Nadal vs. Federer: Why Federer Must Advance to Finals and Add to Legend

Roger Federer must beat Rafael Nadal to prove he's still one of the game's elite players. He doesn't have any other choice. It's the most important match he's played in nearly two years.

Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion, hasn't won a major event since the 2010 Australian Open. He needs another triumph soon to quiet his growing number of ruthless critics.

It's not a surprise that doubters are starting to predict the Swiss star's demise. It happens to every athlete as they get older, but Federer is only 30. He still has plenty of terrific tennis in front of him, which he's proven over the last couple months.

Nevertheless, he can't help but hear the growing clatter of whispers discussing his future. That's why he needs to put an end to all of the talk this week. It all starts with knocking off Nadal, who has been his great rival.

The pair have played 26 times during their illustrious careers with Nadal winning 17 of those meetings. However, Federer did end his recent losing streak against Rafa with a win in the ATP World Tour Finals to finish last season, so he should enter this match with confidence.

Nadal is struggling with injuries, which gives Federer another advantage since he's been able to advance to the semifinals with relative ease.

Few athletes in any sport have been as dominant over the past decade as Federer. He set a nearly unattainable standard of excellence, but that also means expectations will be through the roof for every tournament he plays.

He needs to prove, not only to tennis fans but also himself, that he can still live up to that standard. Beating Juan Martin del Potro and Bernard Tomic is nice, but he needs to be a top-four star like Nadal to show he still has gas left in the tank and has the drive to be the best once again.

“FedEx,” as he's become known, has always been one of the most competitive guys on tour, even though he rarely shows those emotions during a match. His internal will to win should be pushing him harder than ever to succeed since so many others simply don't think he can.

Nadal would certainly like to advance to the championship match, but Federer needs to. He needs to prove he's not suddenly some type of pushover who can't finish when it matters most. The long-time No. 1 needs to show he still has just as much skill as anybody else, including Nadal.

That should be more than enough motivation to push Federer to victory on Thursday.