Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will face each other in a semi-final clash at the Phillippe-Chatrier Court, Roland Garros, in the semi-final of the 2019 French Open. Much to the delight of the tennis fans, the duo is going to revive their rivalry on the tennis court after last competing against each other in 2017.
Nadal leads the head to head contest by 23-15 and has also never lost to Federer at the French Open before. They have met each other at the Roland Garros five times, four of them being the finals while the other a semi-final. The Swiss legend who won the tournament in 2009 and is playing the clay court Grand Slam after a gap of three years, is back with a bang at the prestigious tournament and has proceeded to the last-four stage without much difficulty.
When and where to watch?
The Federer vs Nadal match at the Roland Garros is scheduled to start at 12.50 PM local time and 4.20 PM IST. In India, live coverage is being provided by Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports Select 2 HD. Online viewers can stream the matches live on the Hotstar platform.
Preview
Federer and Nadal share 37 grand slams between them and their rivalry is held as the greatest ever in the history of tennis. The duo who met each other at the Roland Garros last time in 2011, is expected to gift a gem of a match to the tennis fans who have been waiting all these years to see them lock horns once more.
The 37-year-old Swiss giant has been in good form throughout throughout the tournament dropping just one set till now. He defeated the likes of Lorenzo Sonego, Oscar Otte, Casper Ruud, Leonardo Mayer without dropping a set and finally conceded one against his fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarter-final. The three years absence from the tournament is not causing a huge problem for the 20-time grand slam champion. After being doubtful about his own success before the beginning of the tournament, he is now among the contenders for winning the title. But the only glitch in his record at this year's edition is his conversion rate of break points. The 37-year old has struggled to utilise break points in the tournament converting just 20 out of 55 in total.
On the other hand, the 11-time French Open champion Nadal has been cruising through the tournament. The Spanish giant who has won 91 out of his 93 appearances at the Roland Garros will be looking forward to win the coveted trophy for taking his career Grand Slam tally to 18. The 'King of Clay' came into this tournament after defeating the top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final. Nadal has also dropped only one set till now in the tournament. He defeated Yannick Hanfmann, Yannick Maden, Juan Ignacio Londero, David Goffin and Kei Nishikori en route to the semi-finals. In his quarter-final clash against seventh-seeded Kei Nishikori, he crushed the Japanese in straight sets 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.
"So it is another episode of this rivalry and I am happy and excited. Having Roger in the semi-finals is a very important thing as we have shared most of the moments of our careers facing each other," Nadal was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
All over the world, tennis fans have been waiting for another 'Fedal' clash for a long time and the two legends have finally obliged. For all we know, this will be the last time the duo will meet in the French Open.
Global TV listings
- France: France TV Sport
- USA: NBC
- United Kingdom: iTV
- Australia: Fox Sports
- Canada: TSN
- Spain: Eurosport
- Japan: Wowow
- China: CCTV
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