Friday 12 July 2019

Nadal vs Federer Live

Nadal vs Federer Live: 2019 Semi Tennis - Wimbledon Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal meet in a blockbuster Wimbledon semi-final later this afternoon.

It is the first time the pair have faced each other at the All England Club since their memorable final in 2008.

Federer was looking for a sixth consecutive title and a third final victory in a row against Nadal when they took to Centre Court that day.

The Spaniard claimed a two-set lead but, with rain disrupting the match, Federer fought back to level proceedings, saving two match points in a gripping fourth-set tie-break.

With the threat of darkness forcing a postponement overnight - the roof was not installed on Centre Court until the following year - Nadal claimed the crucial break to win 9-7 in the decider after four hours and 48 minutes.

The Spaniard leads the head-to-head 24-15 but has not beaten Federer on any surface other than clay since 2014, losing five matches in a row on hard courts before stopping the rot in the semi-finals of the French Open last month.

That took Nadal to 18 slam titles overall, only two behind Federer's all-time record.

The match follows the conclusion of Novak Djokovic vs Roberto Bautista Agut, which gets underway at 1pm.

It means Nadal vs Federer’s start time will depend on how the preceding match unfolds.

Check back here for regular updates on the predicted start time.

All the Wimbledon action is live on the BBC and via their online platforms.

There is a common consensus that the grass at Wimbledon has never played slower than this year, which would appear to favour Nadal, but 1996 champion Richard Krajicek is confident Federer will still come through.

But it can be also too slow. I think the ball doesn't do as much as on the clay so when Rafa hits a big spin to the backhand of Roger, Roger is here and I think now it's going to be shoulder height and maybe a little bit lower even.

"And Roger just feels good here on the Centre Court. And even though he lost now to Rafa, the last two years Rafa has had a problem, he didn't beat Roger. He's a step slower and on the grass it's more difficult for him to move than on the clay.