LONDON, July 12, 2019

Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal 6-7(3), 6-1, 3-6 ,4-6 in Friday’s Wimbledon semi-finals to book a place in his 12th final at The Championships, where he will attempt to lift a record-extending ninth trophy.

In the pair’s 40th meeting, the No. 2 seed from Switzerland struck 14 aces, winning 73 per cent of his first service points to prevail after three hours and two minutes.

The moment @rogerfederer reached his 12th #Wimbledon final… pic.twitter.com/AJrP3yYCns

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 12. Juli 2019

“I’m exhausted. It was tough at the end. Rafa played some unbelievable shots to stay in the match. The match was played at a very high level,” Federer told the BBC afterwards.

“The biggest points in the match went my way. There were tight ones and long rallies. That first set was huge to get the lead and try to protect it. He came back very strongly in the second set. It was a joy to play today.”

Federer will play World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday.

“He played great against Bautisa Agut. Novak was supreme. He is the defending champion and has showed why. He has been rock-solid,” the Swiss maestro said.

“I hope I can push him to the brink and hopefully beat him but it’s going to be very difficult. I’m very excited to say the least.”

Djokovic leads the head-to-head records with Federer 25-22.