Federer Advances to Wimbledon Final - Record Stands to be Broken

Where Is Rafael Nadal When You Need Him?

Roger Federer dispatched of German-born Tommy Haas in straight sets (7-6, 7-5, 6-3) to gain another milestone in the most decorated tennis career in the sports’ rich history. The Sunday final against Andy Roddick or Andy Murray will mark Federer’s 20th Grand Slam final. Of course, that’s not the record that everyone is talking about.

Having already completed his career Grand Slam by winning the French Open earlier this year, Federer joined Pete Sampras in the lead on the all-time list with 14 Grand Slam victories apiece. A triumph over the volatile Roddick or Andy Murray would put Federer in sole-position and crown him as the most accomplished tennis player ever.

The only issue I have, and keep in mind that I’m a big Roger Federer fan, is whether or not he could have earned his 14th Grand Slam had Rafael Nadal stayed healthy. Nadal had creamed Federer at the French Open, winning four of the past five titles before bowing out to injury in this year’s contest. Last year, at Wimbledon, Federer and Nadal played in one of the greatest tennis matches ever with Nadal winning. The fact remains that the 23 year-old Spaniard has beaten Federer in 9-of-15 matches between the two. In fact, he’s won 5 of their last 6 matches with Federer winning at the Mutua Madrilena Masters in Madrid.

But Nadal, who lost his first match at the French Open ever to Robin Soderling this past year, bowed out of contention at Wimbledon due to a knee injury. There’s major fear in the tennis betting world that Nadal’s injury is so serious that it could jeopordize his career, let alone his immediate future. He is the first Wimbledon champion to not defend his crown since Goran Ivanisevic in 2002.

That being said, it’s Federer’s durability and longevity that has put him in the position that he is in right now. “Federer vs. Nadal” has been the best rivalry in sports. It’s been better than Mickelson vs. Woods, Celtics vs. Lakers and Yankees vs. Red Sox in my opinion. Nadal has obviously had the advantage in the matchup against Federer, and it was his mere presence that was the only thing standing in the way of Federer’s legendary Grand Slam run.

With Nadal out of the picture, there’s little doubt that the focused and fierce competitor in Federer would lose to either Roddick or Nadal. Roddick has won just 2-of-17 matches against Federer in his career and Murray doesn’t even come close. To think that either will challenge Federer on the main stage at Wimbledon come Sunday is ludicrous.

What’s not so ludicrous is to believe that had Nadal been healthy, Federer might not be in a position to take the lead on the all-time Grand Slam victories list. In fact, had Nadal been competing, it’s very likely that Federer wouldn’t even be the favorite heading in to Sunday’s match.

For the time being, all hail Roger Federer. Let’s just hope that sports greatest rivalry doesn’t succumb to the injury bug and that Nadal makes a full return so we can enjoy matches between these two for years to come.