Is this Roger Federer’s last chance to notch a win over Rafa Nadal at the French Open?
Is this Roger Federer’s last chance to notch a win over Rafa Nadal at the French Open?
Weather permitting, Friday’s French Open schedule will feature a dream semi-final between two of the all-time greats.
This is Roger Federer’s first campaign at Roland Garros in four years and his most successful since 2012, when Novak Djokovic denied him a place in the final.
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The 18-time major winner had a stress-free run up until quarters, where he fended off fellow Swiss star Stan Wawrinka in a four-set tussle that included two tiebreakers.
Now the great man must tackle one of the very few players in world tennis who have had the better of him over the long haul.
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Although Rafael Nadal has not beaten Federer since 2014, he is yet to lose to his old foe at the French Open and holds a 13-2 record against him on clay.
There were questions about the Spaniard’s form leading into the tournament, especially after he fell short at Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
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Those events have proven good omens for Rafa, who has won them both in the lead-up to each of his 11 titles at Roland Garros.
Yet Nadal has looked as solid as ever in the first five rounds, with David Goffin the only man to take a set off him so far.
R1: 6-2 6-4 6-4 vs Lorenzo Sonego
R2: 6-4 6-3 6-4 vs Oscar Otte
R3: 6-3 6-1 7-6 (10-8) vs Casper Ruud
R4: 6-2 6-3 6-3 vs Leonardo Mayer
QF: 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 vs Stan Wawrinka
R1: 6-2 6-1 6-3 vs Yannick Hanfmann
R2: 6-1 6-2 6-4 vs Yannick Maden
R3: 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3 vs David Goffin
R4: 6-2 6-3 6-3 vs Juan Ignacio Londero
QF: 6-1 6-1 6-3 vs Kei Nishikori
Over 32.5 total games – -120.48 at Nags.bet
These two have met five times at the French Open. While Nadal has won each of those matches, four of them have gone to four sets. With an average tally of 9.42 games per set, the overs on the games line looks like easy money.
Federer +6.5 games handicap – +110 at Nags.bet
With the exception of Rafa’s demolition job in the 2008 final, the French Open matches between these two are usually tight affairs with only two or three games the difference in each set. Even if Federer goes down, you can expect him to get on the board and stay within six games overall.
Federer to win/both players to win a set – +800 at Nags.bet
Rafa is rightly marked as the short-priced favourite, but the money on offer for Roger is just too good to ignore. A straight-sets win for the Swiss seems unlikely, barring an injury to Nadal, so the +800 odds on both to win a set and Federer to lift the trophy are well worth a dip.