Wimbledon 2018: Rafa Nadal vs Novak Djokovic rivalry tops them all

Forget Roger Federer, this is the most contested rivalry in tennis. And the latest Nadal-Djokovic chapter is the most unlikely.

Rafa Nadal will take on Novak Djokovic for a place in the Wimbledon final.

To find the last time that Rafael Nadal was within two grand-slam titles of Roger Federer, you have to go back to the early summer of 2004. Federer, at the age of 22, had two to his name. Nadal, a shy 16-year-old starting to make a name for himself in the locker room, had yet to win any.

Today, Nadal, now aged 32 and a 17-time grand-slam champion, can move to within one win of reducing the deficit to two again, which adds to the stakes of his Wimbledon semi-final against Novak Djokovic today. Not that they needed ramping up.

This is the latest instalment of the most contested rivalry in the men’s game, and what a battle it is expected to be. Before their 52nd meeting, Nadal has produced his best grass-court performances since finishing runner-up here seven years ago, while the competitive fire inside Djokovic, dampened for so long during his well-documented struggles, is alight again.

“There is not one other match-up in the history of [male] tennis that has been played more than ours,” Nadal said. “That is a big thing.

“We have always played in important stages, important places. It is another important match against an opponent who is one of the most difficult ones that you can face. I have seen his matches, he is playing great.

“It is always a big challenge facing Novak. He is one of the more complex players that I have ever seen in our sport. It is always a big test. You know that you can’t win against him if you don’t play very well.”

For the record, Djokovic leads their head-to-head series 26 to 25. (Nadal, in turn, leads his rivalry with Federer 23 to 15).

Nadal has faced the tougher turnaround after his thrilling four hour, 48 minute quarter-final against Juan Martin del Potro - we are in for quite a treat if Nadal and Djokovic somehow produce a match today of a higher level - finished late on Wednesday, but there were no signs of any physical issues when he practised with his usual intensity at Aorangi Park yesterday.

Seemingly content with the state of his body after overcoming hip problems this year and yet more knee pain at the end of last year, Nadal is as confident as he has been for some time, and understandably so after losing just one match in 32 since returning from an extended absence at the start of April.

“I know in the semi-finals of Wimbledon you will not have an easy opponent in front of you,” Nadal said. “You have to accept that if you want to win important things, of course you will face the best players. You need to be ready for it.

“I have done a lot of things well since I came back from injury. I only lost one match. I hope to be ready to play very well.”

It is now two years since Djokovic’s shock defeat by Sam Querrey, of the United States, in the third round here, which was the starting point of his slump. Private issues and elbow problems combined to make him question his devotion to a sport that he had dominated for two years.

At last, after reuniting with his long-time coach Marian Vajda, Djokovic is getting back to his old self. His ground strokes are consistent, his movement is fluid, his mind is focused and, most importantly, an aura of intimidation surrounds him again as he prepares for his first match with Nadal on grass since winning the 2011 Wimbledon final.

“I have not played with Nadal on grass for a long time,” Djokovic told Serbian media. “He is in top form, was again dominant on the clay and deserves to be No 1 in the world. He has a lot of confidence. But my game encourages me, as well as the fact that he has not had much success at Wimbledon in the last three or four years.

“Our duels are always uncertain, intense and tense. I do not expect anything less than that.”

While Nadal’s gruelling battle with Del Potro was one of the best matches of the year, it sadly went under the radar due to the direct clash with England’s World Cup semi-final against Croatia on Wednesday evening. Thankfully, there is no simultaneous football today, allowing Wimbledon to have a majority share of the sporting spotlight.

“I will be at home watching them,” said Del Potro, in a welcome change from the attitude that is normally adopted by players to take no notice of the remainder of the tournament from which they have exited.

“I don’t know who is going to win. It depends on Rafa’s body. I think he will be fine. But ‘Nole’ is playing good again. They are good champions and both deserve to get in the final. It will be interesting.”

There will certainly be more rallies than the preceding semi-final in which John Isner, the 6ft 10in American, takes on Kevin Anderson, the 6ft 8in South African. They have hit 284 aces between them this fortnight, so expect a tie-break or two. After following the increasingly popular American college route into tennis, both have been familiar with each other for many years.

“There could be a little mental aspect to our match,” Isner said. “I say that because our rivalry goes back way before the pro tour. We’ve lined up against each other for about 14 years now. It’s a very nice spotlight on college tennis that one of us, no matter what, is going to be playing in the Wimbledon final.”

The Times