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Afternoon all, and welcome to Rafael Nadal (3) v Roger Federer (2)!

R. Nadal vs R. Federer | Wimbledon
Men's Singles | Semi-final | 12.07.2019 | Centre Court
Completed
R. Nadal (3)
63
6
3
4

R. Federer (2)
77
1
6
6
Live
Live Updates
Ben Snowball

Updated 12/07/2019 at 18:50 GMT


16:49
Nadal 2-2 Federer
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Neither player is making an impression on the serve of the other at the moment; as I type that, he underlines the point with one of those forehands. Yes, one of those forehands, ripped with top-spin and administered like a martial artist. He holds to 30.
16:47
Nadal 1-1 Federer
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Because Nadal is standing so far back to receive, Federer is able to serve-volley. He starts the game using that tactic - remember when the best grass-court players did that every point - and finishes it with an ace.
16:46
Nadal 1-1 Federer
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Nadal holds to love, sealing the deal with a backhand into the net-cord. He raises his hand as if to say "ne ne ne ne-ne".
16:41
Nadal 0-1 Federer
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You've got to laugh: Federer opens up with an ace. But then Nadla bustles his way into things, dropping a groundstroke onto the baseline which encourages Federer to go long. So Federer serves another ace and eventually holds to 30. We're up and running!
16:40
Federer will serve...
16:40
Both men have hairbands whose sizes no longer correspond to the quantity of hair they're there to order.
16:39
Right then, eyes down!
16:34
In fairness, I'm pretty "pumped" myself.
16:33
Nadal looks extremely "pumped".
16:31
Here they come!
16:30
One thing I;d say is that I don't think Federer can win this from behind. If he doesn't start well, he loses.
16:28
16:24
16:22
As for what'll happen, I've got a feeling for Nadal because the court's playing pretty slowly and he's got fewer mental issues with Federer than vice-versa.
16:18
What, exactly, is a person supposed to say about this and about these? It is one of the classic match-ups, not just in tennis or even in sport, but in life. They're not now as good as they once were, but they're still pretty useful and we need to enjoy them while we still can. They've improved in some ways too - they're more wily than once, and more aggressive too.