Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battle for a place in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serena-williams-to-face-simona-halep-in-wimbledon-final-235136">Wimbledon final</a> on Friday, 11 years after they mesmerised Centre Court in a Grand Slam championship match widely regarded as the greatest ever played.

Nadal emerged triumphant that day, winning in five sets in a four-hour 48-minute epic of fluctuating fortunes that stretched out over seven hours because of constant, momentum-shifting rain interruptions.

The Spaniard won 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (8/10), 9-7 as the clock ticked past 9 pm and with the famous stadium in near-darkness.

Over a decade later, the sport's two most successful players now have 38 Grand Slam titles between them and more than $100 million in prize money each.

Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion at Wimbledon, has the edge overall, leading his great rival and friend 24-15 and 10-3 at the Slams.

However, it is eight-time champion Federer who just edges their Wimbledon head-to-head 2-1 after winning the 2006 and 2007 finals before Nadal famously broke the spell in 2008.

Nadal, who demolished Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals at Roland Garros last month on his way to the 12th title in Paris, admits his game has developed since 2008.

Mostly, that's due to his age as well as the desperate need to protect his creaking knees which so often conspired against him on the low-bouncing lawns of the All England Club.

"I am running less so I need to serve better. I probably cannot play 20 weeks a year any more,''&nbsp;said 33-year-old Nadal.

"I am serving better. I am hitting the backhand better. Maybe volleying better, slicing better," he added.

In terms of the bare statistics, there is little to choose between them.

Nadal has served up 47 aces so far and been broken just four times; Federer has 42 aces, dropping serve on only three occasions.

The Spanish third seed has yet to face a seeded player and has only been truly tested once, in his four-set second-round victory over Nick Kyrgios in what was comfortably the tournament's most bad-tempered match.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/roger-federer-wins-100th-wimbledon-match-sets-up-clash-with-rafael-nadal-in-semi-final-234850">Federer</a>, 37, is the oldest man in the semi-finals of a Slam since 39-year-old Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open.

He is in his 13th semi-final at the tournament and 45th at the majors.

In a career illuminated by landmarks, he became the first man to register 100 match wins at a single Slam when he came back from a set down to beat Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals.

'Rafa can hurt you' 
 
Federer is wary of the dangers presented by Nadal.

His loss in Paris, which took place in what he described as "insane" windy conditions, was his heaviest at the Slams in 11 years.

"<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wimbledon-rafael-nadal-keen-for-semi-final-duel-against-roger-federer-234859">Rafa </a>really can hurt anybody on any surface," said Federer.

"He's serving way different. I remember back in the day how he used to serve, and now how much bigger he's serving, how much faster he finishes points," he added.

The eager anticipation of their 40th clash has relegated defending champion Novak Djokovic's push for a fifth title to second billing.

The top seed and world number one reached the semi-finals for the ninth time, racking up his 70th career win at the All England Club by sweeping past David Goffin in straight sets, reeling off 15 of the last 17 games.

In his 36th Grand Slam semi-final, the 15-time major winner faces Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut who is in his maiden last-four at the majors at the 27th attempt.

Djokovic leads the 31-year-old 7-3 in career meetings, including 3-0 at the majors.

However, the unheralded Spaniard, who had to cancel plans for his stag party in Ibiza as a consequence of his run to the semi-finals, has defeated Djokovic twice in 2019, in Doha and Miami.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battle for a place in the Wimbledon final on Friday, 11 years after they mesmerised Centre Court in a Grand Slam championship match widely regarded as the greatest ever played.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battle for a place in the Wimbledon final on Friday, 11 years after they mesmerised Centre Court in a Grand Slam championship match widely regarded as the greatest ever played. Nadal emerged triumphant that day, winning in five sets in a four-hour 48-minute epic of fluctuating fortunes that stretched out over seven hours because of constant, momentum-shifting rain interruptions. The Spaniard won 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (8/10), 9-7 as the clock ticked past 9 pm and with the famous stadium in near-darkness. Over a decade later, the sport's two most successful players now have 38 Grand Slam titles between them and more than $100 million in prize money each. Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion at Wimbledon, has the edge overall, leading his great rival and friend 24-15 and 10-3 at the Slams. However, it is eight-time champion Federer who just edges their Wimbledon head-to-head 2-1 after winning the 2006 and 2007 finals before Nadal famously broke the spell in 2008. Nadal, who demolished Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals at Roland Garros last month on his way to the 12th title in Paris, admits his game has developed since 2008. Mostly, that's due to his age as well as the desperate need to protect his creaking knees which so often conspired against him on the low-bouncing lawns of the All England Club. "I am running less so I need to serve better. I probably cannot play 20 weeks a year any more,'' said 33-year-old Nadal. "I am serving better. I am hitting the backhand better. Maybe volleying better, slicing better," he added. In terms of the bare statistics, there is little to choose between them. Nadal has served up 47 aces so far and been broken just four times; Federer has 42 aces, dropping serve on only three occasions. The Spanish third seed has yet to face a seeded player and has only been truly tested once, in his four-set second-round victory over Nick Kyrgios in what was comfortably the tournament's most bad-tempered match. Federer, 37, is the oldest man in the semi-finals of a Slam since 39-year-old Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open. He is in his 13th semi-final at the tournament and 45th at the majors. In a career illuminated by landmarks, he became the first man to register 100 match wins at a single Slam when he came back from a set down to beat Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. 'Rafa can hurt you' Federer is wary of the dangers presented by Nadal. His loss in Paris, which took place in what he described as "insane" windy conditions, was his heaviest at the Slams in 11 years. "Rafa really can hurt anybody on any surface," said Federer. "He's serving way different. I remember back in the day how he used to serve, and now how much bigger he's serving, how much faster he finishes points," he added. The eager anticipation of their 40th clash has relegated defending champion Novak Djokovic's push for a fifth title to second billing. The top seed and world number one reached the semi-finals for the ninth time, racking up his 70th career win at the All England Club by sweeping past David Goffin in straight sets, reeling off 15 of the last 17 games. In his 36th Grand Slam semi-final, the 15-time major winner faces Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut who is in his maiden last-four at the majors at the 27th attempt. Djokovic leads the 31-year-old 7-3 in career meetings, including 3-0 at the majors. However, the unheralded Spaniard, who had to cancel plans for his stag party in Ibiza as a consequence of his run to the semi-finals, has defeated Djokovic twice in 2019, in Doha and Miami.

Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal can really hurt on any court, says Roger Federer ahead of semi-final battle

Novak Djokovic lost surprisingly in Doha on Friday, beaten in the Qatar Open semi-final by world number 24, Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-3, 6-7 (8/6), 6-4.

The Serb fell to his first defeat of the season in a high-quality contest lasting more than two-and-a-half hours, which saw the Spaniard lose his first set of the week but come back to beat the world number one.

"What happened? I lost the match. That's it," a clearly frustrated Djokovic said in his post-match press conference.

Agut took Djokovic's serve in the second game of the final set for the decisive break and secured victory on his first match point.

"I will remember this match for [the rest] of my life," said the 30-year-old Spaniard.

He will play the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych in Saturday's final.&nbsp;

"I can't be more happy than I am now."

It is the second time he has beaten Djokovic in his career and both victories occurred in a semi-final.

The first came in October 2016 in Shanghai. Djokovic was also world number one at that stage.

Bautista Agut said Friday's victory was the better of the two.

"I think today the match was better, the level of the tennis today was very high," he said.&nbsp;

"We both played very good tennis and it was also more tight on the score and more emotions and today was a really good match."

A fired-up Djokovic smashed his racquet after dropping his serve in the eighth game of the second set.

"I thought I was pretty much in control of the match, set and a break, serving 4-3," Djokovic said.&nbsp;

"He played a good game. I missed some easy balls and that's what you get as a result of losing the focus in the most important moments and it happens, it happens."

Questions may be asked about how tired the Serb was, as he played two matches each day for three days in singles and doubles, prior to Friday's defeat.

Including the meeting with Bautista Agut, Djokovic spent almost 10 hours on court in three days and played 11 sets in singles' matches.

Asked if he had done too much through the week, he replied: "I wasn't the freshest, you know.&nbsp;

"This is what I was looking forward to, to get from this tournament, as many matches as possible, to get ready for the Australian Open, so I'm very pleased.&nbsp;

"Obviously, I'm not pleased that I lost the match today, but I lost to a better player in the end."&nbsp;

The second semi-final proved a much tamer affair.

Berdych eased through to his second Doha final in straight sets, beating Italy's Marco Cecchinato 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.

Currently the world number 73, Berdych was once ranked number four.

His previous Qatar Open final, in 2015, was also against a Spaniard, David Ferrer. It ended in a straight sets defeat.

Novak Djokovic lost surprisingly in Doha on Friday, beaten in the Qatar Open semi-final by world number 24, Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-3, 6-7 (8/6), 6-4. The Serb fell to his first defeat of the season in a high-quality contest lasting more than two-and-a-half hours, which saw the Spaniard lose his first set of the week but come back to beat the world number one.

Novak Djokovic lost surprisingly in Doha on Friday, beaten in the Qatar Open semi-final by world number 24, Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-3, 6-7 (8/6), 6-4. The Serb fell to his first defeat of the season in a high-quality contest lasting more than two-and-a-half hours, which saw the Spaniard lose his first set of the week but come back to beat the world number one. "What happened? I lost the match. That's it," a clearly frustrated Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. Agut took Djokovic's serve in the second game of the final set for the decisive break and secured victory on his first match point. "I will remember this match for [the rest] of my life," said the 30-year-old Spaniard. He will play the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych in Saturday's final. "I can't be more happy than I am now." It is the second time he has beaten Djokovic in his career and both victories occurred in a semi-final. The first came in October 2016 in Shanghai. Djokovic was also world number one at that stage. Bautista Agut said Friday's victory was the better of the two. "I think today the match was better, the level of the tennis today was very high," he said. "We both played very good tennis and it was also more tight on the score and more emotions and today was a really good match." A fired-up Djokovic smashed his racquet after dropping his serve in the eighth game of the second set. "I thought I was pretty much in control of the match, set and a break, serving 4-3," Djokovic said. "He played a good game. I missed some easy balls and that's what you get as a result of losing the focus in the most important moments and it happens, it happens." Questions may be asked about how tired the Serb was, as he played two matches each day for three days in singles and doubles, prior to Friday's defeat. Including the meeting with Bautista Agut, Djokovic spent almost 10 hours on court in three days and played 11 sets in singles' matches. Asked if he had done too much through the week, he replied: "I wasn't the freshest, you know. "This is what I was looking forward to, to get from this tournament, as many matches as possible, to get ready for the Australian Open, so I'm very pleased. "Obviously, I'm not pleased that I lost the match today, but I lost to a better player in the end." The second semi-final proved a much tamer affair. Berdych eased through to his second Doha final in straight sets, beating Italy's Marco Cecchinato 7-6 (8/6), 6-3. Currently the world number 73, Berdych was once ranked number four. His previous Qatar Open final, in 2015, was also against a Spaniard, David Ferrer. It ended in a straight sets defeat.

Novak Djokovic crashes out of Qatar Open after losing to Bautista Agut

Top-seed Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Thursday had to sweat more than expected to defeat Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking a place in the semifinal of the Qatar Open, a tuning-up event for the Australian Open.&nbsp;

For the second time in a row, Djokovic, a two-time Qatar Open champion, found himself trailing by a set, but his timely reaction kept his bid for his 73rd ATP title alive.

"I thought Basilashvili was playing terrific from the beginning. I expected him to. I knew that he's playing probably the tennis of his life in the past 10 months, and he's definitely one of the greatest hitters in the game," Djokovic said after the nearly two-hour game.

Basilashvili gave a glance of the tennis that led him to win his maiden ATP title in 2018 as he grabbed a 4-1 lead and went on to clinch the set a few games later, despite conceding his delivery once.

The second set was a new start for the Serbian 14-time Grand Slam champion as he turned up the heat by breaking his opponent's first serve and managing to maintain the lead until the end of the set, although he had to save a break point while serving for the set.

It seemed like Basilashvili crumbled under pressure in a third seesaw set in which both players swapped service breaks at the beginning, but then Djokovic outpaced his opponent with a break in the fifth game that proved to be decisive.

Djokovic is scheduled to take on Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, the seventh seed, who saw off Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day.

Top-seed Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Thursday had to sweat more than expected to defeat Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking a place in the semifinal of the Qatar Open, a tuning-up event for the Australian Open.

Top-seed Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Thursday had to sweat more than expected to defeat Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking a place in the semifinal of the Qatar Open, a tuning-up event for the Australian Open. For the second time in a row, Djokovic, a two-time Qatar Open champion, found himself trailing by a set, but his timely reaction kept his bid for his 73rd ATP title alive. "I thought Basilashvili was playing terrific from the beginning. I expected him to. I knew that he's playing probably the tennis of his life in the past 10 months, and he's definitely one of the greatest hitters in the game," Djokovic said after the nearly two-hour game. Basilashvili gave a glance of the tennis that led him to win his maiden ATP title in 2018 as he grabbed a 4-1 lead and went on to clinch the set a few games later, despite conceding his delivery once. The second set was a new start for the Serbian 14-time Grand Slam champion as he turned up the heat by breaking his opponent's first serve and managing to maintain the lead until the end of the set, although he had to save a break point while serving for the set. It seemed like Basilashvili crumbled under pressure in a third seesaw set in which both players swapped service breaks at the beginning, but then Djokovic outpaced his opponent with a break in the fifth game that proved to be decisive. Djokovic is scheduled to take on Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, the seventh seed, who saw off Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day.

Novak Djokovic battles past Basilashvili to face Bautista Agut in Qatar Open semis

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Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal can really hurt on any court, says Roger Federer ahead of semi-final battle

Novak Djokovic crashes out of Qatar Open after losing to Bautista Agut

Novak Djokovic battles past Basilashvili to face Bautista Agut in Qatar Open semis