Nadal ready to face Djokovic test

By Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Wimbledon Venue: All England Club, LondonDate: 20 June-3 JulyCoverage: Live on BBC One, Two, 3D, HD, Red Button, online (UK only), Radio 5 live, 5 live sports extra; live text commentary from 1200 BST on BBC Sport website (#bbctennis); watch again on iPlayer The Champion: Road to the men's Wimbledon final (UK only)

Rafael Nadal can take some measure of revenge for losing his world number one ranking to Novak Djokovic when the pair meet in Sunday's Wimbledon final.

Djokovic will overtake the Spaniard at the top of the standings on Monday, no matter what the result on Centre Court.

But Nadal is focused on winning a third Wimbledon and 11th Grand Slam title.

And the gulf in experience is marked as the Majorcan prepares to appear in his fifth straight final at the All England Club, and Djokovic his first.

"It's something very important for me," said Nadal. "I never thought I'm going to be able to play five finals. I think it's a great effort after years without a Spaniard playing the semi-finals or finals here."

Nadal is on a 20-match winning streak at Wimbledon, with his last defeat coming in the 2007 final against Roger Federer, and the only interruption when he missed the 2009 tournament through injury.

Continue reading the main story John McEnroe,
Former Wimbledon champion & BBC Sport commentator

In my book, whoever wins the match on Sunday will be number one at that time - forget what the computer says on Monday

However, Sunday's final will be his fifth meeting with Djokovic this year and the Serbian comes into it having won all four to date as he has enjoyed the second-best start to a year in modern tennis history.

The 24-year-old has amassed a 47-1 record in 2011, his only defeat coming against Roger Federer in the French Open semi-finals, and he beat Nadal in the finals in Miami, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.

"His mental position over me today is probably a little better because he won the last four finals against me," said Nadal. "I'll try my best. I think I'm playing well, really well.

"Probably he's defending a little better than previous years but in my opinion, his general game, his total game, is really complete. His biggest ability is to take the ball very early. That's something very difficult. Roger does it very well too."

Overcoming Djokovic will not rescue his number one ranking but it would move the Spaniard on to 11 Grand Slam titles, five behind Federer's record tally of 16.

"I care about records, I care about statistics and I care about the history of tennis, but it's not the right moment for me to talk about that," said Nadal.

"I'm 25 years old. I am playing. We will see when I finish my careeer where I am in the history of tennis. Right now for me, my history is I am in the final of Wimbledon and very happy for that."

Djokovic is through to his first final at Wimbledon, having twice made the semi-finals, and has his sights set on adding to his Grand Slam haul of two Australian Open titles.

Asked if the pressure had been raised by his imminent move to the top of the rankings, Djokovic said: "I don't need to prove anything to anybody, just to myself.

"I want to win this trophy. This has always been my dream, to be in the finals of Wimbledon, so I am very much looking forward to it, very much excited.

"There is no bigger challenge at this point in our sport than playing in the Wimbledon final against Nadal, who has won two out of the last three times here. It's a big match."

Nadal leads their head-to-head 16-11 and, despite having lost the last four, has won all five of their meetings at Grand Slams.

"It is quite different playing Nadal in a Grand Slam because it's a best-of-five," said the Serbian. "So physically we all know that he's superior and he's the strongest player around, the most prepared.

"So I'm ready for long rallies, long points. I need to be physically ready, which I am. I feel fit in this moment and mentally obviously motivated. It's my first Wimbledon final.

"The four times I won against him this year can probably help me in some ways mentally prior to this match."

And asked whether victory on Sunday would outdo the achievement of becoming number one, Djokovic said: "Yes, because it's Wimbledon. It's just simply something I've dreamed of forever."

Pundit's picks - Sue Barker and John Inverdale

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Hoyt to warm up Nadal for final

Welsh youngster puts Nadal through paces

Welsh teenager Evan Hoyt will join Rafael Nadal for a practice session on Sunday before the Spaniard plays in the men's singles final at Wimbledon.

Llanelli-born Hoyt, 16, has practiced every day with Nadal since losing his second round match in the boys' championship at SW19 on Tuesday.

"This was my best experience ever," Hoyt said after his first rally with the two-time Wimbledon champion.

Hoyt has also hit with Robin Soderling and Marin Cilic at Wimbledon.

His hopes in the boys' event in his debut at Junior Wimbledon were ended by number eight seed Mate Pavic in a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 defeat. That followed a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's Axel Alvarez Llamas in the first round.

Defending champion Nadal faces world number one Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.

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Nadal ends Murray's hopes again

By Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Wimbledon Venue: All England Club, LondonDate: 20 June-3 JulyCoverage: Live on BBC One, Two, 3D, HD, Red Button, online (UK only), Radio 5 live, 5 live sports extra; live text commentary from 0900 BST on BBC Sport website (#bbctennis); watch again on iPlayer Nadal beats Murray at Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal ended the Wimbledon hopes of British number one Andy Murray for the second year in a row with a four-set victory in their semi-final.

The defending champion from Spain came through 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-4 and will play Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.

And while Nadal targets a third Wimbledon and 11th Grand Slam win, Murray is still without a major title.

The Scot has now lost three successive Wimbledon semi-finals, and the wait for a British champion goes on.

Fred Perry remains the last homegrown men's singles champion with his 1936 triumph, and there is every chance that Murray will one day have to find a way past Nadal - one year his senior at 25 - if he is to ever get his hands on the Wimbledon trophy.

Murray had won only four of his previous 15 matches against Nadal, and lost in straight sets at the same stage of Wimbledon last year.

There was an early scare for the Briton when the trainer was called at 2-1 to deliver pain killers as a hip injury appeared to have flared up, but he waved the assistance away when he returned at the next changeover.

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A first half-chance came for Murray at 3-2, 30-30, but he missed with a forehand and it was Nadal who then pressed hard at 5-5, twice getting to deuce in a lengthy game.

A tie-break loomed but Nadal, who came into the match with a lingering foot injury, played a loose game at 5-6 to fall 0-40 down, and gave up the set with a backhand into the net.

The momentum was well and truly with Murray and he had a great chance at 2-1, 15-30, in the second set but fired an inviting mid-court forehand long and it appeared to derail him.

A double-fault gave Nadal a break point in the following game and Murray blazed a smash over the baseline to fall 3-2 behind, before another sloppy service game all but handed over the set.

It might only have been one set all, but Murray's hopes seemed to be hanging in the balance as early as the start of the third and, after saving two break points with a volley and an ace, he missed with a forehand on the third to lose his sixth straight game.

Nadal sympathy for Murray

Nadal was in the groove now and made it seven in a row, clamping down on unforced errors to such an extent that a loose forehand at 3-2 was his first since the opening set.

The Spaniard powered through the rest of the set and tore into Murray at the start of the fourth, ripping a forehand down the line for 15-40 and getting the break when the Briton netted a forehand.

Murray had a lifeline with two break points in game four but Nadal chose the moment to attack the net and volley into the open court, before pummelling his way to safety with some heavy forehands on the second.

Nadal will lose his number one ranking to Djokovic no matter the result of Sunday's final, but he looked supreme as he finished off Murray after nearly three hours and extended his winning run at Wimbledon to 20 matches.

Murray breaks Rafa to win first set

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Majestic Nadal holds off Murray

By Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Roland Garros Venue: Roland Garros, ParisDate: 3 JuneCoverage: Live on BBC TWO/Red Button/online (UK only) from 1300 BST & text commentary (#bbctennis) on BBC Sport website from 1100 BST; daily highlights programme on BBC Two; commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live Nadal struggled to gain control before getting Murray increasingly on the run

Five-time champion Rafael Nadal proved too strong for Andy Murray as he battled past the Briton in straight sets to reach the French Open final.

The Spaniard, celebrating his 25th birthday, refused to be blown off course by the gusting wind as he sealed a 6-4 7-5 6-4 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier, and he now awaits the winner of the second semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Nadal might well have lost his grip on the world number one ranking by Sunday's final, with Djokovic poised to replace him next week should he win his semi-final, but he will still have the huge incentive of potentially matching Bjorn Borg's record six French Open titles.

For Murray, a best-ever run at Roland Garros ended with a defeat that was widely predicted against a man who has now won 44 matches, and lost only one, in seven trips to the French Open.

Britain's 75-year wait for a Grand Slam singles champion to follow Fred Perry goes on, and Paris always seemed the least likely venue for Murray to make the breakthrough, but he had his chances to extend Nadal further than the three sets they played.

Nadal once saved 16 of 17 break points against Federer in a Roland Garros final and his powers of recovery were similarly evident as he saw off 15 of 18 against Murray, while taking six of 13 earned.

After breaking for 2-1 with a forehand whipped down the line, the Spaniard then saw off four break-back chances in a gripping fourth game thanks in part to one stunning defensive backhand, as well as a slice of fortune when a mishit forehand dropped on the baseline.

The first four games had taken 28 minutes but it looked like the set would be over within another 10 when Nadal broke once again and moved 5-1 clear, only for the top seed to hand one of the breaks back with a surprisingly poor eighth game.

Murray has played his best tennis when behind this fortnight and he did so once again, winning two punishing rallies on set points for Nadal and looking ready to level at 5-5, but two more break points went begging when the Scot was caught out by some vicious topspin and a superb Nadal serve-volley.

The Spaniard took the set but Murray had let him know he was a real threat and the world number four was the first to make a move in the second, only for a huge gust of wind to disrupt him on break point of game two, before Nadal saved a second with a blistering forehand and a cry of "Vamos!"

When Murray played a disastrous game that included a double fault and a poor drop shot to slip 3-2 behind, there seemed to be an inevitability about where the match was heading, but incredibly Nadal gifted him the break back with a double fault for 3-3.

Two more breaks followed in quick succession, Nadal taking his chance with a quite brilliant rally of huge hitting and sharp angles before Murray levelled once again with a return right at the champion's toes.

A tie-break loomed large but Nadal had other ideas at 5-5, ignoring the sight of a spectator's hat blowing across the court to recover from 40-15 down and convert his third break point of the game with another spectacular off-forehand.

This time he did not let his opponent back into the set and, with dark clouds moving across the stadium court and the wind continuing to interject, a break at the start of the third proved enough, despite another six break points coming and going for Murray.

A time of three hours and 17 minutes for three sets spoke of a real contest, but for the 44th time at Roland Garros it was always Nadal who looked like prevailing.

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