PARIS — You may assume that taking part in 38 tennis matches in opposition to somebody would imply there may be little or no left to study earlier than the 39th.
However that isn’t the best way Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and their groups have approached their French Open semifinal on Friday.
Each males and their coaches have been scrutinizing information and analyzing video clips in an try to search out an edge, searching for a brand new sample, a brand new weak spot, a brand new cause to consider.
“I like to investigate,” Carlos Moyá, Nadal’s coach, mentioned on Wednesday. “I wish to attempt to discover a crack within the opponent’s recreation and to attempt to see what I might do if I have been the opponent’s coach to attempt to harm Rafa after which attempt to discover options to that. So it’s like chess.”
At this stage of the transcendent 15-year rivalry, there may be additionally a little bit of “we all know that they know that we all know that they know, and so forth.”
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The earlier night time, Severin Lüthi, one in every of Federer’s two coaches, sounded identical to Moyá.
“Look, I’m not going to look at each match Rafa and Roger have performed from starting to the top, as a result of I might not be completed earlier than this match begins,” he mentioned. “However for certain I’m going to look at some, and it’s all the time a mix. You wish to see how Rafa has performed right here this yr, and Roger’s additionally all the time interested by the way it was when he performed him again within the day.”
It has been 20 months for the reason that final time Federer and Nadal met, within the Shanghai Open ultimate, which Federer gained to deliver their file in opposition to one another to 23-15, benefit Nadal. And greater than two years have handed since one in every of their most memorable duels: the 2017 Australian Open final.
Federer gained that in 5 units to start a shocking late-career renaissance. It has been a transfixing run, at instances overshadowing Nadal’s personal inspiring resurgence.
Watch him practice right here, watch him play right here, and it’s clear he nonetheless desires, perhaps even wants, extra. However that has not been the case all season, particularly after a return of knee tendinitis pressured Nadal to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open in March and introduced on lingering pessimism.
“It’s been the toughest time since I’ve been working with him,” Moyá mentioned.
Moyá, Nadal’s good friend and fellow Spaniard, has performed a major position in Nadal’s revival in latest seasons, taking up teaching duties final yr from Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, and bringing recent concepts and power whereas nonetheless being a well-recognized face. That has reassured Nadal, a loyal particular person and a creature of behavior.
“Rafa doesn’t like to alter issues, so that may make it onerous for me to alter issues as properly,” Moyá mentioned with a chuckle as we sat in a tent subsequent to the Roland Garros follow courts. “Typically we battle about that with Rafa, after which he provides me one thing and I give him a bit of bit. It’s about discovering the house between.”
Moyá desires to proceed lightening the load on Nadal’s physique and soul by maintaining him lean and by shortening factors. Moyá flashed his greatest smile throughout our interview when he identified that 70 p.c of the factors Nadal had performed at Roland Garros this yr had been exchanges with 5 pictures or fewer.
“Typically he seems like he’s nonetheless 20, and that’s not the case, so I’m there to remind him,” Moyá mentioned.
It’s a problem to narrate to a few of Nadal’s achievements: Profitable a file 11 French Open singles titles places a person in a class aside. However Moyá can relate greater than most.
Like Nadal, he grew up on the Spanish island of Majorca. He gained the French Open once, in 1998, and have become Spain’s first No. 1, setting the bar very excessive, solely to see Nadal leap increased … and better.
Moyá, 42, acquired to know Nadal when he was a fired-up preteen with unmistakable potential. They later gained the Davis Cup collectively, combining forces on clay in 2004 in Seville, Spain, to defeat Andy Roddick and america. Nadal was simply 18 and had but to play the French Open.
May Moyá ever have imagined the dominance that will come?
“I may think about he can be nice on clay, however what did it imply to be nice on clay then?” Moyá mentioned. “Once I was taking part in, we had Guga Kuerten, who was a genius, and he gained 3 times right here at Roland Garros. Return to Bjorn Borg. He gained six instances, and he was from one other planet. Rafa has gained 11, and being so good on clay has most likely overshadowed how good he’s on different surfaces.”
It’s simple to surprise what distinction successful (or not successful) a 12th French Open would make to Nadal within the grand scheme. He’s an in-the-moment competitor, by mentality and metabolism.
Nadal, 33, has spent most of his profession combating again from accidents, however the challenges have been accelerating — he performed simply 9 tournaments in 2018 — and the cumulative impact hit him onerous after the Indian Wells withdrawal.
“After different pullouts previously, he was going house and he was actually dangerous for one, two, three days, however then he began once more,” Moyá mentioned. “This time was totally different.”
It took a number of weeks for Nadal to start recovering his optimism and urge for food for the battle. He misplaced within the semifinals at two tournaments he has dominated, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. For Moyá, the nadir was truly a victory: a three-set win over Leonardo Mayer within the second spherical in Barcelona in April.
“It wasn’t in regards to the errors; it was the angle,” Moyá mentioned. “It’s one thing you don’t typically see in him: negativity.”
Moyá mentioned that there had been numerous workforce discussions and some heart-to-hearts, however that he may see the fireplace burning once more. After losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas within the semifinals of the Madrid Open, Nadal has reeled off 10 straight victories.
The short-term problem is evident: beating Federer for the sixth time of their six French Open matches after dropping to him of their final 5 matches elsewhere.
However the longer-term problem is to scale back the probabilities that accidents and world weariness proceed to flare up.
For Moyá, it’s not about swinging tougher however about extra superior court docket positioning and calculated danger taking; about successful extra free factors with an improved serve. Additionally it is about maintaining follow periods intense however transient.
“Two hours a day max and through tournaments, 45 minutes to at least one hour on his break day,” Moyá mentioned. “Ultimately, it’s about attempting to be extra environment friendly, and it’s additionally about being motivated. What occurred a month in the past is the largest proof that a very powerful factor is to be recent mentally.”
Federer would agree wholeheartedly with that principle. Much less might be — and must be — extra at this superior stage. Compete solely if you end up really desirous to compete.
The thrilling factor, for the followers and for tennis’s most celebrated rivals, is that each Federer and Nadal appear to be in the identical place, the correct place, as they get set for No. 39.