Nadal and Federer set for another showdown!
It seemed as though the world of tennis had moved on from the Nadal – Federer axis with the stunning run of form from Novak Djokovic. Djokovic went into the semi-finals of the French Open unbeaten since November 2010, when Roger Federer defeated him at the World Tour Finals. Since that moment, Djokovic had defeated the Swiss superstar on three occasions, two of them coming in Grand Slam events. With the US Open and the Australian Open in the bag, most people expected Djokovic to carry on his winning run and write his name even more strongly in the tennis record books.
Djokovic so close to breaking the record
After all, he had won 43 matches in a row and with the record being set at 46, there was not much further to go to become the all-time holder of consecutive wins in a row. It shows you the strength of form that Federer was easily ranked as the underdog for this match but in tennis, sometimes the underdog can pull through and the shock of Federers victory is still reverberating today. This means that the Federer and Nadal double act will recommence again in the final of a Grand Slam tournament with Federer desperate to move a trophy out of the holdings of Nadal and Djokovic.
Nadal had it easier against Murray
The passage to the final for Rafael Nadal was smoother than that of Federer’s with the Spanish star overcoming Andy Murray. Murray is a fantastic tennis player, that should not be overlooked but it is also fair to say that he is not in the same league as the top players of the profession. For Murray to achieve his dreams of picking up a Grand Slam title, he is going to have to be at his very best and also hope that his opponent is also off form.
This is a lot to ask for, especially when you consider hoe frequently the Scotsman appears to be playing with an injury. It is looking increasingly unlikely that Murray will ever lift a Grand Slam title although no doubt he will never stop trying. For Murray to triumph, you think that he has to outlive the old guard who hoover up the trophies while also hoping that the next wave of tennis stars are not as good. At the moment, things do not look great for Andy Murray.
That is a conversation for another time though and the media focus in France should rightly fall upon Nadal and Federer.