Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal

[robpal]

XIX mecz (Nadal 13-6)

2009 Australian Open F. Nadal d. Federer 75 36 76(3) 36 62



History would be made by the winner. For Roger Federer it was the chance to equal Pete Sampras’ all-time record of 14 Grand Slam championship titles, in front of 1962 and 1969 Grand Slam champion Rod Laver, and for ATP World No. 1 Rafael Nadal it was the opportunity to become Spain’s first Australian Open titlist in the event’s 104-history.

Nadal had prevailed over Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco in five hours and 14 minutes – the Australian Open’s longest-ever match – on Friday night, while Federer had a 24-hour head-start to recover from his semi-final. The question was whether the ATP World No. 1 could recover both mentally and physically in time for the final and clinch his first hard-court Grand Slam crown? Spectators on Rod Laver Arena should have had more faith in the Mallorcan.

Federer, who put a lot down to serving poorly, missed 11 consecutive first serves in the second set, while Nadal played a near-faultless tie-break in the third set after fighting back from three consecutive break points service in two games. Nadal let five break point opportunities slip through his fingers at 3-2 in the fourth set, which Federer won. Many spectators assumed the momentum would change, but a mentally fatigued Federer was unable to muster any resistance as Nadal ran through the deciding set for a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3),3-6, 6-2 win in four hours and 23 minutes.

During the presentation ceremony the emotional Federer received consolation from his rival, who encouraged him to return to the microphone to share his thoughts with the crowd. Nadal followed, telling the Swiss: “I'm sorry for today. I really know how you feel. But remember – you are one of the best players of the history and you are going to improve the 14 [of Sampras].”

Nadal was the first man since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001 to win a Grand Slam championship title with five-set victories in the semi-finals and final. At 22 years and seven months, Nadal was the second youngest player to win six Grand Slam titles after Bjorn Borg (22 years and one month) at 1978 Wimbledon. Nadal was the first left-hander to win the Australian Open title since Petr Korda in 1998.

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Nadal Edges Federer In Five Set Thriller


Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal won his first Australian Open crown and his sixth Grand Slam championship title by defeating No. 2 Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2 on Sunday night in Melbourne.

Victory for Nadal, his 13th over Federer (13-6 record), denied the Swiss the chance to tie Pete Sampras’ all-time record of 14 Grand Slam singles titles – a feat he had been hoping to achieve in his 39th major championship.

Nadal now earns 2000 South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings points, virtually assuring the Spaniard a place at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals to be held at London’s O2 Arena in November. Only two of the past 20 Australian Open champions have failed to qualify for the season finale, while four of the past five Melbourne winners have gone on to triumph at the elite eight-man championship.

"[It is] very special for me," said Nadal. "[It] is a dream to win here, one Grand Slam on hard court. I worked very hard all my life to improve my tennis outside courts, well, outside of clay.

" very happy for the title. Today was really lot of emotions on court. I was there with the best player I ever saw, like is Roger.

"Everything was very special. sorry [that it] was a tough moment for Roger today. I know how tough it must be there in an important situation for him. But he's a great champion. He's the best. And he's, for sure, a very important person for our sport. So I'm sorry for him, but at the same time I congratulate him for everything."

It is the third straight time that Nadal has defeated Federer in a Grand Slam final, and the fifth time in seven clashes. The Spaniard crushed Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the 2008 Roland Garros final (having also defeated him in the clay-court Grand Slam final the two previous years) before edging past him in an epic Wimbledon final that lasted four hours and 48 minutes – Nadal claimed victory 9-7 in the fifth set. Federer now slips to a 13-5 career mark in Grand Slam finals, with Nadal responsible for each of the five losses.

Nadal, who currently holds the Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Australian Open and Olympic titles, will bid for a career Grand Slam at the US Open later this year - where his best result was a semi-final finish in 2008 (l. to Murray).

Nadal becomes the 14th man in the Open Era to win three or more of the four Grand Slam titles and just the fourth man in history to win Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces.

Nadal's Win In Stats

At the age of 22 years and seven months, he is the second youngest man in the Open Era to have won six Grand Slam titles – Bjorn Borg at 22 years and one month was the youngest. He is one of just three players aged 22 or under in the Open Era to win three of the four Grand Slam titles.

Majorca native Nadal is the first Spanish singles champion at the Australian Open in the history of the tournament. He is also first left-hander to triumph since Petr Korda in 1998.

Nadal came into the final having triumphed in the longest ever Australian Open men’s singles match (five hours, 14 minutes) to defeat compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semi-finals. In total he spent nine hours and 37 minutes on court in his final two matches. Goran Ivanisevic was the last player to win back-to-back five-set matches to win a Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2001 (d. Henman SF, d. Rafter F), while Mats Wilander was the last player to do so at the Australian Open, defeating Stefan Edberg in the semi-finals and Pat Cash in the final in 1988.

Iron Man Rafa Goes The Distance

At the end of the four-hour and 22-minute match on Sunday evening, Federer was left to rue only converting six of 19 break point chances – a statistic reminiscent of his losses to Nadal at 2008 Wimbledon, when he missed 12 of 13 break point chances, and at 2007 Roland Garros, when he made just one of 17 count.

"I had many chances. I missed them and they cost me dearly," confessed Federer. "It was a tough match. I don't think I served particularly well, unfortunately. And I think that was the key to the match in the end." Federer made 52 per cent of first serves and served six double faults.

"I think he had more mistakes than me in the fifth [set]," said Nadal. "I was more solid than Roger in the fifth [set]. For that reason I won the match. In the game when I had the first break, he made one important mistake with the backhand on the break point. That was very important for me."

During the presentation ceremony, with Rod Laver present, the emotional Federer could not get his words out and stepped away from the microphone. Once Nadal had received the trophy, he consoled the Swiss and encouraged him to return to the microphone to share his thoughts with the crowd - before later doing so himself.

"I love this game. It means the world to me, so it hurts when you lose," said Federer. "This is one of the matches in my career where I feel like I could have or should have won.

"But you can't go through your whole life as a tennis player taking every victory that's out there. But they hurt even more if you're that close, like at Wimbledon or like here at the Australian Open. So that's what's tough about it. But I have no regrets.

"In the first moment [afterwards] you're disappointed, you're shocked, you're sad then all of a sudden it overwhelms you. The problem is you can't go in the locker room and just take it easy and take a cold shower. You can't. You're stuck out there. It's the worst feeling."

Federer was looking to win his second straight Grand Slam title after capturing his 13th major title at the 2008 US Open with victory over Andy Murray. He was also bidding to become the fifth man in history to win four or more titles at the Australian Open, having previously titled at Melbourne Park in 2004 (d. Safin), 2006 (d. Baghdatis) and 2007 (d. F. Gonzalez).

The Basel native, who has appeared in 14 of the past 15 Grand Slam finals, is just the third man in history – alongside Australians Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver - to reach the final at least three times at all four Grand Slams.

Federer, who was ranked No. 1 in the world for a record 237 weeks, slipped to a 168-26 record in Grand Slam matches – sixth on the Open Era most match-wins list.

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XX mecz (Nadal 13-7)

2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid F. Federer d. Nadal 64 64



After losing his past five matches to Nadal, Federer bounced back in style to end his title drought with a 6-4, 6-4 victory Nadal in the final of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open

Early in the match, Nadal showed no ill-effects from his gripping semi-final with Novak Djokovic – which lasted four hours and three minutes and saw the Spaniard save three match points the night before - as he created a break point in Federer’s first service game courtesy of a couple of wayward forehands from the Swiss.

Federer was able to alleviate the danger on that occasion, and later in the seventh game when Nadal had a second break point chance, before turning the tables on the left-hander as he broke him in the ninth game at his first opportunity. The Bottmingen resident then confidently closed out the set with a love service game, a backhand into the net from Nadal handing the Swiss three set points, and Federer secured the one-set lead with an unreturnable serve.

With the prospect of becoming the first man to defeat Nadal on clay in over a year, Federer kept his focus in the second set and capitalised on Nadal’s ever-increasing fatigue with a drop shot that the Spaniard could not chase down in the fifth game to earn a break point, which he converted as Nadal fired a forehand long.

As Federer continued to raise his level, Nadal fought hard to stay within touching distance of the Swiss and forced Federer to serve for the victory at 5-4. A forehand winner from the Spaniard, yearning to win his second title in Madrid (also 2005), gave him a 15-30 lead and as cries of “Rafa, Rafa, Rafa” echoed round Manolo Santana court, Federer’s forehand found the net to present the Mallorcan with a lifeline in the form of two break-back points.

Undeterred, 2006 Madrid champion Federer played strongly on the break points, forcing Nadal to go for an extra shot and reaping the rewards as the Spaniard made two backhand errors. Federer was denied on his first match point, born from a second-serve ace, as he netted the volley from Nadal’s dipping return. A strong forehand in the ensuing point forced Nadal out wide and his return shot into the net granted Federer a second chance to clinch victory, which he converted with his sixth ace of the match after one hour and 26 minutes.

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Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open
Federer Ends Title Drought In Style



ATP World Tour No. 2 Roger Federer ended his title drought in style on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over rival and reigning ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal in the final of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tennis tournament.

Four-time former Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Champion Federer earned 1000 South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings points towards his bid to qualify for the season finale for a seventh time, while Nadal – who is virtually assured of his participation at the O2 Arena in London - received 600 points and €270,000.

The 27-year-old Federer clinched his first ATP World Tour title since winning his hometown title in Basel (d. Nalbandian) in October 2008. The Swiss was contesting his 80th tour-level final and improved to a 58-22 lifetime mark after capturing his 15th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy. Andre Agassi holds the all-time record with 17 of the coveted shields, while Nadal is tied with Federer on 15.

Federer will now turn his attention to winning a first Roland Garros title and believes the confidence from this win will give him an advantage going into the clay-court Grand Slam: “I am very happy that I remained positive and I got the win I needed badly because I have had some rather bad losses this year in terms of the way I played but I think that everything is falling into place and I felt it coming the last few weeks so it is the right time to get a victory like this.”

Federer was contesting his second tour-level final of the season after finishing runner-up to Nadal in an epic Australian Open final, a loss that denied Federer the chance to equal Pete Sampras’ all-time record of 14 Grand Slam singles titles. The newly-married Federer, who is expecting his first child with wife Mirka Vavrinec in the coming weeks, also reached the semi-finals at Doha (l. to Murray) and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells (l. to Murray), Miami (l. to Djokovic) and Rome (l. to Djokovic).

The victory over ATP World Tour No. 1 Nadal marked Federer’s first success against a Top 4 player since defeating No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals last August.

“In other years it didn´t matter whether I won or lost, I was always one of the top two or favourites," said Federer. "This year it looked like other guys might come moving up but I always knew that I was going to get stronger week by week on clay.

“It´s not the moment to get carried away but it is definitely good for my confidence, especially beating Rafa in the final so it definitely proves that I am doing the right things and I am working extremely hard and it is paying off so it´s a nice feeling. I am very excited about going to Paris, whereas a couple of weeks ago I was still a little bit unsure about my game and not sure if I could win the French Open.”

Early in the match, Nadal showed no ill-effects from his gripping semi-final with Novak Djokovic – which lasted four hours and three minutes and saw the Spaniard save three match points - as he created a break point in Federer’s first service game courtesy of a couple of wayward forehands from the Swiss.

Federer was able to alleviate the danger on that occasion, and later in the seventh game when Nadal had a second break point chance, before turning the tables on the left-hander as he broke him in the ninth game at his first opportunity. The Bottmingen resident then confidently closed out the set with a love service game, a backhand into the net from Nadal handing the Swiss three set points, and Federer secured the one-set lead with an unreturnable serve.

With the prospect of becoming the first man to defeat Nadal on clay in over a year and the chance to stem a five-match losing streak against his rival, Federer kept his focus in the second set and capitalised on Nadal’s ever-increasing fatigue with a drop shot that the Spaniard could not chase down in the fifth game to earn a break point, which he converted as Nadal fired a forehand long.

As Federer continued to raise his level, Nadal fought hard to stay within touching distance of the Swiss and forced Federer to serve for the victory at 5-4. A forehand winner from the Spaniard, yearning to win his second title in Madrid (also 2005), gave him a 15-30 lead and as cries of “Rafa, Rafa, Rafa” echoed round Manolo Santana court, Federer’s forehand found the net to present the Mallorcan with a lifeline in the form of two break-back points.

Undeterred, 2006 Madrid champion Federer played strongly on the break points, forcing Nadal to go for an extra shot and reaping the rewards as the Spaniard made two backhand errors. Federer was denied on his first match point, born from a second-serve ace, as he netted the volley from Nadal’s dipping return. A strong forehand in the ensuing point forced Nadal out wide and his return shot into the net granted Federer a second chance to clinch victory, which he converted with his sixth ace of the match after one hour and 26 minutes.

“I thought I played really well, I think you have to against Rafa on clay, there are no easy ways there,” said Federer. “He is not going to hand it to you and that is what has made him so tough the last few years on this surface. I thought I mixed it up well; I served well and was dangerous on particular return games. I thought I took all the right decisions today and in the end it looked pretty comfortable so it was a perfect win for me.”

Despite a marathon semi-final with Djokovic, Nadal refused to blame his exertions on Saturday evening for the loss: “I never tend to use an excuse and if I’m tired it’s because I played longer than I should have yesterday and today I played less, that’s the way that sport works. The court was very, very fast. When you are lacking that spark, if you’re able to get into the game you can slowly get back and recover but he used his tactic. He went forth from the very beginning and he was better. That’s all there is to it.

“On any court Federer is tough and the conditions here are more favourable for him and if you’re not at a 100%, it’s very difficult to beat him and I think he deserved to win much more than I did today.”

It was Federer’s second victory over Nadal on clay and closed the gap in their head-to-head standings to 13-7 in Nadal’s favour. Federer’s previous clay-court victory over Nadal came in the 2007 Hamburg final, ending the Spaniard’s record streak of 81 matches unbeaten on clay. He and Gaston Gaudio (three times) are the only players to have defeated Nadal on clay at least twice.

The 22-year-old Nadal saw his current clay-court winning streak end at 33 singles match wins, dating back to his second-round loss to Juan Carlos Ferrero at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome on 7 May, 2008.

The Manacor native was bidding to become the first man to win all three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in the same season and earn his fourth Masters 1000 title of the year (also won four in 2005) after triumphing at Indian Wells (d. Murray), Monte-Carlo (d. Djokovic) and Rome (d. Djokovic).

Nadal was contesting his seventh tour-level final of the season in his eighth tournament this year. Together with his three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 victories, he captured his sixth Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open (d. Federer) and won his fifth successive title in Barcelona (d. Ferrer); he finished runner-up to Andy Murray in Rotterdam. The Spaniard dropped to an ATP World Tour-best 41-4 match record (19-1 on clay, 42-4 in sets).

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XXI mecz (Nadal 14-7)

2010 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid F. Nadal d. Federer 64 76(5)



History was on the line as Nadal and Federer resumed their rivalry in the final of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, exactly one year on from their last meeting when Federer had prevailed in straight sets.

Nadal came into the match in devastating form, having surrendered just two sets in 14 clay-court matches in 2010, a run that had seem him crush the most well-respected of players en route to victories in Monte-Carlo and Rome. Federer was to be no exception. The Spaniard may not have been at his best at every stage of the finale, but he raised his level when needed to defeat Federer in straight sets and avenge his defeat in the 2009 final.

Victory for Nadal saw him win a record-breaking 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy and became the first player to complete the sweep of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments (Monte-Carlo, Rome, Madrid) in the same year.

Breaks were exchanged in the third and fourth games of the opening set before Nadal broke decisively in the seventh game as Federer paid the price for a game littered with unforced errors. The second-seeded Nadal then saved four break points as he served out the set, finishing with a hooked forehand passing shot past the stranded Federer.

With a one-set advantage, Nadal looked to have taken a firm grip on the match as he broke Federer in the opening game of the second set, wearing the Swiss down with his relentless attack that forced errors from the World No. 1’s racquet.

Nadal was unable to shut out Federer out. The determined Swiss immediately levelled and when Nadal again broke to lead 3-2, Federer once again pegged him back with a delightful mix of rifling backhands and forehand drop shots.

In the subsequent tie-break, Federer twice squandered a mini-break lead and found himself two match points down as his backhand broke down under relentless pressure from Nadal. The Swiss was able to save the first with a courageous deep forehand into the corner, but could not deny Nadal on the second as he miss-fired to hand the Mallorcan victory after two hours and 10 minutes.

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MUTUA MADRILENA MADRID OPEN
Nadal Achieves Historic Triumph With Victory Over Federer
Madrid, Spain


Rafael Nadal shows his delight at winning
his 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy.

At the age of 23 years and 11 months, Rafael Nadal won a record-breaking 18th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title as he defeated rival Roger Federer 6-4, 7-6(5), in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 final Sunday at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open.

Watched by Queen Sofia of Spain, Nadal also became the first player to win all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court tournaments in the same year, having triumphed at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Verdasco) and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Ferrer) last month.

"Well to be the first player to [win all three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments] is unbelievable," said Nadal. "I would never have dreamed that I would be able to do so. I’m very happy to have won here and it is especially important to have won in Madrid.

"Beating Roger is always a special occasion. It’s always a very difficult match. And of course winning at home is very special against anyone. So beating him at home is amazing; it’s a dream for me. For me it’s a dream to have won the three [tournaments] before Roland Garros. I want to enjoy that now and we’ll see what happens in two weeks."

As champion, the second-seeded Nadal received 1000 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and was already assured of returning to the No. 2 ranking by reaching the final in Madrid. The Top 8 players at the end of the season will qualify for the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 21-28 November.

Victory for Nadal avenged the defeat he suffered to Federer in the Madrid final last year, the first year the event was played on clay at the Caja Magica in the Spanish capital. The Spaniard improved to a 28-2 mark in tour-level clay-court finals, with his two defeats both coming to Federer; he also lost to the Swiss in the 2007 Hamburg title match.

With 28 tour-level clay-court titles, Nadal moved into a tie for fifth place with Ivan Lendl and Ilie Nastase in the Open Era clay-court title leaders list. Guillermo Vilas holds the record with 45 titles.

In their first clash for a year, Nadal and Federer, who had both come through three-set tussles in the semi-finals, struggled to find their form in the opening exchanges of their 21st meeting. Breaks were exchanged in the third and fourth games before Nadal broke decisively in the seventh game as Federer paid the price for a game littered with unforced errors. The second-seeded Nadal then saved four break points as he served out the set, finishing with a hooked forehand passing shot past the stranded Federer.

With a one-set advantage, Nadal looked to have taken a firm grip on the match as he broke Federer in the opening game of the second set, wearing the Swiss down with his relentless attack that forced errors from the World No. 1’s racquet.

Nadal was unable to shut out Federer out. The determined Swiss immediately levelled and when Nadal again broke to lead 3-2, Federer once again pegged him back with a delightful mix of rifling backhands and forehand drop shots.

In the subsequent tie-break, Federer twice squandered a mini-break lead and found himself two match points down as his backhand broke down under relentless pressure from Nadal. The Swiss was able to save the first with a courageous deep forehand into the corner, but could not deny Nadal on the second as he miss-fired to hand the Mallorcan victory after two hours and 10 minutes.

"Neither of us played a perfect match, we both made mistakes," reflected Nadal. "At times we did play well but I think we know each other so much that we are only focusing on how to make each other play worse. I go for his backhand and that makes the match more strategic and it's been quite an exciting match. It was a very exciting match, a very level match, as is usually the case, and playing against Roger is a very special experience and quite an honour.”

Nadal lifted the trophy in Madrid for the second time, having previously triumphed in a fifth-set tie-break against Ivan Ljubicic on indoor hard court in 2005. Federer is also a two-time winner in Madrid, lifting the trophy in 2006 (d. Gonzalez) and 2009.

The 28-year-old Federer was looking to draw level with Nadal and Andre Agassi by winning a 17th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. He was also bidding to capture his first title since clinching his 16th Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open (d. Murray) at the start of the year.

The right-hander slipped to a 19-6 record on the season and to a 62-25 mark in tour-level finals. He will hope to rejoin the winners’ circle by defending his title at Roland Garros, which begins in one week’s time in Paris.

"Considering where I was last week (when he lost to Albert Montanes in the Estoril semi-finals) this has been a major improvement for me," said Federer. "The fact is I hardly ever play a lefty on clay and nobody as tough as Rafa. So it’s obviously not easy to make that transition and I thought I did it very well today.

"He came in with tons of confidence having done so well on clay this season, I knew it was going to be tough; but I really believed in my chance. I was maybe a couple points away here and there, but just got broken one too many times today. But I’m pretty happy with the way I played. I’ve played great this week so I definitely come out of this tournament with tons of confidence."

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XXII mecz (Nadal 14-8)

2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals F. Federer d. Nadal 63 36 61

After losing six of his past seven matches to Nadal, Federer badly needed victory over the Spaniard in the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title match to defend his honour. With coach Paul Annacone in his corner for the first time against Nadal, an ultra-aggressive Federer came out firing off both wings, blasting 14 winners to two in the first set.

Never before had Federer hit his backhand with such authority against Nadal, and appropriately the Swiss cracked a crosscourt topspin backhand winner to break Nadal for a 5-3 lead. Federer’s intensity and assertiveness waned in the second set as Nadal forced a decider, but when Federer returned to his aggressive ways in the third, he ran away with the match.

Federer joins Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras as the only players to have won five Barclays ATP World Tour Finals titles.

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BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS
Federer Defeats Rival Nadal To Win Fifth Title At Season Finale
London, England


Roger Federer roars in delight after winning
his fifth title at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

World No. 2 Roger Federer won his fifth title at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday when he defeated Rafael Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in a gripping finale at The O2 in London.

The Swiss also won the coveted year-end championships in 2003 (d. Agassi) and 2004 (d. Hewitt) in Houston and again in 2006 (d. Blake) and 2007 (d. Ferrer) in Shanghai. He was also the runner-up in 2005 and has compiled a staggering 34-7 event record. He is the third player in the tournament’s 41-year history to win the title five times, joining Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.

As the undefeated champion of the world’s biggest indoor tennis tournament, Federer received 1,500 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and the maximum amount of $1,630,000 in prize money. It is the fourth time that he has been crowned the undefeated champion at the season finale, having dropped only one set this week.

It was the first time for 24 years that the Top 2 players on the ATP World Tour had contested the title match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. In 1986, No. 1 Ivan Lendl defeated No. 2 Boris Becker. Federer recorded his eighth win in 22 career meetings with Nadal (Nadal leads 14-8); he also defeated the Spaniard at the season finale in the semi-finals in 2006 and 2007. He came into the match having lost six of his past seven matches with the Spaniard.

"I always believed in a plan from start to finish," said Federer. "Like at the first match I came out and played against [David] Ferrer, I think I always stayed true to how I wanted to play. It was the same thing today. Even though I lost the second set, I'm really happy the way I stayed positive throughout the match today. I thought it was clearly a very high level. I don't know if I could have played any better, so I'm really pleased.

"It was interesting the way he played. But I stayed offensive. I knew in the long run that could be vital, which it was at the end, so I'm very happy."

Nadal was full of praise for the Swiss. "He played unbelievable," said the Spaniard. "He was unplayable I think in this first set. I just can congratulate him for his victory and another great tournament for him. He played unbelievable during all the week without losing a set, being in the final. So his level was very high. I tried my best this afternoon, but he was better than me."

Such was the excitement surrounding a Federer-Nadal finale at The O2 that the 17,500 Centre Court crowd featured many celebrities, including footballing legend Diego Maradona, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, American actor Kevin Spacey, Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York.

Federer struck the first blow in the contest, breaking serve with an angled backhand winner crosscourt to lead 5-3 in the first set. After conceding the opener, Nadal fought back strongly, breaking serve in the fourth game of the second set before going on to level the match with a sliced backhand past the net-rushing Federer. The Spaniard was powerless against Federer’s brilliance in the final set, though, and the Swiss broke serve twice to seal victory in one hour and 37 minutes.

The 29-year-old Federer came into the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on a red-hot run of form that had seen him lose just two matches since squandering two match points in a five-set defeat to Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals. His 21 victories since then is the highest number of wins he has ever recorded post the US Open.

The Basel native won his fifth tour-level title of the year, and the 66th of his career. By winning his 16th Grand Slam singles crown at the Australian Open (d. Murray) in January, Federer opened and closed his season with two of the game’s biggest titles for the fourth time. He also bookended his 2004, 2006 and 2007 seasons with victories at the Australian Open and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Federer’s three other titles this season came at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati (d. Fish), the If Stockholm Open (d. Mayer) and the Swiss Indoors Basel (d. Djokovic). He closes 2010 with a 65-13 match record and will finish in the Top 2 of the South African Airways ATP Rankings for a record eighth-straight year.



The 24-year-old Nadal commented before the tournament that it would be tougher for him to win the season finale than to win a Grand Slam championship, and it proved to be the case for the left-hander, despite an unbeaten run to his first final. In the semi-finals he contested one of the best matches of the season with British favourite Andy Murray, before prevailing in a third-set tie-break.

Defeat in the final for Nadal brings the curtain down on what has been one of the finest seasons by any player in the Open Era (since 1968). The Mallorcan has won seven tour-level titles from nine finals, with his triumphs including three successive Grand Slam championships at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, and a clean sweep of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments. He closes with a 71-10 match record.

The total attendance for the tournament was 253,123.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... Title.aspx

[robpal]

XXIII mecz (Nadal 15-8)

2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami SF. Nadal d. Federer 63 62



Nadal and Federer met in the United States for the first time in six years when they contested the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open. Federer had won their two previous meetings on U.S. soil, both at Crandon Park in 2004 and 2005, but it was Nadal who prevailed in their most recent encounter.

The Spaniard was practically unbeatable on serve, especially in the first set, winning 16 of his 18 service points. The World No. 1 was effective in his return games, taking both break point opportunities to wrap up the opening set in 34 minutes. He then broke the Swiss twice more in the second set to claim victory in 78 minutes.

While Nadal played well, Federer made uncharacteristic mistakes, on both wings, framing several shots and missing spots he normally hits. “I had a few mini chances, which against Rafa I was down right away,” said Federer. “From then it was an uphill battle. When I did have chances I played poorly and he came up with some good stuff. Off night for me, unfortunately.”

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CURRENT NEWS
Nadal Tops Federer To Set Djokovic Final
Miami, USA


Rafael Nadal advances to face
Novak Djokovic in the final.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal produced one of his best performances against chief rival Roger Federer on a hard court, knocking out the two-time Sony Ericsson Open champion 6-3, 6-2 to advance into his third career final in Miami. The win evens their hard court head-to-head series at four wins apiece, and Nadal now owns a 2-1 advantage over the Swiss in the United States, with all of their meetings coming at Crandon Park. “In general, I think I played a very, very good match, very solid and serious,” said a pleased Nadal. "The first set especially I think I played very, very good.”

The Spaniard was practically unbeatable on serve, especially in the first set, winning 16 of his 18 service points. The World No. 1 was effective in his return games, taking both break point opportunities to wrap up the opening set in 34 minutes.

Federer earned his first break point opportunity of the match on Nadal’s opening service game of the second set but didn’t convert. The Spaniard was back to work again, breaking Federer to move ahead 2-0 and it was pretty much over from then on. Fans of the 16-time major champion did their best to pump up their favorite player – chants of ‘Roger, Roger’ echoed throughout the 14,638-person crowd - but he was unable to find any rhythm, cracking far more unforced errors than winners.

While Nadal played well, Federer made uncharacteristic mistakes, on both wings, framing several shots and missing spots he normally hits. “I had a few mini chances, which against Rafa I was down right away,” said Federer. “From then it was an uphill battle. When I did have chances I played poorly and he came up with some good stuff. Off night for me, unfortunately.”

Nadal echoed similar thoughts. “[In the] second set I think he played worse. He had more mistakes than usual. He tried to play shorter points, so I think second set he didn't play well.”

“I was playing very good from the baseline, without mistakes with my forehand, playing aggressive, so wasn't an easy situation [for him] when [he was] back all the time in the score.”

In the final, Nadal will play World No. 2 Novak Djokovic in a rematch of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells two weeks ago. Djokovic won that contest in three sets and has won 25 consecutive matches, 23 of which have come in 2011. “I felt I had a chance last week in Indian Wells,” Nadal said Friday night.

“I lost a little bit the focus and the rhythm in the second set, the intensity of the legs and of the shots, so I started to play a little bit more defensive. Against a player like Novak, it’s impossible to win the match playing like this.”

It’s the first time since 1995 that Indian Wells and Miami feature the same two finalists. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras advanced to both finals 16 years ago, splitting the tournaments – Sampras won at Indian Wells and Agassi avenged the loss in Miami.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... Final.aspx

[robpal]

XXIV mecz (Nadal 16-8)

2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid SF. Nadal d. Federer 57 61 63



Nadal and Federer had contested the final of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tennis tournament the past two years, with Federer triumphing in 2009 and Nadal avenging that defeat in 2010.

Federer was looking for revenge after a heavy defeat to Nadal in their previous meeting in the Miami semi-finals, and overcame a spate of early unforced errors to fight from a set down and claim the opening set. The Swiss could not maintain his high level, though, and Nadal’s response was immediate as he raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set before levelling the match.

The third-seeded Federer squandered an early break point chance in the third set, and immediately rued his missed opportunity as Nadal broke through in the following game to lead 3-1. Federer had the crowd at the Caja Magica on the edge of their seats as he engineered a late fight back in the ninth game, winning a 20-shot rally to earn break back point as Nadal served for the match. But the Basel native dumped a backhand return in the net and the reprieved Nadal went on to claim victory in two hours and 36 minutes.

It was the defending champion who came out on top as he fought from a set down to defeat Federer 5-7, 6-1, 6-3. Nadal’s victory from behind reversed the trend in the Federer-Nadal rivalry that had seen the winner of the first set go on to win their previous 12 clashes.

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MUTUA MADRID OPEN 2011
Nadal Holds Off Federer For Final Berth
Madrid, Spain



Rafael Nadal celebrates his second successive
victory over Roger Federer.

He was pushed close by Roger Federer, but World No. 1 Rafael Nadal remains unbeaten on clay in 37 successive matches after holding off his Swiss rival to prevail 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open.

"I don’t think it was our best match for either of us, I think we both made some errors, more than usual," reflected Nadal. "The difference between the good players and the best ones is that when you play badly you win; that is what the best players do. I think that at moments Roger played very aggressive and great tennis and in other moments he had more mistakes than usual. So the match was a little bit up and down, but for sure it’s always a special match against each other. It’s a pleasure to play against him – always an honour."

The Spaniard lost the first set for just the second time in his past 37 clay-court matches, but rebounded strongly to record his second win in two meetings with Federer this season. Victory from behind also reversed the trend in the Federer-Nadal rivalry that had seen the winner of the first set go on to win their past 12 clashes.

The 29-year-old Federer was hoping to be the player to snap a Nadal clay-court winning streak for the third time, having ended the Spaniard’s 81-match winning run in Hamburg in 2007 and halting him on 33 successive clay wins in the 2009 Madrid final. Nadal’s last loss on a clay court came at the hands of Sweden’s Robin Soderling in the 2009 Roland Garros fourth round. In that time he has lost just four sets.

The 24-year-old Nadal will now look to win the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown in Madrid for a third time, after success in 2005 over Ivan Ljubicic and against Federer last year. The Spaniard will come up against World No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the final.

"For me to start the clay season with two victories and now a final in the third tournament, which may be less favorable for me, is a very good result," said Nadal. "I have to make the extra effort and tomorrow will be an important match. The fact that I am playing at home is special and well its another final at an [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 [tournament] and I will fight until the end.

"I've got the illusion of winning, of playing a good game, the illusion of being competitive, as I always do when I go out to win a match. I'm very much aware that in the last two finals against him I lost and maybe the conditions suit him a bit more now because of that. Here I think the conditions here are a bit more in his favour. I plan to accept this and all the difficulties that will surely be there and accept that this is going to be a very complicated match that I could lose even playing well."

There was a sombre mood around the Manolo Santana Court prior to the first semi-final match, as a tribute to Spanish golfing legend Seve Ballesteros, who passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning, visibly moved Nadal to tears.

The Mallorcan quickly composed himself, though, and raced to a break advantage aided by an early spate of unforced errors from Federer. However, the Swiss settled into his game mid-set and his controlled aggression paid dividends in the eighth game as he broke Nadal to draw level at 4-4. Federer then recovered from a 0/40 deficit in the 11th game before stealing a one-set lead by breaking Nadal in the following game.

The reigning champion’s response was immediate. Nadal raised his level and to Federer’s frustration, broke the Swiss in his first game of the second set as he opened up a 3-0 lead. Having lost the momentum, Federer reverted to yielding too many errors and paid the price as an improved Nadal levelled the match, having committed just three unforced errors to Federer’s 16.

The No. 3-ranked Federer had the opportunity to strike first in the decider, but sprayed a backhand long as Nadal held on to lead 2-1. The Swiss was made to rue his missed chance immediately as Nadal then broke through in the fourth game for a 3-1 advantage.

Federer had the crowd at the Caja Magica on the edge of their seats as he engineered a late fight back in the ninth game, winning a 20-shot rally to earn break-back point as Nadal served for the match. But the Basel native dumped a backhand return in the net and the reprieved Nadal went on to claim victory in two hours and 36 minutes.



Nadal is through to his fifth successive ATP World Tour final. After returning from an injury lay-off post the Australian Open, the left-hander reached back-to-back finals at Indian Wells and Miami, losing out to Djokovic on both occasions. He then opened his European clay-court campaign with a seventh successive title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters before winning a sixth Barcelona crown, defeating countryman David Ferrer both times. He improved to a 32-4 match record on the season.

Federer was looking to reach his third final of the season, having won his 67th tour-level title in Doha (d. Davydenko) and finished runner-up in Dubai (l. to Djokovic). The Basel native dropped to a 27-6 season mark.

"I thought Rafa played well and me too at times so it was a good match," said Federer. "It was it a good first set and even the second set at 6-1 doesn’t tell the truth and the third as well. I felt it was very close. Maybe the result doesn’t show as much but I thought I was right here.

"I think overall I played okay, I played the right way and at times it all worked and sometimes it didn’t just because of Rafa’s high level of play. He plays from start to finish on clay really solid and that was to be expected."

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... n-SFs.aspx

[robpal]

XXV mecz (Nadal 17-8)

2011 Roland Garros F. Nadal d. Federer 75 76(3) 57 61



Nadal and Federer contested a Grand Slam final for the eighth time when they met in the Roland Garros final, and it was Nadal who prevailed as he finished strongly to end Federer’s bid for a second title at the clay-court major in three hours and 40 minutes. The Spaniard had also beaten Nadal in the Roland Garros final from 2006-2008.

Having ended Novak Djokovic’s 41-match unbeaten run in 2011 in the semi-finals, Federer hoped his top form would be enough to dethrone Nadal in Paris and made a strong start as he raced to a 5-2 lead. The Swiss squandered a set point chance in the eighth game, though, and it sparked the Nadal comeback as the Spaniard reeled off five straight games to take the opener.

Nadal capitalised on his momentum to break early in the second set, and was serving for the set at 5-4, deuce, when a heavy shower suspended play for 10 minutes. Upon resumption Federer broke back, but Nadal regained his composure in the tie-break to take a commanding two-set lead.

The top-seeded Nadal broke through in the sixth game of the third set, but had no chance to build on his lead as the resilient Federer immediately struck back with a service break to love. The Swiss then delighted the Philippe Chatrier court crowd, and stunned Nadal, as he won four of the next five games to claw his way back into the match.

The key stage in the fourth set came in the opening game as Federer squandered a 0/40 opportunity on Nadal’s serve. From there the tide swiftly turned in Nadal’s favour as he broke serve twice, dominating the baseline rallies as he raced through to claim victory.

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ROLAND GARROS 2011
Nadal Denies Federer To Win Sixth Roland Garros Crown
Paris, France


Rafael Nadal won his 10th Grand Slam championship.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal won a record-equalling sixth Roland Garros crown on Sunday as he defeated rival Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-1 in Sunday’s final in Paris.

The 25-year-old Nadal joined Bjorn Borg as the second player in history to win six titles at the clay-court Grand Slam championship. The Spaniard won four successive titles from 2005-2008 (defeating Federer in the ’06-’08 finals) and regained his trophy last year with victory over Robin Soderling.

"For me it's something very special to equal the six titles of Bjorn, for sure," said Nadal. "But for me, the most important thing is to win Roland Garros. It's really an honour to have this record with him. I am going to keep working to be here next year and to try to play well another time."

Victory for Nadal guarantees him the No. 1 spot in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings on Monday. Had Federer won, Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic would have climbed to the top of the rankings.

Just three days after his 25th birthday, Nadal won his 10th major singles title in his 12th final. In addition to his six victories in Paris, the Mallorcan has won Wimbledon twice, in 2008 and 2010, he lifted the Australian Open trophy in 2009, and last year completed the career Grand Slam with victory at the US Open. His only defeats in Grand Slam finals have come against Federer, at Wimbledon in 2006-2007.

He is the second youngest player, behind Borg to win 10 Grand Slam championships; Borg was 24 years and 30 days old when he won his 10th title at 1980 Wimbledon. The Swede was also just one day younger than Nadal when he won his sixth Roland Garros title in 1981.

Nadal came into Roland Garros having fallen slightly short of his perfect standards from the year before. In 2010 the left-hander had completed a clean sweep of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome, but this year was beaten by Djokovic in the finals at Madrid and Rome.

The Manacor native was then taken to five sets at Roland Garros for the first time when American John Isner forced him to fight back from two-sets-to-one down in the first round. He fought through his early difficulties, though, and it was vintage Nadal who dismantled Andy Murray in the semi-finals before defeating Federer in three hours and 40 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday.

"What I said one week ago is I am going to put in everything to try to change the situation, to try to play better, and that's what I did,' said Nadal. "I try my best in every moment with the right attitude all the time, so finally I was able to play my best when I needed my best.

"So for that reason, today I am here with the trophy. very happy for that. It's a big personal satisfaction to win this tournament, especially when you started without playing your best. My mind was open to change the situation, so that makes the victory probably more special. So in general, very, very happy for everything."

World No. 3 Federer was bidding to win his 17th major title and triumph at Roland Garros for the second time, having beaten Soderling in the 2009 final to complete the career Grand Slam. It was his fourth runner-up finish at Roland Garros, and his seventh defeat in a major final.

"When I went into the rain delay, I was down basically two sets almost," reflected Federer. "I almost saved myself, but I'm very competitive, and I thought he was getting tired throughout the third set and also in the fourth. It was unfortunate I couldn't take my chances early on in the fourth. Rafa played well and deserved the win today.

"Today was a very good match. Overall obviously I'm very happy about the tournament. Obviously you should be disappointed after losing in a Grand Slam final. Obviously I feel that a little bit today. He's a great champion on clay especially, and I am happy with my tournament."

The Swiss, who had been somewhat eclipsed by the achievements of Nadal and Djokovic in the lead-up to Roland Garros, hit his stride in Paris as he advanced to the final having spent just 12 hours and 52 minutes on court, compared to 17 hours and 17 minutes for Nadal. In the semi-finals, Federer had ended Djokovic’s 41-match winning streak in 2011 with victory in four sets to reach his first Grand Slam final since beating Murray at the 2010 Australian Open.

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[robpal]

XXVI mecz (Nadal 17-9)

2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals RR. Federer d. Nadal 63 60



Federer won his first match over Nadal since the championship match at the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals by hitting 28 winners to four in a 60-minute win. The straight-sets victory ensured the Swiss a place in the semi-finals at the circuit finale.

Federer broke Nadal's serve to love for a 4-2 lead and went onto close out the first set in 32 minutes, having hit 12 winners - including nine off the forehand wing - and winning 17 of 21 first service points. Federer ran through the second set, as Nadal won just nine of 35 total points. The 30-year-old Swiss committed just eight unforced errors and hit seven aces.

Federer has now beaten Nadal in their four indoor meetings, all of which have come at the season finale.

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BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS 2011
Federer Stuns Nadal, Qualifies For SFs
London, England


Defending champion Roger Federer qualified for the semi-finals on Tuesday.

Five-time titlist and defending champion Roger Federer qualified for the semi-finals at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over his great rival, second seed Rafael Nadal.

Federer won his first match over Nadal since last year's final at the year-end championship, by hitting 28 winners to four in a 60-minute win. It was their fifth meeting in England. Nadal leads 17-9 in their series.

"It was a great match for me basically from start to finish," said Federer. "I was able to do what I was hoping to do: dominate from the baseline, play close to the baseline, serve well, take his time away. [It] hasn't always worked.

"I always knew I could beat Rafa. The question is sometimes it was hard to do because he has a big say, as well, in how the matches go. The quicker the court, the more I favour myself. Maybe Rafa didn't play his very best tonight. But on an indoor court, it all happens very quickly as we saw at the end. For me it was an exciting match to play."

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Third seed Federer broke Nadal's serve to love for a 4-2 lead and went onto close out the first set in 32 minutes, having hit 12 winners - including nine off the forehand wing - and winning 17 of 21 first service points.

Federer ran through the second set, as Nadal won just nine of 35 total points. The 30-year-old Swiss committed just eight unforced errors and hit seven aces to improve his perfect indoor record to 13-0 in 2011.

It was the third time Federer had won a 6-0 set against Nadal in 26 meetings (also 2006 Wimbledon and 2007 Hamburg). Nadal recorded a 6-0 set over Federer in the 2008 Roland Garros final.

Federer-Nadal: The Rivalry

"The score is true, and today he played too good for me," said Nadal. "Just accept that today when you play against Federer and he's playing like this, the only way to stay in the match is have free points with the serve, because for the rest his level was too high in this surface. And I didn't had these free points as usual."

Federer could overtake Andy Murray as year-end No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings by reaching the final at The O2.

He has a 61-12 match record on the season, highlighted by three ATP World Tour titles at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha (d. Davydenko), the Swiss Indoors Basel (d. Nishikori) and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris (d. Tsonga).

DEUCE Magazine - Federer: Renaissance Man

Nadal, who plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Thursday, drops to a 67-14 season mark. He has won three tour-level titles this year, including a sixth trophy at Roland Garros (d. Federer). Making his fifth appearance at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, Nadal has a 9-9 event record.

"Is not the moment to say good bye," said Nadal. "Is not the moment to go down; is the moment to keep fighting. I'm still in the tournament. I still have the chance to be in the semi-finals because if I win the next match I will be in semi-finals. So it's the moment to keep fighting with positive attitude and is the moment to accept when [Federer] plays like this he is better than me."

Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York watched the match.

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[robpal]

XXVII mecz (Nadal 18-9)

2012 Australian Open SF. Nadal d. Federer 67(5) 62 76(5) 64



In the most eagerly awaited clash of the championships, second seed Nadal battled back from a 1-4 deficit in the first set to reach a tie-break. Third seed Federer took an early advantage, and while Nadal saved two set points at 3-6, the Swiss converted his third opportunity after 56 minutes of play.

Both players exchanged breaks of serve early in the second set, but Nadal won five straight games from 2-2 to seize control. From 5-2 in the second set to 0-1, 0/40, in the third, Nadal won 11 straight points. Federer saved three break points in the second game and broke for a 4-3 lead, but dropped his serve to 15 in the next game. He saved one set point at 5-6, 30/40 with a powerful crosscourt forehand winner, but in the tie-break Nadal stormed into a 6-1 lead. Federer won four straight points, but Nadal eventually won the 67-minute set when his opponent hit a sliced forehand - under pressure - into the net.

In a highly competitive fourth set, Nadal converted his second break point opportunity when Federer hit a backhand wide at 4-4, advantage. Nadal weathered a storm when serving for a place in his 15th Grand Slam championship final, by saving two break points. Federer hit a backhand long to give Nadal victory in three hours and 42 minutes. It was their 10th meeting at a major championship.

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Nadal Beats Federer, Reaches Second Australian Open Final
Melbourne, Australia


Rafael Nadal is through to his second
Australian Open final.

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal reached the Australian Open final for the second time on Thursday night in Melbourne as he defeated long-time rival Roger Federer 6-7(5), 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4.

It was only the seventh time in their 27 meetings that the player who did not win the first set went on to clinch the match. It saw Nadal extend his FedEx ATP Head2Head lead over Federer to 18-9.

"I am very happy about my results these two weeks," said Nadal. "I did much better than I thought [I would, than] what I dreamed [about] three weeks ago. So [I'm] very happy for everything. It's a fantastic victory for me. [I'm] very, very happy playing against the greatest [player] in [tennis] history in semi-finals. It's one of the victories that's going to stay in my mind forever. It's a fantastic way to start the season."

The 25-year-old Nadal is through to his fourth successive major final, and 15th overall, and is bidding for his 11th Grand Slam championship. He won the Australian Open trophy in 2009, defeating Federer in the final. His last major title came at 2011 Roland Garros, where he triumphed for a record-equalling sixth time with victory over Federer. He then followed with runner-up showings at Wimbledon and the US Open, falling to Novak Djokovic on both occasions.

In the final, Nadal will face either World No. 1 and defending champion Djokovic, or two-time runner-up Andy Murray. The second semi-final will be decided on Friday night on Rod Laver Arena.

In their 27th meeting, it was Federer who made the faster start, punishing Nadal with his forehand and he was quick to close out the points at the net. He was rewarded with an early service break and quickly opened up a 4-1 lead. Nadal responded, though, imposing himself from the baseline and hurting Federer with high forehands into the Swiss’ one-handed backhand. He drew level in the eighth game and forced the set into a tie-break. Federer took an early lead in the tie-break and did not relinquish it. Nadal saved two set points at 3-6, but Federer converted his third chance as the Spaniard over hit a backhand long after 56 minutes.

"I think he started playing aggressively," said Nadal afterwards. "[A] very, very high level at the beginning of the match. But I really felt that when he plays like that, it's almost impossible to rise there to that level. But after the first three games I started to have the chance to hit balls, to play with a little bit [of] my rhythm, so I started to hit a few good forehands. After that moment I felt that the level started to be closer and closer."



Federer looked to be taking charge of the match as he capitalised on his momentum by breaking Nadal to love in the opening game of the second set. Nadal’s response was immediate, though, breaking Federer straight back to love for 1-1. "After the [first game of the second set], I think I started to play aggressively," said Nadal. "I started to play my game finally. I had the chance to move him [around] a little bit more. Open the court [up] from his forehand after changing to his backhand."

Federer squandered a break point chance in the fifth game as he framed a forehand long, and rued his missed opportunity when Nadal went up 0/40 in the following game, converting the break on his third chance with a forehand passing shot back behind Federer. There was a 10-minute break after Nadal opened up a 5-2 lead, as Melbourne celebrated Australia Day with a firework display. It was the Spaniard who responded better at the resumption, breaking Federer to love to clinch the set and level the match.

Federer would lose 11 straight points after the break for the fireworks, and as such found himself 0-1, 0/40 down at the start of the third set. The 16-time Grand Slam champion produced clutch tennis to hold serve, though, and went on to break Nadal in a seventh game lasting more than eight minutes, converting his fourth break point chance to lead 4-3. However, for the third time in the match, Federer was unable to hold on to his break advantage, and immediately surrendered serve as Nadal levelled at 4-4. Federer saved a set point on serve in the 12th game to force a tie-break, but quickly fell behind 6-1 to Nadal, who capitalised on forehand errors that had troubled Federer for much of the set. The Basel native rallied from 1-6 to 5-6, but Nadal clinched the set on his fifth opportunity after 67 minutes as Federer netted a forehand under pressure.

Federer was threatened early in the fourth set as Nadal looked to impose his momentum quickly. The 30 year old fended off break point in the third game, and rallied from a 15/40 deficit in the fifth game to hold for 3-2. He then missed a break point chance of his own in the eighth game, teeing up on a short forehand, but missing the court by millimetres. Nadal made his breakthrough in the ninth game, converting as Federer hooked a backhand wide. The Spaniard then served out a nervy final game, saving two break points before triumphing on his second match point as Federer hit a forehand long after three hours and 42 minutes.

When asked whether he plays his best tennis against Federer, Nadal admitted, "I think sometimes. I play my best tennis against him when I am ready to play my best tennis. I don't play my best tennis because it's Roger.

"It's true I played a lot of good matches against him during my career, so [it] is something fantastic. But I believe that he played a few fantastic matches against me too during his career, during our rivalry. I enjoy playing against him. It's always a special feeling because our matches always have been special, and especially today."



It was the 10th time the pair had clashed at a Grand Slam championship, and the first time in a major semi-final since 2005 Roland Garros, when Nadal won in four sets.

"I thought Rafa played well from start to finish, really," said Federer. "I started really well myself. It was obviously a big set for me to win, and missed obviously the opportunities in some of all the sets maybe. But Rafa did well to hang in there. At the end was a bit better. It was a tough match physically as well, but [it's] only beginning of the season. I'm feeling all right, so it's okay."

World No. 3 Federer was contesting an Open Era record ninth consecutive Australian Open semi-final and was bidding to reach the final at Melbourne Park for the sixth time. He won four titles in 2004 (d. Safin), 2006 (d. Baghdatis), 2007 (d. Gonzalez) and 2010 (d. Murray), and was runner-up to Nadal in 2009. He also fell at the semi-final stage last year against Djokovic.

Federer finished the 2011 ATP World Tour season as the form player, clinching titles at the Swiss Indoors Basel (d. Nishikori), the BNP Paribas Masters (d. Tsonga) and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (d. Tsonga). He came into Melbourne bidding to win his 17th Grand Slam championship.

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[robpal]

XXVIII mecz (Nadal 18-10)

2012 BNP Paribas Open SF. Federer d. Nadal 63 64



After needing to save two break points in his first service game, Federer opened up a 3-0 lead and though Nadal got back on serve in the fifth game, Federer broke for a second time to go up 5-3 and served out the set.

With the winds picking up, Federer broke Nadal at love in the third game of the second set. A Nadal double fault from the same end of the court set up another break point for Federer, and the Swiss took advantage to go up 5-2. Nadal prevented Federer from serving out the match at the first time of asking, but could not hold him off a second time. "I know how well I played tonight, so I'm just really pleased with my performance," said Federer.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... valry.aspx

Pełny raport z meczu:

Spoiler:

BNP PARIBAS OPEN 2012
Federer Beats Nadal To Reach Final
Indian Wells, U.S.A.


Roger Federer faced
Rafael Nadal for the 28th time.

Roger Federer reached the final for the fourth time at the BNP Paribas Open after defeating rival Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 Saturday in their first encounter in Indian Wells. The Swiss, a winner of three consecutive tournament titles from 2004-06, will play American title hope John Isner on Sunday.

"Very happy that a tough week like this gives me an opportunity to win the tournament," said Federer. "Really it's unbelievable that I never thought I would come so far. It's been a great week so far, and it's another opportunity tomorrow to make it even more special. Obviously conditions were tough today, and against one of my greatest rivals, it's always nice if you come out on top, so I'm very, very happy."

Similar to his quarter-final match against Juan Martin del Potro a day earlier, Federer needed to save two break points in his first service game. He opened up a 3-0 lead, and though Nadal got back on serve in the fifth game, Federer broke for a second time to go up 5-3 and served out the set.

With the winds picking up, Federer broke Nadal at love in the third game of the second set. A Nadal double-fault from the same end of the court set up another break point for Federer, and the Swiss took advantage to go up 5-2. Nadal prevented Federer from serving out the match at the first time of asking, but could not hold him off a second time.

"I was feeling the ball great. I felt I'm ready to compete and ready to win the match, but later the crazy wind [made it ] very difficult for me to play with a clear tactic," Nadal admitted. "I lost court, I had more mistakes, and I think he played very aggressive. He played fantastic. His serve was with high percentage, and I wasn't able to play my usual tactic against him with that conditions. He hit the balls, every one inside the court, and the weather conditions makes the topspin more difficult for me."

The weather also contributed to an interesting conclusion to the match. A light rainfall halted play for a few minutes after Nadal netted a return to give Federer match point. As soon as the ball kids dried the lines, the Swiss wasted no time clinching the one hour, 31-minute victory, firing an ace to finish off his opponent. Federer now trails Nadal 10-18 in career meetings.

"He played a great game to come back into the match, and he played also a good game at 5-4," he said. "I knew it was going to be tough serving it out. Obviously there is a bit more relief on top of that with the wait, having to wait at 30/40. That was special in itself. I know how well I played tonight, so I'm just really pleased with my performance."

Federer, who won a record 250th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 match on Friday, will now have an opportunity to tie Nadal’s record 19 Masters 1000 titles. He closed in on the Spaniard’s mark with his triumph at last November’s BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.

The 30 year old leads the circuit with a 21-2 mark in 2012, and has won 38 of his past 40 matches since a semi-final exit at the US Open. His two losses came against Nadal in the Australian Open semi-finals and to Isner in Davis Cup action last month.

"I know how difficult it's going to be tomorrow," he said. "John is playing great tennis at the moment, and I'm sure for a long period of time. It's great and exciting for American tennis, and I'm happy it's happening in the final, this rematch for me. I look forward to that a lot."

Nadal was also attempting to reach his fourth Indian Wells final. He won the title in 2007 and ’09, and finished runner-up to Djokovic last year.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... Clash.aspx

[Samurray]

[Barty]

STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.05.2012 rok

(wiek 25 lat, 11 miesięcy)

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 49/15 - 48/21
(Masters/Finały) 13/5 - 20/10
(WTF/Finały) 3/1 - 0/1
(GS/Finały) 11/2 - 10/5
Ranking 1 - 2
Ilość tyg jako #1: 181 - 102
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 3 - 2

Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.07.2007 r.

[wyczesany]

FORBES TOP 100
Federer, Nadal Make Forbes' Top 100 List
Most Powerful Celebrities



Roger Federer remains the highest-placed tennis player on the Forbes' Top 100 list.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both made the grade in Forbes’ 2012 list of the world’s most powerful celebrities. Federer was the highest-ranked tennis players at No. 31, followed by Nadal (47), Maria Sharapova (71), Serena Williams (77) and Li Na (87).

Of Federer, Forbes wrote that he “has the most impressive endorsement portfolio in sports with nine sponsors that collectively earn Federer more than $30 million annually including long-term deals with Nike, Rolex, Wilson and Credit Suisse. He also commands more than $1 million per exhibition event. Federer is widely perceived as the greatest tennis player ever. He holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins (16) and career prize money ($70 million). He appeared in a staggering 18 out of 19 Grand Slam finals between 2005 and 2010.”

Nadal, said Forbes, “has established himself as one of the top tennis players of all-time. He has ranked among the top two in the ATP's year-end standings for seven straight years. His $48 million in career prize money ranks second only to Roger Federer. He became the first person to win the same tournament eight straight years when he clinched the title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April, 2012. Nadal has expanded his endorsement portfolio in recent years and counts Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Richard Mille and Bacardi among his sponsors.”

The ‘Celebrity 100’ is based on entertainment-related earnings plus media visibility (exposure in print, television, radio and online). Inclusion for the list covers film and television actors, TV personalities, models, athletes, authors, musicians and comedians.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... s-100.aspx

[Jacuszyn]

NADAL-FEDERER RIVALRY
Nadal-Federer Rivalry Goes Viral


Rafael Nadal's numbers spiked this week after his record seventh Roland Garros victory.

The Rafael Nadal–Roger Federer rivalry has gone viral. The former World No. 1s are locked in an intense battle to see who can attract the most Facebook fans.

Nadal has steadily reduced Federer’s lead in recent months and, for the first time this week, pulled ahead of Federer in terms of most followers - but only just! Earlier today Nadal had 10,784,540 fans, less than 200 ahead of Federer with 10,784,385.

Nadal and Federer rank eighth and ninth respectively among global athletes for the most Facebook fans.

Nadal’s fan base was boosted by his seventh win at Roland Garros. A behind-the-scenes photo of Rafa in the locker room immediately after his four-set win over Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros final attracted more than 260,000 likes and more than 33,000 comments.

Federer, who is less active than Nadal on Facebook, saw more than 190,000 ‘like’ his post from Halle about having a street named after him.

Nadal is also a hit on Twitter, with more than 2.4 million followers. Federer does not have a Twitter account.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis ... derer.aspx

[Rodżer Anderłoter]

[Barty]

STAN NA DZIEŃ : 03.07.2012 rok

(wiek 26 lat, 1 miesiąc)

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal
Turnieje/Finały 51/16 - 50/21
(Masters/Finały) 14/6 - 21/10
(WTF/Finały) 3/1 - 0/1
(GS/Finały) 12/2 - 11/5
Ranking 1 - 2
Ilość tyg jako #1: 190 - 102
Ilość wygranych sezonów (Year End #1): 3 - 2

Wyniki Rogera pochodzą z dnia 08.09.2007 r.

[Robertinho]

Cosik wychodzimy na prowadzenie. -.-

[robpal]

Ależ oni się kochają

Roger Federer says he’s concerned about the health of his longtime rival, Rafael Nadal, who hasn't played since Wimbledon due to a knee injury.

"I was going to write him and check on him because I can't believe he's been out that long," Federer told reporters in Cincinnati. "I thought the Olympics, okay, that's fine. That's a personal choice. I thought for sure we would see him in Toronto, but now he missed Toronto and Cincinnati. It's very surprising, because it was nothing that we heard of prior to the injury. He played so well on clay, and then actually seemed fine at Wimbledon. He had more time by losing earlier at Wimbledon. So it came as big surprise now, these two pull outs for me. Even the Olympics, too. So I'm sad for him. I hope he'll be back for the [U.S.] Open."

[SailorPanda]

Ależ oni się kochają

A czemu nie? Nie są wrogami na korcie, lecz rywalami.

[DUN I LOVE]

55 sekund.