Men's Semi-Final

:00:50. > :00:55.No Andy Murray as his challenge ended in the last eight. It was his

:00:56. > :00:58.first grand slam event since back surgery, so no surprise he was

:00:59. > :01:02.outplayed by a rejuvenated Roger Federer who overcame his own back

:01:03. > :01:08.problem. I said we had a much to savour this morning, how does Roger

:01:09. > :01:12.versus Rafa sound to you? You are talking about a unique time in

:01:13. > :01:14.history. There is an argument to make that the Dahl and Federer are

:01:15. > :01:27.the two greatest players who ever played. Roger Federer, the greatest

:01:28. > :01:30.ever. Today belongs to Nadal. The first time in his career, the

:01:31. > :01:36.Spaniard wins the title without dropping a set. The most remarkable

:01:37. > :01:43.tower -- champion. Outstanding. They both belong on a different planet.

:01:44. > :01:51.Quite astounding. An absolute genius at work. Spectacular. No one can

:01:52. > :01:59.handle this man when he plays like this. The place, the power -- the

:02:00. > :02:03.pace. Just a privilege to watch this match.

:02:04. > :02:17.The greatest male player of all time. We have seen it all now.

:02:18. > :02:24.What a difference a year makes. 12 months ago we were talking about a

:02:25. > :02:27.new rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, but they are out,

:02:28. > :02:31.and the new guard are standing firm. John, when you look at the

:02:32. > :02:35.stoop, over the years they have raised not only the profile of

:02:36. > :02:41.tennis but have earned a huge amount of respect in sport around the

:02:42. > :02:45.world. I agree with what John McEnroe was saying, possibly the two

:02:46. > :02:50.greatest players of all time, and the greatest ambassadors you could

:02:51. > :02:54.have at the top sport. They get it. They do the charity work, and the

:02:55. > :02:57.carrot he -- carry themselves so well. Everybody loves them, and if

:02:58. > :03:01.you have a sport where you have a number one and a number to like

:03:02. > :03:06.this, where they have been to so many years, they carry it

:03:07. > :03:11.magnificently. When you look out role models you couldn't get any

:03:12. > :03:15.better. You have two icons in the same generation. Its great credit to

:03:16. > :03:21.Djokovic Ann-Marie that they have managed to get involved at all. --

:03:22. > :03:26.and Murray. These two could have dominated but it was amazing that

:03:27. > :03:31.Djokovic finished 2011 /12 as the number one in the world. When

:03:32. > :03:37.Federer arrived at the top, the 2003 Wimbledon, he was -- when he

:03:38. > :03:42.arrived, you could not have said he was going to win the most amount of

:03:43. > :03:48.grand slam titles, but it's the way he has done it. There is a style,

:03:49. > :03:59.elegance and class to it. You cannot buy it. Other great sportsmen,

:04:00. > :04:09.Rinaldo and -- Ronaldo and Messi, they pay to go and watch them. Nadal

:04:10. > :04:15.Is now dominating Federer. I think eventually he will probably be

:04:16. > :04:18.considered the best if he stays fit. Incredible champions, and if you

:04:19. > :04:22.look at what they have achieved and continue to achieve, as far as the

:04:23. > :04:29.grand slam record goes, Roger Federer is on 17. But then look at

:04:30. > :04:38.Rafa. They could be the greatest ever. It could certainly be that

:04:39. > :04:41.way, no reason why Nadal cannot win more. The interesting one with

:04:42. > :04:46.Federer is that a lot of people wrote him off, but then he comes out

:04:47. > :04:54.this year, and look at him now. So Nadal gets a chance to equal Sampras

:04:55. > :04:58.and close on Federer. He gets a chance to be the first man in the

:04:59. > :05:03.open era to win each of the slams is at least twice, so he's at least

:05:04. > :05:07.chasing his place in history. He is four or five years younger than

:05:08. > :05:12.Roger Federer. And he hasn't lost on him anywhere else other than

:05:13. > :05:15.Wimbledon. That's why he starts as favourite. He always says he's not

:05:16. > :05:18.thinking about records in press conference, but nonsense. He wants

:05:19. > :05:24.to win every match he plays and this is a massive one. On this side of

:05:25. > :05:27.the draw, you have two guys who have won 30 slams. And then you have

:05:28. > :05:35.Wawrinka, who hasn't won any and it's his first final. Everybody

:05:36. > :05:38.wants to be courtside in Melbourne, and we have seen some great

:05:39. > :05:41.champions like Rod Labour over the weeks, but also the man who was on

:05:42. > :05:49.that list, Pete Sampras, he will keep an eye on this. Let's hear from

:05:50. > :05:55.them. -- Laver. It is tougher as you get older. Roger is 32 and Rafa is

:05:56. > :06:00.in his prime, 27, 28. It's not going to last forever. You have to

:06:01. > :06:04.appreciate this match tonight. So much so that you sit back and enjoy

:06:05. > :06:08.it. These are two of the greatest players of all time, playing in the

:06:09. > :06:12.same decade. It is one for the ages and let's hope it lives up to

:06:13. > :06:18.expectations. But it's certainly not going to last forever. We'll get

:06:19. > :06:21.older and retire at some stage but it's nice to see Roger playing well.

:06:22. > :06:27.He has his confidence back. We wish them all the best. It is great to

:06:28. > :06:33.see the old champion still coming to the tournaments. I'm surprised. Pete

:06:34. > :06:37.Sampras has come to Wimbledon a few times, but going out to Australia, I

:06:38. > :06:42.don't know why he's there. Maybe he's got a couple of deals. He has a

:06:43. > :06:47.couple of luncheons to attend. He looks quite fit. He's coming over to

:06:48. > :06:53.play in London as well. That was a rivalry, him and Andrei Agassi. That

:06:54. > :07:01.sustained the mid-90s. That was the real deal. With Federer and the

:07:02. > :07:09.dial, this is their 33rd meeting, and the great rivalries are like

:07:10. > :07:12.that -- and Nadal. Djokovic and Nadal have played 39 times. So you

:07:13. > :07:17.have this group, and Andy Murray knocking on the door man he has

:07:18. > :07:24.walked through it several times. It's incredible. We used to think

:07:25. > :07:29.somebody would get to five or six, like Boris Becker, but Federer is

:07:30. > :07:35.17. When he is gone, that game will miss him. Nadal, please stay fit.

:07:36. > :07:38.There might be a short delay before we see the men's semifinal. The

:07:39. > :07:46.ladies doubles final is on court, they are in the final set. We will

:07:47. > :07:49.be keeping an eye on that and honestly go to that if it does

:07:50. > :07:56.continue. We are looking forward to the men's semifinal today, Roger

:07:57. > :08:01.against Rafa, but one finalist is through, Matilla Stanislas Wawrinka

:08:02. > :08:05.and what a tournament he has had. -- and that is Stanislas Wawrinka.

:08:06. > :08:09.Yesterday he beat Tomas Berdych in four sets, and he will no doubt be

:08:10. > :08:16.watching today and wondering if it will be an all Swiss final. Let's

:08:17. > :08:20.hear his thoughts. I always enjoy watching them play each other

:08:21. > :08:24.because they are playing the best tennis, and it's fun, and you can

:08:25. > :08:28.always learn from them. It will be really amazing for me and Roger to

:08:29. > :08:33.play each other in a grand slam final, it will be something really

:08:34. > :08:39.special. The breakthrough has happened. It's been coming for a

:08:40. > :08:43.while. I think it was a stroke of brilliance when he picked Magnus

:08:44. > :08:47.Norman to be his coach. We have seen parts of his game, and you look at

:08:48. > :08:51.him and you wonder why he's not made the next step. There was a missing

:08:52. > :08:56.ingredient. He picked Magnus Norman, very calm borrow knowledgeable --

:08:57. > :09:03.he's very, very knowledgeable and now he looks like a threat in every

:09:04. > :09:07.slam. The ultimate reason he beat Djokovic, what Wawrinka has learned

:09:08. > :09:10.to do, is to get the ball back in play when he needs to. He has

:09:11. > :09:16.learned to take the pace, like Federer, float it back and ask the

:09:17. > :09:25.opponent hit another. The last two points against Djokovic were errors

:09:26. > :09:28.from Djokovic. Djokovic didn't handle it, missing a crosscourt drop

:09:29. > :09:34.shot. Last point, got his racket on the server, and missed a high

:09:35. > :09:38.forehand volley. Wawrinka is getting the ball back in play and making

:09:39. > :09:44.people play. He's asking difficult questions. His record against the

:09:45. > :09:52.other two guys in the semifinal, he has won one and lost 25. It's going

:09:53. > :09:57.to be difficult, God bless him for getting through to a final. The

:09:58. > :10:02.backhand is wonderful to watch. It is a joy. What has improved a lot

:10:03. > :10:06.apart from the mental side is his defensive play. He didn't have a

:10:07. > :10:11.defence, he attacked every ball, but now he gets the ball back and get it

:10:12. > :10:14.in play and can open up the court. He's the greatest one-handed

:10:15. > :10:24.backhand out there now, I think. When you have a big win like that,

:10:25. > :10:27.to it up, -- to back it up. They played in a group match in London I

:10:28. > :10:34.could see why, because he keeps putting it back. The margin over the

:10:35. > :10:38.net Tomas Berdych is high. It was tight. It was six out of seven

:10:39. > :10:43.victories brought Wawrinka and I think we saw why. Two double faults

:10:44. > :10:49.in one tie-break and another in the fourth set. Bad timing, but he has

:10:50. > :10:53.no margin, he just goes for it, Berdych. A big danger man is out of

:10:54. > :10:57.the way. I think Federer and an adult would prefer to play Wawrinka

:10:58. > :11:04.than Berdych, but marginal -- Federer and Nadal. Two days off, so

:11:05. > :11:10.long wait for first final. Yes but in some ways it was better because

:11:11. > :11:14.he has had some tough, physical matches. He can enjoy the things

:11:15. > :11:17.coming his way and then Magnus Norman can say, back to business,

:11:18. > :11:21.final in 24 hours. I think it's better he's had a couple of days

:11:22. > :11:28.rest. I was saying that the ladies doubles was on court, but that has

:11:29. > :11:36.finished and the winners this year are Errani and Vinci, they won it in

:11:37. > :11:40.the third set. They did lead 5-2, came back and broke again. They are

:11:41. > :11:43.the champions in Australia. The ladies doubles has been completed,

:11:44. > :11:48.and now everybody will be staying and waiting for Roger Federer

:11:49. > :11:56.against Rafa Nadal. Matches don't come better than that. But well done

:11:57. > :12:00.to Sara and Roberta. We mention great rivalries, and this is where

:12:01. > :12:07.everybody wants to be, watching Rafa against Roger. At the end of last

:12:08. > :12:14.year we were thinking Federer, is he going to be a factor in grand slams

:12:15. > :12:20.and people thought no, but he has a new racquet and a new coach, and

:12:21. > :12:24.Federer is back, not that he totally went away, but looking at the

:12:25. > :12:28.finals, if he wins this match, he is odds-on favourite to beat Wawrinka.

:12:29. > :12:33.If he wins this match, he wins another slam. Nadal, blisters on his

:12:34. > :12:36.hands so we don't know about him. The potential for this match, it

:12:37. > :12:45.could be the best match of the tournament. We mentioned that the

:12:46. > :12:50.racket -- we mentioned that racquet, but he has persevered and it seems

:12:51. > :12:54.to have paid off. He has been experimenting. He normally doesn't

:12:55. > :13:06.play with Wimbledon, but what he has now is a 98 square inch racket and

:13:07. > :13:09.it looks like the one Tsonga uses, with a bigger sweet spot in the

:13:10. > :13:13.middle. He's very comfortable with it. It's thin around the outside,

:13:14. > :13:19.and he likes one that cuts through the air. It just feels right to

:13:20. > :13:22.him. What it has given him his control on the second serve

:13:23. > :13:25.particularly. It feels like he can put the second serve where he wants

:13:26. > :13:33.to keep an opponent guessing. He has only lost twice in five matches at

:13:34. > :13:37.the Australian open. The string pattern is slightly widened out and

:13:38. > :13:42.you get more on the ball. He feels he can get more power with it on the

:13:43. > :13:51.backhand side. He's not panicking. He has the Edberg backhand, nice and

:13:52. > :13:58.calm until he knifes it in. It looks almost like he has another six

:13:59. > :14:02.inches on it. He is getting to balls better than before his back injury.

:14:03. > :14:05.He never talks about his back injury and never likes to save anything is

:14:06. > :14:12.wrong, but last year he Bisley was not moving as well as now. --

:14:13. > :14:18.anything. -- obviously. Welcome to the real world, Roger. Last year

:14:19. > :14:24.some things happen, but then he got through. He is playing well and

:14:25. > :14:27.there is no excuses but last year he was struggling. You can see he is

:14:28. > :14:31.moving beautifully out there. I agree with Andrew, with the racquet,

:14:32. > :14:35.psychologically as much as anything. But I think it is helped his

:14:36. > :14:39.backhand. He seems to be getting on top of the ball. He will need to

:14:40. > :14:44.today, because that is where Nadal will go and it's causing problems in

:14:45. > :14:51.the past. It is a high bouncing court. Rafa's shots, very high. It's

:14:52. > :14:55.easier to volley with this racquet. When you go from the one he was

:14:56. > :15:01.using, and honestly don't now how he used it, 400 grams, just piece of

:15:02. > :15:07.wood. He is volleying comfortably. This is fantastic today. Federer,

:15:08. > :15:10.the greatest player we have got so far, against the one who will

:15:11. > :15:14.probably assume the mantle of greatest player, and Roger is having

:15:15. > :15:18.to figure it out. How many years has he just blown people off the court

:15:19. > :15:22.with his technique and physicality? Now this is a champion really

:15:23. > :15:26.struggling. And he wonders whether this is it or not. This is a real

:15:27. > :15:31.possibility. This will excite him today, and that's what I'm excited

:15:32. > :15:36.about. Absolutely. He was an awesome form against Andy Murray, who he

:15:37. > :15:40.beat in four sets, and we can see the match point and how he finished

:15:41. > :15:46.it off. It was Federer at his best. Murray came back to win a

:15:47. > :15:51.tie-break, but boy, did he raise the level of play again in the fourth

:15:52. > :16:00.set. That was a terrific performance from Roger, and I don't think we

:16:01. > :16:04.expected much more from Andy. I think he had a good tournament,

:16:05. > :16:09.comfortable draw, but to get to the semifinals and come up against

:16:10. > :16:12.Federer, I thought he played well. But for Federer to get through that,

:16:13. > :16:17.psychologically, that is a big victory to beat Andy Murray. A

:16:18. > :16:20.couple of points there, you could see Federer doubting himself, but he

:16:21. > :16:24.came through and that will mean a good deal to his confidence. He

:16:25. > :16:29.finds Andy Murray a difficult player. Let's be honest, everyone

:16:30. > :16:32.thinks you're making excuses for Andy Murray if he loses, but the

:16:33. > :16:36.bottom line is he's played a couple of tournaments since the U.S. Open

:16:37. > :16:41.last year. When you come up against one of the other big boys, the top

:16:42. > :16:44.three, it's a different pace. Maybe only two or 3% different from

:16:45. > :16:49.everyone but he had not been in that arena. At the end of the third set

:16:50. > :16:53.when he had to push up, he founded. I think it was not a bad sign for

:16:54. > :16:57.Andy. I think he will be fine. I'm glad. He did only play a couple of

:16:58. > :17:02.competitive matches before coming here to the Australian open. Let's

:17:03. > :17:08.hear how Andy reflected on that loss. Commiserations. Of its any

:17:09. > :17:14.consolation, that was some battle in the third or fourth set. Yes, I

:17:15. > :17:20.fought hard at the end, there were some long, tough games, with big

:17:21. > :17:27.points where I went to my shots and was very aggressive. When he was

:17:28. > :17:30.playing at a very high level, I managed to get myself back into the

:17:31. > :17:37.match. That was pleasing. My body held up fairly well. I didn't expect

:17:38. > :17:42.it to be perfect. It was maybe a little bit better than I expected.

:17:43. > :17:45.I'm happy about that. Not wanting to think too far ahead, but does it

:17:46. > :17:50.give you encouragement for the challenges later in the year? Yes,

:17:51. > :17:57.you never know how you will respond to surgery and I wasn't expecting to

:17:58. > :18:02.come in and win the event, and I would be really stupid to think

:18:03. > :18:06.that, it's a tough thing to do playing against Roger at that level.

:18:07. > :18:10.Even if I had one, I would have had to play Rafa in a couple of days and

:18:11. > :18:16.that would have been a tough ask. I am happy to be playing at a good

:18:17. > :18:19.level, with a few more matches in a bit more training, hopefully I'll be

:18:20. > :18:24.back to my best at some stage this year. Yes, fitness, and he needs to

:18:25. > :18:30.play more matches and get himself match tough again. He has the

:18:31. > :18:34.perfect opportunity, he played enough matches here, and he has the

:18:35. > :18:42.Davis cup coming up, which should be five set matches. It's the ideal

:18:43. > :18:45.preparation. Unfortunately, to have this so early in the season was

:18:46. > :18:49.tough for him. If there were small events coming through, four or five

:18:50. > :18:52.of them, he would have got through. He will be in good shape on the

:18:53. > :18:54.other tournaments. The point is he got through the grand slam without a

:18:55. > :18:58.problem in his back and will only get better as the year goes on. It

:18:59. > :19:03.will be a test for him next week, the Davis cup, on clay, in San

:19:04. > :19:08.Diego. We will have it live on the BBC. That is a whole different ball

:19:09. > :19:17.game. They are playing on clay in San Diego. The Americans have their

:19:18. > :19:25.two big boys, Querrey and Isner, and Jim Korea is captain, and it will be

:19:26. > :19:31.very difficult -- Jim Korea -- Courier. It looks like Kyle Evans

:19:32. > :19:36.might get the nod over James Walker. Dan Evans is not even in the

:19:37. > :19:40.team. Murray needs matches against the big guys, and the sooner the

:19:41. > :19:48.better. Indian Wells and Miami on the hard courts will show us where

:19:49. > :19:51.he is. Lendl We'll certainly be in his corner, and Boris Becker is

:19:52. > :19:57.working with Novak Djokovic but there's been a lot of talk about

:19:58. > :20:01.Roger Federer's new signing, Stefan Edberg, he was a man of few words,

:20:02. > :20:05.understated, but underneath the facade was a ferocious competitor.

:20:06. > :20:08.Whether it is down to him or not, Roger certainly looks to be more

:20:09. > :20:13.aggressive in his style in Australia. That was evident when he

:20:14. > :20:19.beat Murray and he is suddenly happy with his fitness and form so far. I

:20:20. > :20:27.definitely sense that today I am back, physically, and I am explosive

:20:28. > :20:34.out there. I can get the balls -- two balls, I'm not afraid to get to

:20:35. > :20:37.balls. Last year I couldn't do it, but the important thing is I can do

:20:38. > :20:42.it now and I'm looking forward to the next match. It was a great game

:20:43. > :20:47.on many levels today, not just physically, but also mentally, it

:20:48. > :20:57.was tough. I really played some good tennis and I was very happy. Yes,

:20:58. > :21:03.Roger, he is in awesome form Rafa Nadal has his problems as well. The

:21:04. > :21:06.concern was the blister. He said it affected his serve and he was

:21:07. > :21:10.worried about the racquet coming out of his hand, and he served 78 double

:21:11. > :21:15.faults in one match, but our spies in Melbourne said yesterday he

:21:16. > :21:22.practised yesterday without tape on his hand for the first time for

:21:23. > :21:26.awhile -- seven or eight. That blister looks nasty. It was

:21:27. > :21:30.affecting his serve we might be talking about a different outcome.

:21:31. > :21:38.It bothered him so much he lost the set. Still managed to get through.

:21:39. > :21:44.He is certainly match hardened. Whether he will get through, I don't

:21:45. > :21:47.know. It is early in the morning so you might want to look away, but we

:21:48. > :21:55.have a look at the blister in this interview with Rafa. I am happy the

:21:56. > :22:03.way that I am playing. With the blister, the only problem I have is

:22:04. > :22:09.really the serve. I feel like the racquet can go. I'm not feeling I am

:22:10. > :22:15.holding it strongly on my serve. That gives me a little bit of

:22:16. > :22:21.confusion with myself. I was not really confident. But for the rest

:22:22. > :22:25.of the game, it's fine. I had tried my best in the semifinals, and I am

:22:26. > :22:35.happy to come out of the tough battle and be in the semifinals. I

:22:36. > :22:37.will try to keep playing well. The men's singles in the Australian in

:22:38. > :22:40.the last couple of years has produced some really long, really

:22:41. > :22:45.classic matches. How much do you enjoy those really tough, tense

:22:46. > :22:55.battles? Are you ready to go through some real pain to try and win? I'll

:22:56. > :22:58.want to win big tournaments. You are playing against the biggest -- best

:22:59. > :23:04.players in the tunnel. The match will be long, tough, there will be

:23:05. > :23:13.pressure -- pressure moments -- best players in the world. Why am doing

:23:14. > :23:20.this, I want to be in these matches, to have these moments. I want to

:23:21. > :23:28.learn, to improve, to enjoy this situation. The crowd here is just

:23:29. > :23:32.amazing. It is very emotional for me after missing last year and having a

:23:33. > :23:36.lot of problems in the past year, so every time I'm able to play here and

:23:37. > :23:42.feel the crowd behind me is just very, very special. I'm trying to

:23:43. > :23:47.enjoy it as much as I can every day. So glad he is still enjoying it, and

:23:48. > :23:50.we certainly enjoy watching him, and this man, Roger Federer. They are

:23:51. > :23:54.making their way from the locker room is. No surprise that Rafa is a

:23:55. > :24:03.little late. That is almost part of his routine. Federer has only beaten

:24:04. > :24:07.him ten times, compared to 22, quite a ratio of losses there. This is a

:24:08. > :24:12.great champion trying to find a way to take on another. There is no

:24:13. > :24:15.question that Nadal has dominated. That's why we talk so much about

:24:16. > :24:20.Federer, because we did not know where he was last year, but we do

:24:21. > :24:24.now. Everything he has done comes down to this. It all comes down to

:24:25. > :24:29.absolutely staying in the present. I would have loved to have heard a

:24:30. > :24:34.very quiet and softly spoken, authoritative words from Jedburgh in

:24:35. > :24:38.the changing room before going out on court -- from Stefan Edberg. If

:24:39. > :24:42.he can defend on the backhand effectively, and come to the net

:24:43. > :24:47.effectively, those two things, then he has a chance. If it was over one

:24:48. > :24:53.set, I would fancy his chances more, but five set, can you see Federer

:24:54. > :24:58.winning the match? Maybe he can and I'm sure he's goes out thinking he

:24:59. > :25:04.can. There is Wayne McEwan, now he is the boss of the tournament. They

:25:05. > :25:21.had a lot of aggro with the heat policy. Anyway, here he comes.

:25:22. > :25:39.And his opponent from Spade -- from Spain, Rafael Nadal!

:25:40. > :25:45.A huge ovation for both players, they get it everywhere they go.

:25:46. > :25:48.Everyone so looking forward to this. It is interesting. Andrew was

:25:49. > :25:52.talking about what Roger has to do, and the blister could be a factor.

:25:53. > :25:56.He was saying he could not hold onto the racket the serve, and you had a

:25:57. > :26:01.blister in that place. It's not easy, and it's painful getting

:26:02. > :26:04.treated. It's not like on the fingers where you can tape it, right

:26:05. > :26:10.in the Palmer band, tough to keep the tape on their without coming up

:26:11. > :26:16.-- the palm of the hand. He said he was struggling on the serve, but he

:26:17. > :26:19.was practising yesterday and he wouldn't have done that if there was

:26:20. > :26:23.a real problem. He has probably sorted that out. Having said that,

:26:24. > :26:26.the match is more likely to go on for at least three hours and it

:26:27. > :26:33.could flare up again, and it could make a slight difference. I think

:26:34. > :26:37.you should be OK. You talk about the head-to-head, and looking at it,

:26:38. > :26:38.Rafa has won the last four times they've played, in fact ten of the

:26:39. > :26:48.last 12 in the last three years. It is a dominant head-to-head for

:26:49. > :27:03.Nadal. Eight grand slam finals, and that is 6-2 in favour of another.

:27:04. > :27:09.Federer, he has not won a grand slam match against Nadal since 2007 at

:27:10. > :27:12.Wimbledon. That's a long time. Hard to believe, but Federer will think

:27:13. > :27:17.he has something to prove, which is why this is fun. Personally, I look

:27:18. > :27:22.at the match and I wonder how. I was messing about on Twitter, and most

:27:23. > :27:27.people think the same, how do you deal with Nadal on this surface? He

:27:28. > :27:28.will keep throwing the forehand into the Federer backhand all night until

:27:29. > :27:38.he figures it out. And he is ready. We are going to get the pictures

:27:39. > :27:43.first, so face that way with Thomas, then face the other way. And

:27:44. > :27:48.then the free view the other, please? And Thomas, if you come with

:27:49. > :27:53.C -- come with me a minute, we will get a picture of just the two of

:27:54. > :28:01.them. -- and then all three of you the other way. Any questions

:28:02. > :28:11.question Rafa, would you like to call it? Heads? You'll take that

:28:12. > :28:21.side. OK. That is a first, pick your side? He picked the side, and then

:28:22. > :28:26.Rafa said he would receive. Nobody wanted to serve. Maybe he just

:28:27. > :28:29.wanted him to choose. It's cloudy, there's a roof though, so it doesn't

:28:30. > :28:35.make much difference, and it is at night. Jake Garner was the umpire

:28:36. > :28:40.taking us through that, and it an interesting choice. I don't know

:28:41. > :28:45.what psychological games these two have got going on. We talk about the

:28:46. > :28:48.matches they have played in the places they have played. They know

:28:49. > :28:52.each other very well and they get on. They played all the exhibition

:28:53. > :28:55.matches and everything else. They've supported each other charities in

:28:56. > :29:00.the past, so God knows what goes on between them, but when push comes to

:29:01. > :29:05.shove, it is the match between the two. I love the fact that nerves

:29:06. > :29:08.will play a part in exciting but it won't destroy them. They've both

:29:09. > :29:11.been there and done it and they've won every tournament and both have

:29:12. > :29:16.an Olympic gold. I think this is just a lovely tennis match to watch.

:29:17. > :29:19.I think Nadal will start as heavy favourite, and I suspect he will

:29:20. > :29:26.win, but I can't wait to see Federer dealing with it. We talk about

:29:27. > :29:28.records, and for Roger Federer, 11 straight Australian open

:29:29. > :29:33.semifinals. It's incredible, the consistency. It is mind-boggling and

:29:34. > :29:38.it's so great to see him play so well. There is the Stefan Edberg

:29:39. > :29:45.factor. We talk about his record in Slams, two against eight, and I

:29:46. > :29:48.think the signing of Stefan Edberg, the great champions that have come

:29:49. > :29:54.in, like Boris Becker, you don't have to have been a great player to

:29:55. > :29:58.be a great coach. Rafa Nadal's uncle Toni is proof of that, but all great

:29:59. > :30:04.players, even the great ones, they have great doubts in themselves. You

:30:05. > :30:07.don't see him looking confident on cat -- you think he is looking

:30:08. > :30:11.confident on camera, but there are times you doubt themselves -- there

:30:12. > :30:15.are times they doubt themselves. Having Stefan Edberg in his corner,

:30:16. > :30:18.that might give him a couple of little things, just little hints

:30:19. > :30:20.that might help them, because he's been there and done it and I think

:30:21. > :30:26.it's a masterstroke with these players getting these great ex-grand

:30:27. > :30:31.slam champions in their corner. That is what Roger said. He wanted to

:30:32. > :30:36.have him. He was his boyhood hero. He just said he could talk to him,

:30:37. > :30:39.he's been there, he knows what he's going through, and he can give in

:30:40. > :30:43.those little nuggets of information. It's great to have

:30:44. > :30:54.someone next to you that has been there and understands. I think

:30:55. > :31:03.Stefan Edberg and Roger will be a perfect mix. They are so similar. So

:31:04. > :31:10.serene, both of them. Listening to Stefan Edberg, he said there are

:31:11. > :31:18.some things he can help with, a few tactical things. He got the tax

:31:19. > :31:22.looks right against Andy Murray. It is about coming to the net, and

:31:23. > :31:30.Stephanie Berg was the master of that. When you have been there and

:31:31. > :31:36.done it as he has, in these moments of nerves, I guarantee Federer has

:31:37. > :31:40.had doubts about playing Nadal, his record proves that. Just to have

:31:41. > :31:47.someone like Stefan Edberg in his corner the night before the match,

:31:48. > :31:56.saying, " you can win this". Personalities have got to match

:31:57. > :32:01.should. Very much like Ivan Lendl and Andy Murray. They are similar, a

:32:02. > :32:08.great sense of humour even though it does not come across as much. They

:32:09. > :32:16.get on well, they laughed together. You have Djokovic, a fiery character

:32:17. > :32:23.with respect. OK, he lost this very close match with Wawrinka. But they

:32:24. > :32:28.have picked ex-players with similar personalities in their own era. If

:32:29. > :32:34.they don't get on well off the court, it is doomed. But I think it

:32:35. > :32:39.will work out well. It already has worked well with Murray and Ivan

:32:40. > :32:46.Lendl. Roger is saying he is going to keep the points short, maybe that

:32:47. > :32:51.is because he is 32 years of age and you want to conserve your energy,

:32:52. > :32:58.particularly in five sets. What nobody moved in court and came to

:32:59. > :33:05.the net better than Stefan Edberg? I agree. But there is a fine line, if

:33:06. > :33:10.he comes in on approach shots that are not good, he will be hitting

:33:11. > :33:14.ankle volleys all day. I think we will see Roger Federer coming out

:33:15. > :33:20.all guns blazing in this first set. He will try and impose himself. It

:33:21. > :33:27.is tough to see eventually, Nadal not wearing him down. It is tough to

:33:28. > :33:34.see with their past record. But who knows, Federer is back, a new tennis

:33:35. > :33:39.racket and he believes in himself. Being a left-hander, that is such an

:33:40. > :33:46.advantage isn't it? He can really exploit Federer even more. That has

:33:47. > :33:51.possibly been a big difference? No question, getting up high to the

:33:52. > :33:55.Federer backhand. He says his backhand his better with this new

:33:56. > :34:01.racket. He has confidence going after the ball. He will be hitting a

:34:02. > :34:05.lot of shoulder height backhands. But can he hit it deeply enough

:34:06. > :34:11.where Rafa does not take over the point with his forehand. Can he go

:34:12. > :34:17.down the line a bit more than he used to? Open up the court with that

:34:18. > :34:22.backhand. It will be the difference, how well he handles that side of the

:34:23. > :34:33.game. They have quickened the court up a bit. It is good we are not

:34:34. > :34:40.having the Grand Slams played on all slow surfaces. Wimbledon has slowed

:34:41. > :34:45.the grass down. They are making players want to come in more?

:34:46. > :34:50.Absolutely, that is what this game is about. You should have

:34:51. > :34:54.differences. I think Wimbledon should go back to the quicker grass

:34:55. > :35:03.courts, that is part of what makes a grand slam so different. The court

:35:04. > :35:07.speeds have been similar and it has made the game or predict the book.

:35:08. > :35:16.When you get a surface like this one that is quicker this year, it is

:35:17. > :35:22.lovely to see. It is so good to see Rafa at the Australian Open because

:35:23. > :35:29.he has been injured so often. He has not won it since 2009. And he has

:35:30. > :35:35.won a tournament coming into it, in Doha, which he has never ban before.

:35:36. > :35:40.He won a tournament coming in, is in perfect shape. He is the favourite

:35:41. > :35:47.today. But you cannot count out Federer. I think we had written him

:35:48. > :35:53.off a bit for Grand Slams after last year, but he is still there. He

:35:54. > :35:59.knows if he beats Rafa he has a great chance against Wawrinka in the

:36:00. > :36:04.final. People were doubting him. I think he doubted himself. OK, thank

:36:05. > :36:11.you very much. So much to talk about, how much will Roger attack

:36:12. > :36:15.and how will that blister hold-up? If you have any thoughts on that or

:36:16. > :36:23.want to make any comments, you can contact the team. You can get in

:36:24. > :36:31.touch on the website and Facebook. Also, Twitter. Any thoughts on the

:36:32. > :36:37.match, the up and coming Davis Cup, we would love to hear from you. We

:36:38. > :36:39.are set for this meant's semifinal, Roger against Rafa. Let's join John

:36:40. > :36:59.and Andy. The rivalry continues. This is the

:37:00. > :37:01.semifinal of the Australian Open. The first of this year's for grand

:37:02. > :39:03.slam championships. ANDREW CASTLE: a pretty comfortable

:39:04. > :39:12.hold at the start of the match. He has only lost serve twice. Once too

:39:13. > :39:17.Andy Murray when he was serving for the match in the quarterfinal in the

:39:18. > :39:24.third set. John Lloyd, gives credit to this larger headed tennis racket

:39:25. > :39:27.for giving him control on the ball on the serve. If you feel

:39:28. > :39:34.comfortable with the weapon you are wielding, it makes you feel good on

:39:35. > :39:40.the court? You said about his sweet spot and you ask a white he would

:39:41. > :39:46.need to improve his sweet spot. Reminds me of Jimmy Connors, his

:39:47. > :39:53.sweet spot was so small, I wondered how he ever hit the ball. But this

:39:54. > :42:13.racket has given him a bit more confidence.

:42:14. > :42:19.Service direction and keeping an opponent guessing, that is what

:42:20. > :42:30.Federer is looking for in this match. He took hold of that

:42:31. > :42:37.backhand. That was up pretty high against Federer. Nadal did not whip

:42:38. > :43:48.it up as high as we have seen it, but it was still shoulder height.

:43:49. > :43:57.That is what happens if you come into the wrong side or on the wrong

:43:58. > :44:02.ball, or at the wrong time, with not enough on it, you will get punished.

:44:03. > :44:06.This is the difference between the man he is playing today, Federer,

:44:07. > :44:19.and the men he has played so far. Nadal is the top man for the pass.

:44:20. > :44:24.That is fine. Big difference between obviously this approach shot and one

:44:25. > :44:30.in the previous point. He had the open court. The one before, he did

:44:31. > :45:05.not hit it hard enough, get it wide enough and then you paid the

:45:06. > :45:14.it is a fascinating opening three games we have seen so far.

:45:15. > :45:18.Fascinating seven minutes. Once Nadal had got to be as ball, you

:45:19. > :45:25.expected him to put it down the line. His anticipation was perfect.

:45:26. > :45:29.But it is more evidence of Federer feeling confident at the net. That

:45:30. > :45:34.has to be something to do with Stefan Edberg. Perhaps, John Lloyd,

:45:35. > :45:40.he gave Federer permission to come in, go ahead and express yourself.

:45:41. > :45:44.There is no way you can stay back against Djokovic and Nadal and most

:45:45. > :45:49.of the time against Andy Murray as well. At this age, you have to keep

:45:50. > :45:54.rallies shorter and don't get involved in a slugging match at the

:45:55. > :46:01.back of the court. He looks so good at the back of the net. Yes, he

:46:02. > :46:07.needs his approach shot. He has to increase that. His statistics were

:46:08. > :46:11.very good against Murray. Murray has one of the greatest passing shots on

:46:12. > :46:17.the circuit. He did very well against him. That would have given

:46:18. > :46:24.him tremendous confidence. He has got to take chances to win this

:46:25. > :46:30.match, there is no question. After 45 minutes of the contest against

:46:31. > :46:34.Murray, Federer had been to the net 18 times and won 14 of them. It was

:46:35. > :46:46.clear what his pack ticks were, they will be similar here. The onus will

:46:47. > :47:14.be on the Swiss player to try to dictate this match.

:47:15. > :47:22.I was going to say before that amazing attempt of the passing shot

:47:23. > :47:27.by Nadal, that was a great approach shot. Even if he had lost that

:47:28. > :48:33.point, ye has to take those chances. Wonderful anticipation.

:48:34. > :48:44.Almost got away with that because of his excellent Arcand volley. But the

:48:45. > :48:50.hook shot wasn't good enough. Did not get Nadal out wide enough. Had

:48:51. > :49:27.to get an excellent folly to stay in this point.

:49:28. > :49:39.That was developing as an Nadal point. I am sure Stefan Edberg has

:49:40. > :50:38.same to Federer, state down on that backhand. -- stay down.

:50:39. > :50:48.You would normally say, don't run round a left-handed serve because

:50:49. > :50:55.the ball is swinging away from you. Federer was three or four feet

:50:56. > :50:59.outside the tramlines. That to hit a winner otherwise he would have been

:51:00. > :51:04.out of the shot. Took a chance and it paid off.

:51:05. > :51:19.That is the one. Do you slice that back? Then hit another forehand?

:51:20. > :51:23.Once it has climbed up above shoulder height, it is so hard for

:51:24. > :51:54.the single hander. You don't see that shot very often.

:51:55. > :51:58.A top-spin forehand volley? It was dipping and it was coming in. I

:51:59. > :52:04.guarantee you he does not practice that. He does not need to Pratt is

:52:05. > :52:08.it if he can hit it like that. What a shot. Did not wait for it to drop

:52:09. > :52:30.too low. He attacked it like that. Tremendous hold of serve from Nadal.

:52:31. > :52:31.Previous game from love 30 down. Building up nicely already this

:52:32. > :54:03.semifinal. Tomorrow from 8.25, Li Na against

:54:04. > :54:12.Dominique 's bulk. She beat Shara probe.

:54:13. > :54:30.The meant's final from 8:15am on Sunday morning. Stanislas Wawrinka

:54:31. > :54:37.awaits one of these two. He has won one match of the 26 he has played

:54:38. > :54:48.against them. He beat Federer wants, but has never beaten Nadal. -- once.

:54:49. > :54:54.Good sign so far if you are a Roger Federer fan. He is getting these

:54:55. > :55:00.half court opportunities. Has not converted them yet to break serve,

:55:01. > :55:05.but is not being dictated to. Sometimes Nadal has started to dip

:55:06. > :55:09.Tate the way the match is being played and would push Federer back.

:55:10. > :55:17.That is not happening. Has not quite converted some of these half court

:55:18. > :55:24.balls yet, but it is close and he will be encouraged by this start.

:55:25. > :55:28.The problem is, psychologically, it is the best of five sets. Best of

:55:29. > :55:35.three sets, it is a different ball game. But against this man, it is a

:55:36. > :55:40.long way in a Grand Slam. It is the toughest thing in the world to do.

:55:41. > :56:00.Federer has never beaten him outside of Wimbledon.

:56:01. > :56:30.That was a well worked point. We may see more errors from Federer than

:56:31. > :56:38.normal. But it is OK. He has to take chances. It is the winners that are

:56:39. > :56:43.going to count. These are the sorts of points he does not want to get

:56:44. > :56:47.involved in where he is being dictated to. But it would have been

:56:48. > :56:54.tough to get ahead in that rally, unfortunately. Underrated serve from

:56:55. > :57:01.Nadal. Does not serve many aces but that swinging out wide on the line,

:57:02. > :57:31.it is tough for Federer to do anything.

:57:32. > :57:40.Still no signs of a break of serve in this Australian Open semifinal.

:57:41. > :57:44.Nadal with a comfortable hold. He had been 0-30 down on his previous

:57:45. > :58:46.service game. Found that passing shot will stop no break points yet.

:58:47. > :58:54.Again, Federer, half court all. Anything around that area he has to

:58:55. > :59:09.dominate the point. As soon as he get that chance, he has two take it.

:59:10. > :59:15.That was the first serve-volley of the night. Hopefully it will not put

:59:16. > :59:20.him off doing it again. Now and again it is a good idea to throw it

:59:21. > :59:31.in. But that one did not get out wide enough and with Nadal you have

:59:32. > :59:36.to be spot on. The backhand pass. On the return of serve on a previous

:59:37. > :59:43.points, but this! Hardly anything to a mat and he just comes around it.

:59:44. > :59:47.Comes around like he is bowling. Huge amount of side spin and here

:59:48. > :00:15.are a couple of break points. That is surprisingly. Federer will

:00:16. > :00:20.be looking to make this second break point a very short one. Could really

:00:21. > :00:44.use a first serve here. And that is about as animated as you

:00:45. > :00:48.will see Stefan Edberg. Just a whisper. Something along the lines

:00:49. > :01:35.of "good". Federer not doing enough with the

:01:36. > :01:39.forehand. If you're going to go that wide, you need to do something more

:01:40. > :01:43.than that. Straight into the pocket of Nadal.

:01:44. > :02:30.That was ten feet outside the alley. Went across the baseline.

:02:31. > :02:42.First minicrisis avoided by Roger Federer. At 0-15, he played a poor

:02:43. > :02:53.point, but ultimately the game was decided by the errors of Nadal. At

:02:54. > :02:58.15-40, the Dahl had some chances -- Nadal had some chances. He floated

:02:59. > :03:02.the backhand long and really should have had that. You can see his

:03:03. > :03:06.reaction after, he knows he should have won the point and be up a break

:03:07. > :03:14.of serve. But credit to Federer, he attacked, even when he was down, and

:03:15. > :03:18.a brilliant service at deuce, an excellent seven games so far.

:03:19. > :03:21.Federer hanging in there. That would have been pretty dangerous if he

:03:22. > :03:27.lost his serve there. That would have been big problems, but he came

:03:28. > :03:30.out of it very well indeed. So, Federer playing the last game and

:03:31. > :03:36.holding serve with the old tennis balls. When he does come out and

:03:37. > :03:40.serve, it will be with the new ones. Going through the air just a bit

:03:41. > :03:46.quicker. No doubt an advantage, these conditions, the Federer. He

:03:47. > :03:54.would rather play in something like 65 or 66 degrees in the evening

:03:55. > :03:59.rather than chasing the forehand of Nadal in 40 degrees heat. Over 40

:04:00. > :04:06.Celsius in Melbourne for four straight days in a week, that is the

:04:07. > :04:09.hottest it's ever been in this city, certainly in the last 100 years of

:04:10. > :04:14.recorded weather. Very different today, a cooler evening for the

:04:15. > :05:54.men's semifinal. Serving a 3-4, the world number one.

:05:55. > :06:02.A 15,000 seat arena, the Rod Laver arena as it has been known since the

:06:03. > :06:57.year 2000. A beautiful change of direction from

:06:58. > :07:00.Federer, going behind Nadal. Nadal already sneaking over the other side

:07:01. > :08:00.to cover the crosscourt and went behind his man.

:08:01. > :08:12.That is a stunning rally. Best rally of the match so far.

:08:13. > :08:18.You just thought Federer might throw in a drop shot and follow it into

:08:19. > :08:25.the net, but he chose to drive through the backhand. And Nadal will

:08:26. > :08:29.gobble those up all day long, but it is their ability to stay balanced at

:08:30. > :08:37.the very margins of the court that show you the work they have put in.

:08:38. > :08:45.Is that Rafael Nadal's bag? It must be. No one else has won eight French

:08:46. > :08:48.Open is -- has won the French Open eight times! He has only lost one

:08:49. > :09:53.match there. It is staggering. He is a player that does not serve

:09:54. > :09:55.many double faults, never a good time to have one, but not a bad

:09:56. > :10:12.time, 15-15. That is a bit sloppy there. Two

:10:13. > :10:16.Sloppy points in a row. Tomas Berdych had two double faults in the

:10:17. > :10:20.tie-break and then in another, and that really cost in the match. --

:10:21. > :11:06.really cost him the match. That is the one. That is the pattern

:11:07. > :11:12.you worry about, with five sets, especially if you are a Federer fan.

:11:13. > :11:16.It is just so hard to cope with Nadal's topspin and the relentless

:11:17. > :11:19.peppering on the backhand side. In the previous game he fought back

:11:20. > :11:48.from two break points. Here is another.

:11:49. > :11:57.These are some nervy times. Federer is unlucky, hitting the net slowed

:11:58. > :12:02.up the ball and Nadal had a chance to do something in the rally, then

:12:03. > :12:05.heated a bit short and let Federer take charge again. Almost a bit

:12:06. > :12:20.conservative therefrom Nadal in the middle of the rally.

:12:21. > :12:27.Another of the greats of the game, Pete Sampras.

:12:28. > :12:34.He will be thinking, what would I do here? Serve an ace.

:12:35. > :12:48.What would he think on the second serve? Ace.

:12:49. > :13:01.It is another escape job for Roger Federer, he is 5-4 up in the first

:13:02. > :13:04.set. The great Rod Laver. It was wonderful watching him play against

:13:05. > :13:11.Roger Federer on this very court, the Wednesday before the

:13:12. > :13:16.championships began. Just before Tsonga and Federer played a pretty

:13:17. > :13:20.full on exhibition match. Labour looked all right from the back of

:13:21. > :13:24.the call. Did you play him ever? Yes, I played him a few times. A

:13:25. > :13:31.great man. The most modest champion you will ever meet in your life. You

:13:32. > :13:35.would have thought that his record, but he looks like he has won three

:13:36. > :13:39.or four club tournaments. He has created history, has a stadium named

:13:40. > :13:42.after him, and you wouldn't have thought that any of that would have

:13:43. > :13:48.happened. He is the most modest champion and a fantastic man.

:13:49. > :13:57.Indeed. He knows what he is watching with these two. Both champions, and

:13:58. > :14:01.obviously so. Federer, under enormous pressure in the last two

:14:02. > :14:06.service games has escaped, but what has been interesting is how Nadal

:14:07. > :14:15.has been just a little bit off on the biggest points so far. He has.

:14:16. > :14:21.That's right. Well, he's nervous. It happens to the greats. Now Federer

:14:22. > :14:24.perhaps looking for an ambush. First couple of points, take a risk and go

:14:25. > :15:25.for it. Two first serves four Nadal, and

:15:26. > :16:23.suddenly the game looks easy. -- for Nadal.

:16:24. > :16:34.Another one of these errors. That was miles out. It really was. He has

:16:35. > :17:57.lost control a few times. You don't often see his radar go off.

:17:58. > :18:04.Yes, Federer excepting that one. Just something for Nadal to deal

:18:05. > :18:07.with there. He's definitely not happy at the moment. Needs to get

:18:08. > :18:12.himself going. He's usually running around the place. The controlled

:18:13. > :18:18.from the back of the court is still being wrestled by these two, the

:18:19. > :18:19.control. Some uncharacteristic errors, particularly from the

:18:20. > :18:44.Spaniard. The ball was called out. Nadal

:18:45. > :18:50.cannot believe he has missed the big return on the second serve point.

:18:51. > :19:18.15-0, Nadal has two remaining. Edberg will be looking at that

:19:19. > :19:50.thinking, that's what I would have done.

:19:51. > :20:19.That's what I would have done. You and me both.

:20:20. > :20:25.It is the 33rd meeting between these two, and we talk about great

:20:26. > :20:29.rivalries. Stefan Edberg, in the Federer camp now, and his rivalry

:20:30. > :20:37.with Boris Becker is talked about, and the late 80s and early 90s, it

:20:38. > :20:44.was great to watch. It was acted quite one-sided, 25 victories Q --

:20:45. > :20:50.actually quite one-sided, 22 victories for Boris Becker, tend to

:20:51. > :21:02.Stefan Edberg. You look at John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, they only

:21:03. > :21:06.played 14 times, that was 7-7. Lendl And McEnroe played quite a lot,

:21:07. > :21:18.21-15 to Lendl. Pete Sampras is here, present to the

:21:19. > :21:22.semifinal. -- present for the semifinal. And there is the racquet

:21:23. > :21:27.that has been subject of a lot of speculation. It is branded with the

:21:28. > :21:33.logo of his manufacturer in the strings, so it is a sponsored

:21:34. > :21:37.racket, he has the deal in place. It is just the racquet is made for him.

:21:38. > :21:42.They haven't come up with a colour scheme yet. Yes, they have decided

:21:43. > :21:50.to go with a straight black at the moment, which I think looks great.

:21:51. > :21:54.Try and make it as colourful as Nadal's clothes. That would be

:21:55. > :22:47.something. I'm not going to be on the creative team.

:22:48. > :22:55.He took to bigger step on the backhand, I think it was fatigue.

:22:56. > :22:58.That was the first time as well. His foot -- his footwork is normally

:22:59. > :23:04.immaculate. The last backhand, he took a long stride. Look at that.

:23:05. > :23:11.You know what, I can't move my feet any more. Yes, that is where you

:23:12. > :23:15.might be looking for a slice, take a risk. If you can pass me, you can

:23:16. > :23:38.have the point, but maybe ask the question early in the rally.

:23:39. > :23:43.They are panting hard, and going into a break, you don't want to be

:23:44. > :24:19.serving like that. That is exactly right.

:24:20. > :24:28.Ready for the breaker. That first point knocked the stuffing out of

:24:29. > :24:31.him. At 26 or 27 you might think about recovering, but 32, perhaps

:24:32. > :25:25.not. Australian open champion, Rafael

:25:26. > :25:27.Nadal, 2009, he beat Roger Federer. Runner-up in 2012. Federer, four

:25:28. > :25:52.times champion here. That is the pattern that he wants,

:25:53. > :25:55.short, decisive, explosive. Maybe he does spot an opportunity here,

:25:56. > :26:40.although it is still game point the Dell. -- game point, Nadal.

:26:41. > :27:20.No wonder you would grab the towel on every point if you were Nadal.

:27:21. > :27:26.These are worrying signs for Federer, because these are Nadal

:27:27. > :27:30.points. Brutal at the back of the court, asking the question, can you

:27:31. > :27:33.hit another one? How good a ball can you hit? Do you feel like running

:27:34. > :27:40.into the crowd to hit another backhand?

:27:41. > :29:15.I just think, the Swiss champion here, he has to win this first set.

:29:16. > :29:19.Just the footwork from Federer, didn't look like he got out of the

:29:20. > :29:22.way enough, letting the ball coming to his body. Just got the angle

:29:23. > :29:42.slightly wrong there. Oh, he slipped. Should have done

:29:43. > :29:52.more with the first volley, then slipped on the second. That is the

:29:53. > :29:54.first one he hit hard, and directed it, but you see the slip on the

:29:55. > :30:57.forehand volley. Lost his balance. He has made the play in this set,

:30:58. > :31:24.Nadal. He has a commanding lead, first set tie-break.

:31:25. > :31:39.It took about 45 minutes or so to suppress the Federer, all out

:31:40. > :31:44.aggressive game, didn't it? Now, how do you change things? If you

:31:45. > :31:49.Federer, how do you deal with Nadal's peppering of the backhand

:31:50. > :31:56.side and his ability to put the forehand down to Federer's forehand

:31:57. > :32:06.side, how do you change it? It is becoming Nadal's game. He is

:32:07. > :32:12.directing the tax ticks now. He is pulling Federer all over the court.

:32:13. > :32:17.The only answer, but presuming he loses this set, he will have to take

:32:18. > :32:22.more chances, take the ball earlier and go for a big shot in the rally.

:32:23. > :32:26.I don't see any other way. This set is not over yet, but if he does lose

:32:27. > :32:51.it, he has to try something different.

:32:52. > :33:02.That was a great return of serve will stop it is not over yet. That

:33:03. > :33:43.was a return of serve from Nadal. Beautiful! Very aggressive of the

:33:44. > :33:51.first backhand, took it early before it. Up to high. Put himself in the

:33:52. > :33:56.driving seat in that rally. That is what he has to do, take those

:33:57. > :33:59.chances. Delicate drop shot and then anticipating the short ball from

:34:00. > :34:30.Nadal 's calibre. What a comeback this is. If he wins

:34:31. > :34:47.this set he will not have to change his tactics. It looked like it was

:34:48. > :35:00.all over. Not in his mind, and that is all that counts.

:35:01. > :35:33.Quality, the wide serve. Two setpoints.

:35:34. > :36:23.It is a body blow for Federer. Nadal is pumped up and got the first set

:36:24. > :36:32.in a tie-break. Gritty in the end! High-quality exchanges. About the

:36:33. > :36:38.errors they made as well as the quality. You can see what Federer is

:36:39. > :36:45.trying to do. John Lloyd, the unforced errors? We knew that was

:36:46. > :36:57.going to happen, he has to make the chances. With the unforced error is,

:36:58. > :37:05.he has got to convert more winners. A great set of tennis. Excellent.

:37:06. > :37:11.But unfortunately just the last couple of games, Federer started to

:37:12. > :37:20.get involved in some very long rallies. You can get in touch with

:37:21. > :37:27.us if you are enjoying the match. There is an Australian Open live

:37:28. > :37:35.text on the website. There is Facebook and there is Twitter. A lot

:37:36. > :37:42.of you saying online you think this should be the final. But that is not

:37:43. > :37:47.the way it works. I know what you mean because the winner of this will

:37:48. > :38:15.certainly be the favourite to beat Stanislas Wawrinka in the final.

:38:16. > :38:52.Rafa has just left. Did you get a chance to see dimmer trough? --

:38:53. > :38:57.Dimitrov. We saw him at Wimbledon and he made a lot of unforced

:38:58. > :39:03.errors, he did look like he didn't know what he was doing out there.

:39:04. > :39:11.But it looks like he is maturing and I think it will be an exciting year

:39:12. > :39:17.ahead for him. I think it can be overstated, with respect what a

:39:18. > :39:26.coach can bring. But if they can make half a percentage of

:39:27. > :39:29.difference, it can be a big deal. Dimmer trough, has been happening

:39:30. > :39:36.for quite a while. I think he will be a threat. And quite an advantage

:39:37. > :40:05.for Nadal. Does Federer come up with something

:40:06. > :40:13.different or stay with the same game plan? He needs to get in. He cannot

:40:14. > :40:42.win from the back of the court over five sets against Nadal.

:40:43. > :40:50.He had plenty of those mid-court opportunities like this where he can

:40:51. > :40:53.take over the rally. He did not quite capitalise on it enough. It

:40:54. > :41:00.was close, he lost it in the tie-break, but that is the mindset

:41:01. > :41:03.and the thought 's calibre he is getting the opportunities, he just

:41:04. > :41:58.needs to convert a bit more. When the rallies go along, Nadal

:41:59. > :43:26.winning 10-4. Federer needs to keep it short if he can.

:43:27. > :43:37.Oh! He almost went and got the kitchen sink and threw it at him.

:43:38. > :43:45.Amazing defence from Nadal. And anticipation, sliding around at the

:43:46. > :43:49.back of the court. There were times where you thought, Federer, if you

:43:50. > :44:37.want to get to the net then you have to go.

:44:38. > :44:44.That is so unusual. We have seen a forehand drive volley today from

:44:45. > :44:58.Nadal. I don't think we have ever seen that. Shaped up to hit a

:44:59. > :45:14.two-handed, backhand. Was he keeping the rally short? There is no tape

:45:15. > :45:21.there. He wants to see the trainer. It has just come off, the tape. I

:45:22. > :45:29.did not think he had any on there. That is a shame. Talk about trainers

:45:30. > :45:33.being prepared, sometimes they have to come out and appraise the medical

:45:34. > :45:38.condition of their client with the cameras running. It puts a bit of

:45:39. > :45:43.pressure on them. This one, they would have been ready? It has not

:45:44. > :45:50.affect did his serve so far. If it has opened up, then we have a

:45:51. > :45:56.different ball game. If they had to tape it up, it is tough to hold it

:45:57. > :46:02.in place. He struggled against Dimitrov holding the serve. The

:46:03. > :46:10.crowd have just seen it in the stadium. Putting some anti-septic on

:46:11. > :46:18.it and some adhesive as well, anything to keep it covered. Then to

:46:19. > :46:31.finish it off, some talcum powder to go on it. Ouch! That is not a good

:46:32. > :46:41.place. How is he concentrating to get the job done with that? !

:46:42. > :46:45.Federer will have known the deal exactly as well. He says it affects

:46:46. > :46:52.him more underserved than the ground strokes. But it will affect him in

:46:53. > :47:01.his mind. Every time you hit the ball, if you are thinking about it

:47:02. > :47:10.and it hurts. They are putting on a new skin. It looks like they are not

:47:11. > :47:19.taping it. I cannot believe it will not open up. That is in a bad place.

:47:20. > :47:25.Horrible. The trouble is, it does not dry that quick, that stuff. The

:47:26. > :47:35.rules of the rules. If he is not careful, he will go over his time

:47:36. > :47:44.allotment. They taping it? I am not sure if they are. They have two,

:47:45. > :47:52.surely? It will be difficult for that to stay on. One minute

:47:53. > :48:13.remaining. What is he putting on now? Talcum

:48:14. > :48:15.powder. They probably call it something different these days, but

:48:16. > :48:37.it is talcum powder! Medical time-out over with. Nadal

:48:38. > :48:46.has won the first set and the first game of the second. The first set

:48:47. > :49:48.was important to Federer. This second set is vital for him.

:49:49. > :49:59.He handled that forehand very well, Federer of the backhand side. He

:50:00. > :50:04.drove it deep, and that is the key on that shot. Sometimes he hits it

:50:05. > :50:08.too short in the middle of the court and adult will take the rally. --

:50:09. > :50:26.Nadal. It is the speed of getting into

:50:27. > :50:27.position from Nadal. As well as the actual ball strike, it is

:50:28. > :50:55.incredible. I think Nadal, at the last minute

:50:56. > :51:20.saw him coming in and took his eye off the ball.

:51:21. > :51:34.That guy is supporting Roger. He stood his ground. You just put a

:51:35. > :51:35.hand out there and hope. I don't think he knew too much about that

:51:36. > :51:53.ball. Was Roger having a little go at his

:51:54. > :52:21.opponent? I think so. What about? It shows Federer is engaged in this

:52:22. > :52:40.contest. He still feels there is something in this for him.

:52:41. > :52:53.It doesn't look like his blister is affecting his serve at the moment,

:52:54. > :52:55.anyway. He was worried about losing his grip against a trough and the

:52:56. > :53:59.racket coming out of his hand. Exactly what Nadal wanted and he

:54:00. > :54:15.stays ahead. He said he served badly against. . .

:54:16. > :54:40.I presumably is talking... Something about grunting. Roger Federer

:54:41. > :54:46.complaining to the umpire, perhaps the timing of grunting. No doubt,

:54:47. > :54:53.some players, normally on the women's side. You hit the ball and

:54:54. > :55:01.grunt after it. Sometimes it is for affect and some players think they

:55:02. > :55:11.are trying to gain an advantage but Nadal has never done that. He has

:55:12. > :55:20.been doing it for years. I have never heard that before, to be

:55:21. > :55:24.honest. It is very unusual for Federer to complain about anything.

:55:25. > :55:33.That is unusual. Interesting, isn't it? You tennis balls, second set in

:55:34. > :55:45.the Australian Open semifinal. Final on Sunday. Winner of this to play

:55:46. > :55:48.Stan is 's Wawrinka -- Stanislas Wawrinka. I will be listening out

:55:49. > :56:43.for his grunting now. He is going to have two summon up

:56:44. > :00:40.all his powers of concentration. A short return from the dial. --

:00:41. > :00:44.from Nadal. Very dangerous the Federer the moment, hanging by a

:00:45. > :00:50.thread. If he can get through the next ten or 15 minutes unscathed.

:00:51. > :01:09.Yes, that return really put him in trouble.

:01:10. > :01:16.It was all over as soon as he had the approach, he was so far out of

:01:17. > :01:22.the court. It would have been a miracle to win the point. Federer

:01:23. > :01:27.did everything to maximise his chances of winning the point, he

:01:28. > :01:31.could have done nothing else. It would be nice if Nadal missed one,

:01:32. > :01:37.just once, as far as his opponent is concerned.

:01:38. > :01:40.The break point is saved again. A massive game in the context of the

:01:41. > :02:33.match, this one right here. With the target, there's never been

:02:34. > :02:40.another player like this. He just does not miss. You quite simply have

:02:41. > :02:44.to get him moving more than that. It's not a bad approach, but it's

:02:45. > :02:50.not good enough against him. Anybody else, maybe Djokovic or Andy Murray,

:02:51. > :02:57.it would have been OK. I was going to say, the only man who can stay at

:02:58. > :03:02.the back of the court and go into the backhand with that forehand is

:03:03. > :03:06.Djokovic or Murray. What a forehand that was. That was a

:03:07. > :03:20.good return of serve from Nadal. We used to see this so much more

:03:21. > :03:23.five or six years ago when Federer was on top of his game. The amount

:03:24. > :03:44.of forehand winners he could club from anywhere.

:03:45. > :03:58.Just a hint of the centre hit. -- a hint of an offer centre hit. It is

:03:59. > :04:03.called in! How dare I suggest that Federer misses forehand. -- misses

:04:04. > :04:14.his forehand. You talk about rivalries, those two

:04:15. > :04:21.played, they reckon, about 150 times.

:04:22. > :04:37.No word on the head-to-head, but I suspect that Rod won a few more.

:04:38. > :04:42.Ken is still plays every, loves the game. The backend deadly as ever.

:04:43. > :05:29.Doesn't move as well. You don't see that very often. Two

:05:30. > :05:36.in a row. It is almost as though the effort of holding serve from break

:05:37. > :05:41.point down means he has to take 45 seconds or 90 seconds to recover. By

:05:42. > :05:42.which time, Nadal has won another service game and momentum stays with

:05:43. > :06:10.him. That is just tremendous. What a

:06:11. > :06:17.backhand. It looked like it was Federer's point from that position.

:06:18. > :06:22.He is at full stretch, open stands, clocks the winner crosscourt.

:06:23. > :06:38.The strain going through the foundations, the knees, the angles.

:06:39. > :06:44.Serious talk on the body. -- torque. So much for the blister hampering

:06:45. > :06:48.the serve. He took a time-out after winning the first game of the second

:06:49. > :06:53.set, a medical time-out and they put a covering on the big blister on his

:06:54. > :06:57.racquet hand but it doesn't seem to affect him at all. They have busily

:06:58. > :07:02.found a way to deal with this. He seems very effective -- they have

:07:03. > :07:07.obviously. I would be surprised if he's not in extreme pain when he

:07:08. > :07:12.hits. He is such an amazing personality, and mentally so strong,

:07:13. > :07:21.that he probably goes through the pain barrier. That was cut open.

:07:22. > :07:24.With the grip going on to it, I don't understand how he hits the

:07:25. > :07:34.ball like this. He does not seem to be wincing. It's unbelievable. He

:07:35. > :07:39.has never been a normal tennis player, 27 years of age, number one

:07:40. > :07:42.in the world. He became number one after what I would say is the

:07:43. > :07:51.greatest match I've ever seen, the doubled in final. -- the Wimbledon

:07:52. > :08:00.final. What an extraordinary match that was. He won the French Open at

:08:01. > :08:11.his first attempt. He was the first teenager to win on debut in a Slam

:08:12. > :08:12.since Wilander. And he was the youngest since Sampras. Just 19 when

:08:13. > :08:34.he won his first French Open. I am already giving the final away

:08:35. > :08:39.on behalf of Stanislav Wawrinka. The winner of this is heavily favoured

:08:40. > :08:48.in the final, if he was to win this, it would be 14.

:08:49. > :09:06.Gone off the boil in this game. Shanked some forehands, two errors

:09:07. > :09:10.in a row if this one is out, and now he is in trouble here. Second game

:09:11. > :09:29.in a row. Even there, with the serve like

:09:30. > :09:31.that, you cannot hit it wider than that. Still makes his opponent play

:09:32. > :09:57.another ball. Good volley. You are joking. They both played a

:09:58. > :10:02.magnificent point. Scintillating tennis from both players. How did

:10:03. > :10:11.Federer stay in the rally. What a drop volley. How did he nudge that

:10:12. > :10:25.one and then low enough and then skimmed over the top of the net.

:10:26. > :10:36.And still Nadal cannot break through. Starting to use the serve

:10:37. > :11:20.out wide to the forehand very well, Federer.

:11:21. > :11:26.It has taken over an hour and a half, but Nadal finally gets what

:11:27. > :11:33.he's after. It is a break of serve that puts him 4-2 up in the second

:11:34. > :11:37.set, on top of that burst -- first set victory on the tie-break. That

:11:38. > :11:42.was a pivotal game. If Federer could survive holding in the next few

:11:43. > :11:46.minutes, but he has not been able to do that. I wonder how much is left

:11:47. > :11:51.in the tank, I really did, with Nadal just nailing the ball. And he

:11:52. > :11:56.is such a force of nature with his willpower as well.

:11:57. > :12:55.So, the world number one in control of the semifinal.

:12:56. > :13:03.We have no idea what Federer was going on about the changeover, with

:13:04. > :13:06.the grunting. I haven't heard anything different. Would be

:13:07. > :14:00.interesting to hear what that was all about.

:14:01. > :14:11.He looks physically depleted at the moment. Well, there are ace -- a few

:14:12. > :14:23.signs in the footwork, on the ground strokes.

:14:24. > :14:29.It is the psychological aspect as well, it makes you tired. One set

:14:30. > :14:52.and 5-2 down against Nadal. Just looking ahead, Dominic, the

:14:53. > :14:59.women's final is at a 20 5pm -- 820 5am --8.25am. The winner of this one

:15:00. > :15:05.will play Stanislav Wawrinka, and in a couple of weeks, the 31st of

:15:06. > :15:13.January you can see the Davis Cup. The United States are hosting Great

:15:14. > :15:19.Britain, at the home of the San Diego Padres. They have built a clay

:15:20. > :15:25.court there. It looks like Kyle Edmund will make his debut, him or

:15:26. > :15:31.James Ward. Andy Murray a definite for that? He says he is. And

:15:32. > :15:37.realistically for us to win the tie, Murray has to play the doubles as

:15:38. > :15:41.well. Davis Cup is five matches over three days, the two singles on the

:15:42. > :15:48.first day, then the doubles, and then the two singles on the third

:15:49. > :15:52.day. It is a big ask. Isner and Querrey And then the Bryan brothers

:15:53. > :15:59.for the doubles, but it is a winnable match if Andy Murray plays.

:16:00. > :16:02.In all likelihood, if everybody plays it was supposed to, it will

:16:03. > :16:09.come down to the doubles, and the Bryan brothers were the favourites.

:16:10. > :16:14.But if Andy Murray was playing doubles on the tour, he would be in

:16:15. > :16:20.the top five are certain. If he is with Colin Fleming, it would be

:16:21. > :17:52.60/40 match. Not favoured, but it would be close.

:17:53. > :18:02.Nadal letting that one through. That is a clean service game for Federer.

:18:03. > :18:08.First couple of points, and Federer has to get one of them here.

:18:09. > :19:04.As the Spaniard, the world number one, serves for a two set lead.

:19:05. > :19:11.It is unusual to see Federer winning those extended rallies. That will be

:19:12. > :19:13.a boost for him. If he had lost it, he would have had the stuffing

:19:14. > :20:51.knocked out of him. The crowd were absolutely loving it,

:20:52. > :20:57.living it. There were three or four times in that rally where the crowd

:20:58. > :20:59.started making noise because they thought the forehand from both Nadal

:21:00. > :21:05.and Federer were going out, but there is so much spin that they

:21:06. > :21:08.dipped in. That was not an easy overhead, and this was one of the

:21:09. > :21:09.easier shots in the rally. I think he just ran out of steam on the

:21:10. > :21:23.forehand. He had him there. Federer going the

:21:24. > :22:07.wrong way. Oh, I don't believe it! What are you

:22:08. > :22:13.supposed to do? And Federer has absolutely ripped a backhand

:22:14. > :22:18.crosscourt. That tiny bit of energy he had, let rip. Nothing wrong with

:22:19. > :22:24.that, and he just watches it sail past him down the forehand side. It

:22:25. > :22:28.really is. The defensive play from Federer to keep himself in the rally

:22:29. > :22:31.was unbelievable, and then finally gets the chance to explode on the

:22:32. > :23:07.ball and gets nothing out of it at all.

:23:08. > :23:17.Nadal just smothers opponents, doesn't he? You end up with nothing.

:23:18. > :23:22.You end up with nothing left. Three straight points from Nadal, having

:23:23. > :23:44.gone 0-30 down in the game. Set point.

:23:45. > :23:53.A wonderful effort from Federer in that game. He tried to hang in, but

:23:54. > :24:02.he had to succumb. Because Nadal is just... You just run out of ways to

:24:03. > :24:06.describe him. It is an incredible athlete we watching Nadal. And there

:24:07. > :24:10.is no question, no matter what sport he would have taken up, he is one of

:24:11. > :24:15.those who would have been supreme in all of them. Absolutely fabulous. A

:24:16. > :24:21.fabulous game. It is the mental strength as well. Why is he not

:24:22. > :24:26.gutted that he is zero - 30 down? If he misses a first serve, how can he

:24:27. > :24:34.produced 30 shots of great quality, and when given the smallest gap, he

:24:35. > :24:39.can always get it. It is a stifling experience to play against him.

:24:40. > :24:45.Apart from just losing the set, Federer is now behind in winners. So

:24:46. > :24:48.Nadal is now just getting half the unforced errors of Federer, he is

:24:49. > :24:52.hitting more winners, which is not a good sign. He has basically upped

:24:53. > :24:55.the attack and been a bit more aggressive. I just don't know what

:24:56. > :25:14.Federer can do, to be honest. It is funny that Pete Sampras is in

:25:15. > :25:21.the crowd, watching this performance between these two guys. When he won

:25:22. > :25:28.at the 2002 U.S. Open against Andy Roddick and won his 14th Slam, we

:25:29. > :25:33.wondered if it would be equalled, and Federer is now on 17, and Nadal

:25:34. > :25:40.has a chance to join the total on 14. In terms of the most grand slam

:25:41. > :25:46.final appearances, and there are only four of these tournaments,

:25:47. > :25:51.Federer has 24 and six years of appearances, in effect. Sampras had

:25:52. > :25:58.18, and on the dial is trying to make it 18 -- Nadal is trying to

:25:59. > :26:01.make it 18. Just trying to put these players in perspective in the

:26:02. > :26:05.history of tennis, they will be talked about. It is not that long

:26:06. > :26:09.ago when Sampras was dominating, and the players are almost playing a

:26:10. > :26:13.different sport now. If Sampras had a ten shot rally in the match, he

:26:14. > :26:18.would have a heart attack thinking about it. Now these rallies are 20

:26:19. > :26:25.or 30 shots every point. With Sampras, it was almost a 1-2 punch

:26:26. > :26:30.on every point. Nadal, when he gets done the time on 25 seconds, he says

:26:31. > :26:34.you cannot play this sort of tennis in 100 degrees heat and have 25

:26:35. > :26:37.seconds between points. And then people say the other side of the

:26:38. > :26:41.argument is that you have to change your game. Right? Because that is

:26:42. > :26:52.the rules. Hopefully one day they will have a

:26:53. > :26:57.time clock on the court. I think that would be great. Then the

:26:58. > :26:59.spectators can countdown. And they have to play, otherwise it is a

:27:00. > :27:14.warning. When you are too-0 down, against

:27:15. > :27:22.anybody, if you got anything left at all -- 2-0, against anybody, if you

:27:23. > :27:25.got anything left at all, you have to think of the journey one step at

:27:26. > :27:30.a time, because it is a long journey.

:27:31. > :27:42.In the U.S. Open last year there were tonnes of comeback from two

:27:43. > :27:49.down. Murray against Verdasco in the Wimbledon quarterfinal last year.

:27:50. > :27:56.This will be probably Federer's best chance for a break, this next game.

:27:57. > :28:00.If Nadal is going to slightly drop his guard, it's after going up by

:28:01. > :28:05.two sets. I doubt it, but if there's a chance, this would be the game.

:28:06. > :28:16.Mentally, after winning two sets, it sets in.

:28:17. > :28:25.I think it is let's go, Roger the crowd is charging. They want the

:28:26. > :28:34.match had gone. Nadal is very popular, but Federer...

:28:35. > :28:41.Yes, they know when they are watching an opponent who has been

:28:42. > :28:46.pummelled. They have just been watching the Ashes, of course. They

:28:47. > :28:54.love an underdog as well, and Federer was an underdog when he came

:28:55. > :28:59.on court. Now, well. Nadal winning more points on his second serve

:29:00. > :29:04.tells you everything you need to know about his ground/work.

:29:05. > :31:52.No lapse of concentration from Nadal. Slight chance he would have a

:31:53. > :31:53.let down, but a very slight chance because he he is wanting every

:31:54. > :32:17.single point. That backhand from that desertion,

:32:18. > :32:24.-- position, you basically have two hit a winner from that position.

:32:25. > :32:31.That is the thing about Wawrinka, if Nadal plays him in the final, he can

:32:32. > :32:39.hit winners on that account, it is a lot stronger than Federer's. I would

:32:40. > :32:46.have thought, him and Stefan Edberg, I played him a few times, his

:32:47. > :32:50.account slice would have worked in any generation. It floats and gives

:32:51. > :32:57.the opponent time and the Dell could pick it up, but employing the slice

:32:58. > :33:03.to get to the net occasionally. You cannot slice from the back of the

:33:04. > :33:11.court with Nadal, but you can slice to make the transition from back of

:33:12. > :33:14.the court to the front. Federer has been doing it with a previous

:33:15. > :33:16.opponents in this tournament, I thought he would have done it a bit

:33:17. > :33:41.more today. Problems for Federer as Nadal

:33:42. > :34:25.continues this relentless onslaught. No, it is not going to be Federer's

:34:26. > :34:32.night by the looks of it. He is not out of it yet, but has a mountain to

:34:33. > :34:37.climb. Since Nadal took a break, a medical time-out at the end of the

:34:38. > :34:42.first game, second set, to have a blister repair job done, he has been

:34:43. > :34:48.virtually faultless. It is remarkable, because his blister was

:34:49. > :34:57.bleeding heavily on the palm of his left hand against Dimitrov. This

:34:58. > :35:03.looked dry, it look like the cover had come off. But it has got to be

:35:04. > :35:09.painful? I don't know how he can play through like this. I used to

:35:10. > :35:14.get them all the time and it is raw. To grip the racket and had the

:35:15. > :35:20.ball as hard has he does this length of time, I cannot believe he is not

:35:21. > :35:23.in agony. I don't think he can be, because I don't think you can play

:35:24. > :35:29.like this with that, unless he does something else. I am thinking quite

:35:30. > :35:36.a blister would have developed? I think it would have been the hot

:35:37. > :35:41.temperatures the first week because the skin would soften up with the

:35:42. > :35:48.sweat and the racket would rip it off. Otherwise, players are playing

:35:49. > :35:51.for six or seven hours a day. And he played a warm up tournament in Doha

:35:52. > :35:57.are, so it is not like he did not play any warm up matches. I

:35:58. > :36:06.understand and agree with you, it must have been the hot temperatures

:36:07. > :36:09.last week. To go with the break of serve in this third set, new tennis

:36:10. > :37:42.balls. We are having trouble with footage

:37:43. > :37:45.of live coverage from Australia. In the meantime while we are waiting

:37:46. > :37:50.for pictures to come back and continue this semifinal, we will

:37:51. > :37:56.look at a view of the points that have taken place and how this match

:37:57. > :38:02.has progressed. From the first set, Nadal coming up with incredible

:38:03. > :38:09.passing shots. That forehand down the line. Beautiful passing shot and

:38:10. > :38:16.Federer was in trouble. We talked also about how the forehand would

:38:17. > :38:19.affect Federer and the fact it is such a high bouncing forehand and

:38:20. > :38:25.how he can get over the top of the backhand. That has been a key

:38:26. > :38:35.feature of this match. Federer getting over the top of that one but

:38:36. > :38:40.Nadal consistently punishing that. And this is set point in the second

:38:41. > :38:47.set where Federer was beginning to inch back into this tie-break. But

:38:48. > :38:51.this sealed it in the first set and taking its 7-6. But these punishing

:38:52. > :39:01.rallies are right the way through this match. That is how Nadal

:39:02. > :39:06.finished off the opening set. This is break point in the second set

:39:07. > :39:11.where Nadal started to move away in the second set, winning this one.

:39:12. > :39:17.Again, another punishing rally and moving Federer all around the court.

:39:18. > :39:22.It is incredible he has been able to do that with that list. It was

:39:23. > :39:27.bleeding and has been open for a while. Although he has had

:39:28. > :39:33.treatments, doing well to stay in these rallies and finishing it off

:39:34. > :39:38.with another winner. And this, we can sit back and enjoy because this

:39:39. > :39:41.is another brilliant Nadal winner. Finishing this rally off with a

:39:42. > :39:55.forehand. Just a beautiful, beautiful shot.

:39:56. > :40:03.You just wonder what Federer has to do to come up with winners in this

:40:04. > :40:08.match. It is all Nadal at the moment and I am pleased to say we can go

:40:09. > :40:18.back live to Australia and rejoined the match. I am hearing it is a two

:40:19. > :40:23.games all. So there has been a break back and let's rejoined Andrew and

:40:24. > :40:32.John. ANDREW CASTLE: while you were away

:40:33. > :40:33.Federer dug deep into his reserves. He got the break on a Nadal error.

:40:34. > :41:57.The crowd are with him. A bit off-balance on that forehand,

:41:58. > :42:03.did not quite yet set. Has worked so hard to get this break back here.

:42:04. > :42:24.Does not want to surrender this right away.

:42:25. > :42:40.Two in a row on his forehand. That shot would almost guarantee a winner

:42:41. > :42:45.or create a few errors on that side. Nowadays, can go off at times. Has

:42:46. > :43:29.put himself in big trouble again in this game.

:43:30. > :43:43.There was a big shout. He thought he was back in the game. That was a

:43:44. > :43:48.piece of matchplay. He has done that twice in this match. Serve and

:43:49. > :43:51.volley, both times he has done it, both times he has won the point.

:43:52. > :44:14.Nadal has taken his eye off it. That is a superb volley. Not an easy

:44:15. > :44:21.volley, that one. Opened the racket face. Fey did that ball in

:44:22. > :44:29.beautifully. Just had to keep the racket behind the rest on that one.

:44:30. > :44:32.-- faded. That is an interesting couple of games. Federer wins them

:44:33. > :44:50.and retains an interest in this match. The crowd are not going to

:44:51. > :45:00.let him lose. His head could have dropped when he was a break down in

:45:01. > :45:04.this third set. The thing you face in a five set match, John,

:45:05. > :45:09.especially with this one and a big build-up and massive interest across

:45:10. > :45:16.the world. You go two sets down, you take body blows and he has got

:45:17. > :45:19.nothing to show. Over two hours out there and nothing to show at two

:45:20. > :45:25.sets down. Mentally, it is something you have two cope with? Yes, you

:45:26. > :45:33.have to build it up one point at a time. He cannot let it end in his

:45:34. > :45:38.head, as we can, and think that to win this match he has got to go on

:45:39. > :45:42.another two hours. Would he have that in his gas tank? Unlikely.

:45:43. > :45:52.Federer is one of the greatest of all times, perhaps. He is thinking,

:45:53. > :45:59.how do I get back in this match? That was an excellent efforts, two

:46:00. > :46:12.dodgy forehands but he got it back really. And with the crowd egging

:46:13. > :46:14.him on, he might get back. I hope they never lose five set matches in

:46:15. > :47:45.Grand Slam play will Not easy to time that ball. If he

:47:46. > :47:49.lets it get too high and pushes him back, he is done for in the next

:47:50. > :48:54.shot anyway. Just missed time that a little bit.

:48:55. > :49:03.Put that in the wrong place, unfortunately again. He needs to be

:49:04. > :49:09.in the half court forehand. But you have to pick the right spot and be

:49:10. > :49:11.so accurate. Otherwise, you will get passed and that is what happened

:49:12. > :49:46.with that forehand. Takes this one nice and early and

:49:47. > :49:47.does not give Nadal any time to recover his court position. Timing

:49:48. > :50:10.was great. UMPIRE: ladies and gentlemen, as

:50:11. > :50:13.courtesy to both players, please do not call out as the point is about

:50:14. > :50:33.to be played, thank you. He has struggled in that area.

:50:34. > :50:39.Perhaps the best opportunity was the slice.

:50:40. > :50:52.He has missed a lot of those backhands. That is unlucky off the

:50:53. > :50:56.top of the net. It follows the backhand error as well and Federer

:50:57. > :51:05.is down a break of serve once again, as Nadal closes in. You search for

:51:06. > :51:08.historical data when these to play against each other. Every time they

:51:09. > :51:13.play and every time they get to another grand slam quarterfinal,

:51:14. > :51:17.semifinal, you look for the next piece of history data are making,

:51:18. > :51:22.such has been their impact on the game. Nadal, if he wins this title

:51:23. > :51:27.and wins this match, and he is heavily favoured against Wawrinka,

:51:28. > :51:34.because he has never lost against him. He would be only the third man

:51:35. > :51:39.to win all of the grand Slam is at least twice. Steffi Graf won 22

:51:40. > :51:47.slams on the women's side. She won each of them at least four times. At

:51:48. > :51:50.27 years of age, would you expect him at the end of his career, to be

:51:51. > :51:57.considered the best player of all time? I think he is definitely on

:51:58. > :52:01.that path. As long as the physical side, we are talking about his

:52:02. > :52:07.hands, but nobody is talking about his knees any more. As long as he

:52:08. > :52:14.stays healthy, he has another five or six years. The French, you could

:52:15. > :52:20.almost give him another three without thinking. And who knows how

:52:21. > :52:25.many other ones. He could create a record that could be almost

:52:26. > :52:29.impossible to beat. The other two guys to win slams at least twice,

:52:30. > :52:33.none of them in the open era, so they are all in grass, Rod Laver and

:52:34. > :53:38.Emerson. That is probably the biggest

:53:39. > :53:47.forehand he has hit the whole match. He had no choice. It is the second

:53:48. > :53:52.time that tactic has worked. Great credit to Federer and Stefan Edberg,

:53:53. > :54:03.who years working with on a temporary basis, for some of the

:54:04. > :54:35.additions Federer has made in this tournament.

:54:36. > :54:41.That is the shot he has struggled with today. He has tried to take it

:54:42. > :54:47.early, but without much success. With that one, he took it before it

:54:48. > :54:52.got up too high and did not give Nadal any time to get at into the

:54:53. > :54:58.court. That would look pretty good over at the NCG, wouldn't it, front

:54:59. > :55:15.foot drive. It looks a bit lame when he gets

:55:16. > :55:20.those backhands into the net and makes the errors. What is he

:55:21. > :55:26.supposed to do? If he slices it and float it in, Nadal will start

:55:27. > :55:49.hitting it with his forehand. So that is the dilemma.

:55:50. > :56:01.Don't see that shot very often, top-spin, backhand volley and he did

:56:02. > :56:07.not time it right. A normal backhand volley should have come into play.

:56:08. > :56:13.He is running out of ideas and physical energy. He has been on the

:56:14. > :56:15.ropes the two hours and 18 minutes. He has had his chances, needed to

:56:16. > :57:17.win one of the first sets, you feel. Fantastic footwork with the ball

:57:18. > :57:46.swinging into his body. But he manages to get around it.

:57:47. > :57:54.Very close, this one. But he did not do do enough with that backhand

:57:55. > :58:28.volley. It was out. Just cleaned the line. And that is

:58:29. > :59:01.what he was aiming for, the line. No challenge.

:59:02. > :59:09.Can just see it happening. He comes up to hit that approach shot, you

:59:10. > :59:15.know he has got to be inch perfect, otherwise he is in trouble. He sets

:59:16. > :59:20.up the point beautifully but does not do enough with the forehand and

:59:21. > :59:23.then he paid the price. The approach shot against Nadal has got to be

:59:24. > :59:30.first rate, otherwise you get punished. Nadal has been magnificent

:59:31. > :00:30.for much of this match. Absolutely extraordinary.

:00:31. > :00:34.He has still got a pulse in this match, Federer, but it is faint to

:00:35. > :00:49.say the least. No way! He did not do that. There is

:00:50. > :00:53.no way he did that. He made it look so easy, like he hardly touched the

:00:54. > :00:58.ball. He just swerved it around the post. Federer was standing there and

:00:59. > :01:00.looked like he had it covered but just watched it go past. It was

:01:01. > :01:32.unbelievable. That is arrayed, Nadal beats Federer

:01:33. > :01:36.in straight sets -- that is away. Not a classic by their standards,

:01:37. > :01:41.perhaps, but what wonderful contest to see, every time they take to the

:01:42. > :01:44.court against each other. It is Nadal who has defeated the Swiss

:01:45. > :01:49.number one, and he will now play another Swiss, Stanislav Wawrinka in

:01:50. > :02:03.Sunday's final. And despite what must be such an

:02:04. > :02:08.extraordinary -- extraordinarily painful blister on his Nadal and, he

:02:09. > :02:20.has come through. Just one medical time-out taken, he was able to

:02:21. > :02:24.concentrate. The world number one, saluting the former world number one

:02:25. > :02:28.Federer. And 11th consecutive Australian open final to him. But no

:02:29. > :02:36.joy. An excellent tournament though, he beat Tsonga, Andy Murray, who is

:02:37. > :02:42.recovering from surgery and will surely improve as he has more

:02:43. > :02:46.matches against the top guys. But what are you going to do with Rafa

:02:47. > :02:51.Nadal in this kind of form? The first set tie-break was pivotal, and

:02:52. > :02:54.after Nadal had won it, apart from the medical time-out, you thought,

:02:55. > :02:59.he is on the way. Sure enough, he's got the job done. Some of the

:03:00. > :03:06.passing shots would take your breath away. And he will have a chance on

:03:07. > :03:18.Sunday morning, UK time, to equal Pete Sampras in winning a 14th Grand

:03:19. > :03:22.Slam championship. It has been four years since he lost the semifinal,

:03:23. > :03:26.Nadal, such is his record in the latter stages of tournaments. He is

:03:27. > :03:29.formidable, and he goes in against Stan Wawrinka as a heavy favourite.

:03:30. > :03:51.He has never lost to him. One of the great sights in sport,

:03:52. > :03:54.surely. And Pete, but mainly Rafa. It is this physicality he brings to

:03:55. > :03:58.the court, but the sense of willingness to do what it takes to

:03:59. > :04:01.win, anything. He enjoys competing so much, and so does Federer, who

:04:02. > :04:06.still feels there is something left in the tank. He says Time will

:04:07. > :04:09.tell. I would maintain that Roger Federer's best chance of winning one

:04:10. > :04:13.of these major championships would, at Wimbledon at the end of June,

:04:14. > :04:19.beginning of July. -- would come at Wimbledon.

:04:20. > :04:24.You and Roger have played each other 33 times and you know each other so

:04:25. > :04:29.well. What was the key tonight in this match? First of all, playing

:04:30. > :04:39.against Roger is a very special feeling. He is probably the opponent

:04:40. > :04:43.that when I go on court I have very good feelings. We have played a lot

:04:44. > :04:47.of times for important things in our career, and today was another

:04:48. > :04:56.important match. He is a great champion, and for me it is an honour

:04:57. > :04:59.to be in the same era as him. And the first set was so tight. How did

:05:00. > :05:06.you get over the line in the first set and take control? The first set

:05:07. > :05:15.was tough. It is true I had a few break points, and he had a 0-30

:05:16. > :05:20.before the tie-break, and at the end we played really tough few rallies.

:05:21. > :05:26.But I think I resisted well in the first set because he was playing

:05:27. > :05:34.great, hitting the ball great. He was taking the ball very early, so

:05:35. > :05:38.it was a difficult thing to resist. Once I got into his back and I had a

:05:39. > :05:42.chance to go down the line, and tonight I played my best match of

:05:43. > :05:47.the tournament, so I am happy with that. How about your hand? In the

:05:48. > :05:51.match before you had a different bandage, and today it is a bit less.

:05:52. > :06:00.How is it feeling on the court today? Too much talk about the

:06:01. > :06:03.blister. The blister is OK. As I have said all day, it is the

:06:04. > :06:14.position of the blister. It is difficult to cover. In normal life,

:06:15. > :06:19.the blister is 100%, but to play tennis at tensed one of the best

:06:20. > :06:23.players in the world -- against one of the best players in the world,

:06:24. > :06:26.that is tough. We tried to make the bandage shorter than the other day

:06:27. > :06:37.and it worked really well. So I am very happy now. I just want to say

:06:38. > :06:45.thank you very much to everybody. After missing last year, for me, it

:06:46. > :06:49.is emotional to be back on this court and be able to play another

:06:50. > :06:56.final. I am very, very happy, and thank you everybody for the support.

:06:57. > :07:01.It was amazing for me. As we look ahead now, you are into the final

:07:02. > :07:07.again, and you are going into a final that would see you win your

:07:08. > :07:10.14th major title, that would tie you with Pete Sampras. Pete was watching

:07:11. > :07:14.the match tonight, it's the first time he's seen you and Roger play

:07:15. > :07:18.live together. What would it mean for you to be on the same level as

:07:19. > :07:25.Pete Sampras as far as major titles one? There is a very tough opponent

:07:26. > :07:28.in front of me, Wawrinka, he is playing fantastic. He played a

:07:29. > :07:32.fantastic match against Novak Djokovic and against Berdych, so he

:07:33. > :07:37.should come to this final with big confidence. I never thought about

:07:38. > :07:42.having 13 titles already, so I never thought about having 40, -- having

:07:43. > :07:51.14, but I will try my best. We are sure of that and we will look

:07:52. > :07:54.forward to that. You are playing against Stan, and he's playing with

:07:55. > :07:59.incredible confidence, the best confidence of his life, for sure.

:08:00. > :08:05.What do you think you need to do well in the match? I just need to

:08:06. > :08:09.keep playing great. I know it will be a very, very tough opponent. His

:08:10. > :08:18.serve is great. He is hitting the ball very hard. We have to let him

:08:19. > :08:22.play in a not easy position, and that is hard because he is a strong

:08:23. > :08:27.guy. I try to play aggressive, and it will be the same way I play

:08:28. > :08:36.tonight. Last question. Is your girlfriend going to make the trip in

:08:37. > :08:40.to watch the final? I'm not sure. Well she will get another chance to

:08:41. > :08:43.watch you again anyway. The wonderful Roger Federer -- Rafa

:08:44. > :08:52.Nadal. . A great champion and a humble man.

:08:53. > :08:57.-- we will enjoy watching it on Sunday morning. That is the final,

:08:58. > :09:00.Rafa Nadal against Stan Wawrinka. He is through to his first final,

:09:01. > :09:08.against the world number one. That is live at 8:15am on Sunday, or you

:09:09. > :09:20.can listen on Radio five Live. Tomorrow morning on BBC Two, the

:09:21. > :09:23.women's final. Cibulkova In her first-ever final. Her first grand

:09:24. > :09:30.slam final and her third in Melbourne.

:09:31. > :09:46.And we have some more tennis for you coming up next week, the Davis Cup.

:09:47. > :10:21.What a welcome back for Britain, led by Andy Murray.

:10:22. > :10:32.They will certainly need some classy tennis up against the United States.

:10:33. > :10:35.Our coverage starts on Friday at seven o'clock on BBC Three, and it

:10:36. > :10:44.continues late in the evening on BBC Two. You know all about the Davis

:10:45. > :10:50.cup, John, a tough first start. But they are all tough. I think if Andy

:10:51. > :10:57.Murray plays all three, and if he plays in the doubles we have a

:10:58. > :11:02.decent shot. Back to today, Rafa Nadal, you wonder what you can do up

:11:03. > :11:06.against him. You just look at him. Imagine seeing him at the other end

:11:07. > :11:13.of the net? This generation has two or three legends of the game. I just

:11:14. > :11:17.don't know how you are supposed to come up with a game plan. Djokovic

:11:18. > :11:24.knows how to take it on the backhand side and get through Nadal. You saw

:11:25. > :11:32.him in Monte Carlo last year. I just don't think Federer can. I think the

:11:33. > :11:36.recent record reflects that. Roger knows if he could get rid of this

:11:37. > :11:39.guy, he could win another slam. I just don't know where he will be

:11:40. > :11:48.able to do it. Wimbledon must be his best chance. That is five in a row.

:11:49. > :11:51.Rafa has got his number. The matchup just doesn't match up. But in the

:11:52. > :11:57.final, I think Wawrinka can take charge of the backhand shot. He can

:11:58. > :12:03.also serve more aces, but in this sort of matchup, the differences

:12:04. > :12:08.from a few years ago, when he makes errors he makes them in groups. In

:12:09. > :12:13.the old days he would make two or three in a row. You cannot do that

:12:14. > :12:18.against the dial. It has been so long since he felt joy at a slam.

:12:19. > :12:23.Hitting the high backhand, he's trying to get over it but it breaks

:12:24. > :12:28.down. The trouble is if you don't slice perfectly or float and it will

:12:29. > :12:31.give Nadal the chance to get the forehand into play. It's very

:12:32. > :12:35.difficult. It is a conundrum. I think you need a double handed

:12:36. > :12:41.backhand, and you need the one from Murray or Djokovic. I slightly

:12:42. > :12:47.disagree with you. I am worried that Wawrinka has nothing to her Nadal. I

:12:48. > :12:51.would see that as a straight sets victory for Nadal. But that blister,

:12:52. > :12:56.he will need some treatment on that. Look at that. We know what

:12:57. > :13:03.that feels like. That is agony. How he plays so well with that, I don't

:13:04. > :13:22.know. Just the concentration. And an incredible pain barrier as well. OK,

:13:23. > :13:25., that is it. We have the ladies final tomorrow morning and the men's

:13:26. > :13:28.final on Sunday. There is world championship bowls coming up at one

:13:29. > :13:45.o'clock, but we will see you tomorrow. Buy buy. -- goodbye.

:13:46. > :13:52.A body blow for Federer. So much for the blister, it seems to have done

:13:53. > :14:03.the trick. He threw the kitchen sink at that. Absolutely amazing defence

:14:04. > :14:04.from Nadal. An incredible athlete. Nadal beats Federer in