Two of the greatest tennis players of all time will clash for the 39th time in their illustrious career. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will once again face each other in the semifinals of the 2019 French open. Roger and Rafa two icons of not only tennis but sports in general have done it all on the tennis court and they will meet once again to determine who will reach the finals of the Roland Garros. In their previous 38 matches, it’s the Spaniard who leads with 23 victories as compared to Federer’s 15.
In grand slams too Nadal has always had the better of his great Rival. The two icons may not be in their prime anymore, but on big stages they always find a way to upstage their opponents. Nadal the king of clay is the ultimate and the greatest challenge for anyone,11 time French open champion is hungry for more as he wants to lift his 12th French open title at the iconic Philppe Chatrier
court. Federer the swiss master has done it all in his career, but he has not beaten his great rival at his court at the French open. Nadal is 5-0 at the French open, a record that Federer would certainly like to change before he hangs his boots. The historic rivalry of Fedal has always captivated the imagination of their huge fan base all over the world, with their style of play and the way they conduct themselves off the field.
The two legendary players have not played each other since October 2017 and the epic showdown will see fans tunein from all over the world to witness hopefully one of their great matches of all time.
Federer after his French Quarter final win against countrymen Stan Wawrinka had said to the reporters sarcastically “ Hmm….My next opponent is Ok”. The swiss maestro knows he would have to play out of his skin to dethrone Nadal in the semis.
Roger would take heart by the fact that in their last major meeting, which was the final of the Australian open it was the genius Roger who shocked the world and won his 20th grand slam title. Nadal on the other hand, will be looking to capture his 18th overall grand slam title with a win at the French open which will put him just two behind Federer .The Spaniard is without a shadow of doubt the overwhelming favourite to win the semifinal, but he knows he just cannot take Federer lightly as he still has the ability to surprise anyone on any day.The two champion players have contrasting styles of play, watching Federer play it feels like watching poetry is in motion he rarely gets annoyed and upset on court and one can watch him play hours and hours and still be in awe of his skills. Nadal on the other hand is completely the opposite, he is ruthless and aggressive and extremely particular about anything he does on court, whether it be precisely setting up water bottles before he leaves his chair or the way he wipes out his sweat numerous times before serving. But the thing that is common between the two, is the hunger and desire to be the best. Nadal has an astonishing record at the French open, he has won 91 games in total and only lost 2 matches thus far. Federer who surprised everyone by deciding to play at the French open, has already surpassed everyone’s expectations by reaching the semis at Paris. But deep down he knows, if he somehow manages to defeat Rafa at French open this will go a long way in making him undoubtedly the greatest player to ever grace the game. The world is waiting with bated breath, to witness perhaps what could be their last encounter at the French open. Federer or Rafa who will win? is anybody’s guess but one thing which is certain is the fact that World will witness tennis at its highest Quality.
Federer would be looking to emulate Robin soderling and Novak Djokovic to become only the third player in history to defeat Nadal at French open, and for Nadal well it should be a business as usual as he will look to reach his 12th French open Final.
