And here...we...go. The 23rd installment of tennis' best rivalry takes place tomorrow afternoon in Miami. Both Nadal and Federer played startlingly different quarterfinal matches today, but with identical outcomes. Roger got by after just 3 games when Gilles Simon retired with a neck injury. Rafa had to sweat out a 6-2 3-6 6-3 slugfest with world number seven Tomas Berdych.
A bit odd that we're talking about a tournament semi-final here, but that's what happens when Novak Djokovic plays out of his mind and replaces Fed as number two in the world.
As far as tomorrow goes, Federer couldn't ask for more favorable circumstances. He had the early quarter and barely played. Rafa played at night and went the distance. It's an outdoor hard court, and he's got an edge from winning their last meeting in command fashion 6-3 3-6 6-1 in London last November.
On a personal note...oh man, oh man I hope Roger wins. I have a hard time watching these matches, mostly because Roger is my favorite player and no one scares the stank out of me like Rafael Nadal. On top of that, my favorite teams are on an unprecedented championship losing streak, starting with the Longhorns last year in the national title game. Then came Indy's loss to New Orleans, followed by the Rangers getting pwned by San Francisco in the World Series. (I'm not even going to mention the travesty/sham/mockery that were the '06 NBA finals. Too painful.)
That I'm comparing this match to those previous heart breakers frames the scope of this rivalry: a semi-final, yes. But it still carries the weight of a major final when these two are involved. Let's talk about what's on the line tomorrow.
For Rafa: Validation for his number one ranking. Not that he really needs it after the year he had, but losses to the likes of Nikolay Davydenko and David Ferrer earlier this year, combined with the drubbing Djokovic gave him in Indian Wells two weeks ago leave him itching to show the world that he's no one to be trifled with on the biggest stages. A win over Roger reasserts his dominance in the rivalry (he leads 14 to 8) and gives him a chance to avenge that unseemly loss to the Djoker.
For Roger: He also wants another crack at Djokovic--the man who's responsible for each of his three losses this season. In addition, each win he notches in this rivalry helps bridge the sizeable gap in his head to head record with Nadal. 9 and 14 looks infinitely better than 8 and 14, especially with the clay court season looming and an increased likelihood he'll run into Rafa given that they're now on the same side of tournament brackets. Trust me, no one in the world wants any piece of Rafael Nadal on the dirt.
The last time these two met in Miami, it was 2005, and Masters 1000 event finals were best of five contests. Nadal lead two sets and a break before Roger got it together, won the third set tie break, and cruised through the fourth and fifth sets 6-3 6-1. Check back after the match for some analysis, where we'll get into the nitty gritty of how play went and talk some actual tennis. Until then, keep your fingers crossed for Roger.
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