals at Roland Garros. "I don't know if this year I'm going to have more chances to win the title, because last year I played the final and this year I am in semifinals only."
In today's semis, Nadal will face Rainer Schuettler, who beat Arnaud Clement 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (7), 8-6 in a match that started Wednesday but was suspended because of darkness at one set apiece.
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