French Open 2011: Roger Federer Wins Epic Semifinal, Prepares for Rafael Nadal

Did everyone really feel the greatest player of all time would go away quietly?

Roger Federer stepped on the Center Court at Roland Garros Friday in a very unfamiliar position...underdog.

Playing against second-seeded Novak Djokovic, a Serbian player who had won the Australian Open and was 41-0 this year, Federer was even worse than an underdog in that many analysts and fans alike were simply overlooking the 16-time Grand Slam champion. 

With clay being his worst surface, the third-seeded Federer was picked by virtually no one to win the French and why should he be?  Rafael Nadal has owned him on clay, and Djokovic has owned the entire world in 2011.

Yet as darkness fell in Paris tonight, Roger Federer approached the net, index finger in the air, yelling victoriously, as he vanquished Djokovic in an epic four-set encounter, 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6. 

The matched served as a reminder that the "old" man still has something left to prove.  At 29, Federer is several years older than both Djokovic and Nadal, and hasn't won a major in over a year.  The two higher seeds, in fact, have won the last four majors combined.  All of the signs pointed to today's match between Federer and Djokovic as a changing of the guard.

Had Djokovic have won, he would have tied John McEnroe's record of the best-ever start to a season and, for the first time in his career, leave Paris as the No. 1 ranked player in the world.  And then you have Nadal who was trying to tie Mats Wilander as the winningest player in French Open history. 

Yet the 2011 French Open was to serve as the latest example that Federer's reign of greatness was coming to an end.  Now was the time that Roger would be put in his place permanently as the third-best player in the world.

It took over three and a half hours, a lot of guts and near total darkness for Federer to prove all the doubters wrong.  Instead of seeing a living legend lose to a new No. 1 player, we will see Federer take another crack at Nadal in the French Open final.

This time, unlike other matchups in Paris between the two greats, Federer will enter Center Court as a different player.  Alas, there will be something that will not be accompanying him to his match with Nadal...pressure.

Before, it was "Can Federer complete the career Grand Slam?" or "Will Federer beat Nadal and say No. 1?" or "Will Nadal be able to overtake the great Roger Federer?" 

None of those questions will be weighing Federer down this time around.  Everyone expects Nadal to beat him now, and Federer already won the French Open in 2009.  Sure, there are those that believe Federer will never be the absolute best player in history unless he can beat Nadal in another Grand Slam final.  But did anyone expect him to do it in Paris?

Nadal has looked good his last two matches, but let's not forget that he nearly lost to American John Isner in the first round and looked nothing like his dominant self until turning things around recently against Robin Soderling and Andy Murray.

Perhaps there has been no better time for Federer to play Nadal in Paris.  Perhaps this is the time he can take down his rival on the red clay.  Perhaps.

Ultimately, Nadal will likely win his sixth championship.  The oddsmakers will certainly consider the Spaniard a considerable favorite.  But no matter what happens on Sunday, Federer was able to tell the world that he's not done yet.

This match was more than just any other semifinal in a major tournament.  He put Djokovic, Nadal and the rest of the world on notice than come Wimbledon and the US Open, you better consider him a threat to win an unprecedented 17th major.

He might be married with twins and hold almost every record there is to have in tennis, but Federer is still motivated to win.  Anyone who saw his won against Djokovic realizes it.  And whether he's 21, 29 or 39, a motivated Roger Federer is bound to be a formidable foe.