Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer: TV Info, Preview for 2019 French Open Semi-Final
June 7, 2019
There are few players in the world who can boast a positive head-to-head record against Roger Federer, but one of them is Rafael Nadal.
The pair have played each other 38 times, and Nadal has won 23 to Federer's 15 victories. The 38 meetings are the third-most of the Open Era, with Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic (54) and Federer vs. Djokovic (47) ahead of them.
They renew their epic rivalry on Friday in the semi-finals of the 2019 French Open. It will be their 16th meeting on clay, with Nadal holding a 13-2 record over Federer on the surface having gone 5-0 at the French Open. Nadal is also 9-3 against Federer all time at Grand Slam events.
Nadal has won the last two titles at Roland-Garros and is going for a 12th triumph on the Paris clay, while Federer is aiming to win a 21st Grand Slam crown and extend his all-time record for men's singles titles ahead of Nadal's 17.
Date: Friday, June 7
TV Info: NBC (U.S.), Eurosport (UK)
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live, Eurosport Player
Despite being arguably the best player ever to wield a racket, a Federer victory on Friday would have to be classed as an upset due to the surface and the venue, where Nadal has only ever lost twice in his career.
Nadal, 33, is the master at Roland-Garros and has a 13-2 winning record against Federer on clay:
On all surfaces, the Swiss great has actually prevailed in each of the duo's last six meetings, including the 2017 Australian Open final.
But on clay, he has not beaten Nadal since 2009, and never in five meetings at Roland-Garros.
Four of those clashes were in the final, but the other was the first meeting of the two at a Grand Slam, when they faced each other in the 2005 French Open semi-finals.
On that occasion, Nadal won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, and it is a testament to the pair's remarkable longevity that they meet again at the same stage 14 years later while still at the top of their game.
Nadal and Federer have dropped just a set apiece on their way to the last four in Paris this year.
Of the two, the 37-year-old has faced the toughest match, battling through two tiebreaks to beat former champion and compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals:
Nadal presents an even bigger challenge to Federer, who looks in fine touch but is now up against the one player who can sometimes make even him look ordinary.