Nadal Breezes Past Wind and Federer to Reach 12th Roland Garros Final; Thiem-Djokovic Match Suspended Due to Rain
(June 7, 2019) Rafael Nadal beat the wind, the rain and Roger Federer to advance to his 12th Roland Garros final 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and 25 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier on Friday in Paris.
Nadal now leads the head-to-head rivalry against Federer 24-15. 14-2 on clay, 6-0 at the French Open.
The winds during the match were so turbulent at times that it made center court look like a sandstorm was hitting it.
“The conditions out there today have been so hard, so difficult to manage,” said Nadal who mastered the court with his concentration and focus.
“I think the first set was mostly about getting used to conditions,” said Federer to media. “It was incredibly windy. Especially for a big match like this for both of us, it’s just really complicated. So you’re trying to see how much can you do or can you not do? Are you playing flatter or with more spin? Are you keeping the ball in play? Are you going for stuff? I think that was basically the story of the first set, more or less.”
“Second set, I think there is definitely a big regret to get broken at 2-0 with the wind on my back,” said Federer. “If I can avoid that one, maybe the second set turns out to be different. But I think holding serve against the wind with Rafa’s quality on the return is just really hard. He barely misses any.
Nadal will play the winner of the Novak Djokovc – Dominic Thiem semifinal, which was suspended due to rain with Thiem leading 6-2, 3-6, 3-1.
Nadal on Sunday will be trying to win his 18th major title and his 12th French Open title. Nadal is 8-4 against Thiem and 24-26 against Djokovic.
“I hope to be ready to give my best level against one or the other if I am able,” said Nadal during his news conference. “I think that I’m confident in myself. If I’m not able to execute my game plan, it’s going to be complicated. But if I play well, and I have played well up to now, no, I’ve got all my chances. But it’s always a match and anything can happen.”
