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Even for the two players vying for the title of GOAT

(Greatest of All Time) it was perhaps greedy to expect them to produce a blockbuster

to compare with their previous duel at Wimbledon.
They are human after all.
No one was complaining though

as Swiss great Roger Federer produced a vintage display to beat old adversary

Rafael Nadal 7-6(3) 1-6 6-3 6-4 and reach his 31st Grand Slam final and 12th at

the All England Club he has claimed as his own backyard.
Unlike the 2008 final, widely

regarded as the greatest ever at Wimbledon, when claycourt king Nadal snapped

Federer’s five-year reign in a five-set epic ending in near darkness and a blaze

of flashbulbs, Friday’s match was less damaging to the fingernails of those

rooting for each man.
The 40th chapter of their rivalry, the third-most prolific in

the professional era, was compelling enough though.
There was barely a cigarette

paper between the two gladiators in a high-quality opening set crackling with

tension.
Then, at the climax to the

match, Nadal, fighting as only he knows how, threatened to ambush Federer’s

quest for a record-equalling ninth Wimbledon singles title by saving four match

points before Federer took his place in Sunday’s showpiece.
Federer, who will be 38 next

month, is the oldest men’s singles finalist since Ken Rosewall in 1974 and will

now face old foe Novak Djokovic, the top seed and holder, seeking to avenge his

losses to the Serb in the 2014 and 2015 finals.
EFFERVESCENT SWISS
The effervescent Swiss will

need to reproduce the kind of all-out attacking tennis that allowed him to

dominate Nadal, apart from a 36-minute second-set capitulation.
Federer struck 51 winners as

the Spaniard suffered a second successive Wimbledon semi-final defeat, having

fallen fractionally short to Djokovic in a classic a year ago.
“I’m exhausted. It was tough

at the end,” 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer, who beat Nadal for only the

fourth time in their 14 clashes at majors, said after receiving a standing

ovation from his adoring Centre Court fans.
“Rafa played some

unbelievable shots to stay in the match. The match was played at a very high

level. It was a joy to play today. I hope I can push (Djokovic) to the brink

and hopefully beat him but it’s going to be very difficult.
“I’m very excited to say the

least.”
The 33-year-old Nadal was

understandably deflated. Having won his 12th French Open title last month, he

had looked fired-up to win his third Wimbledon crown and first since 2010.
“I had my chances but he

played a little bit better than me,” said the third seed. “He played

aggressive, he played a great match, well done. I think at the end of the match

I started to play much better, no? But was late.”
TWO GLADIATORS
Half an hour after Djokovic

had battled past Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, fans flocked back to their

Centre Court seats and the giant screen on ‘Henman Hill’ to witness a duel that

had been on the cards from the moment number two seed Federer and Nadal were

placed in the same half of the draw.
Only five points went against serve in the first seven games as

the two gladiators settled into their groove.
It took a tiebreak to

separate them with Federer taking five points in a row to grab the first set —

prompting Nadal to disappear for a bathroom break.
The second was a complete

contrast as Federer lost focus and Nadal, who has won 18 majors, levelled the

match in 36 minutes.
Federer’s fans need not have

fretted though. He won a close-quarters exchange to break for 3-1 in the third,

then battled back from 15-40 in the next game, winning a ferocious 25-stroke

rally on the way to consolidating his advantage.
Two more service holds put

him within a set of victory and the Swiss turned the screw in the fourth set as

Nadal faded.
The Spanish warrior was never

going to slink away without a fight though. He clung on at 3-5, saving two

match points, then had a break point as Federer served for the match.
The ice cool Swiss fended

that off, then unloaded everything in his arsenal at Nadal in two more match

points, only to have victory snatched away by two sublime winners off the

indefatigable Spaniard’s racket.
A fifth match point arrived

and this time Nadal swung a backhand over the baseline and Federer pumped his

arms above his head to celebrate, with David Beckham echoing most people’s

thoughts as he mouthed “unbelievable” in the Royal Box.