When Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal step on to Centre Court for the Gentlemen’s Final of Wimbledon a piece of history will be up for grabs.
On day 13, and we’ll see who gains the luck from that number.
Federer and Nadal will meet for the 18th time overall and for the third straight year in the Wimbledon final.
They have already achieved something no two other players have done and that is to reach the finals of two consecutive Grand Slam championships, the French Open and Wimbledon, three years in a row.
For Roger Federer this is his sixth consecutive Wimbledon final.
The last man to do that was Bjorn Borg in 1981 and while he has emulated Borg’s feat of winning the crown five straight years.
He certainly wouldn’t want history to repeat itself because when he was going for title six, top seeded Borg was beaten in the final by second seeded John McEnroe.
Borg and McEnroe played two brilliant Wimbledon finals and the tiebreak they played in the 1980 in now part of tennis legend.
Last year Federer and Nadal played a remarkable final and really it was one point that separated Nadal from winning and ultimately losing the title. The feeling is this year may just eclipse the magnificence of twelve months ago.
“I mean, big question mark,” said Federer. “I think we always hope that we can live up to the expectations, because by now we've had so many sort of good matches against each other. It's hard to live up to them all the time.
“Paris was sort of a disappointment in terms of living up to the expectations. But that happens sometimes. For me it's obviously important to sort of bounce back from that loss.
“Even so I'm not going to draw anything out of that match because Rafa plays so different on clay and grass. He plays so much closer to the baseline that I have to draw from my two previous Wimbledon finals. So we'll see what happens.”
Nadal agrees; what happened in Paris as far as the result is concerned will not be a factor in the match as to how they play, BUT how Federer responds mentally is the factor.
This is the first time the two of them are playing one another since the Roland Garros final.
“Every year is different and every match is different, depends of the moment,” said Nadal. “I say always the same: depends how you arrive to the final; how you feel in the moment; how you are playing. The match can change a lot.
“Last year I was very close. I hope on Sunday be at the same performance, a little bit better, I have my chances for win. I say, well, if I have the chance, I hope win this time.
“But Roger, I think, is tough play against me, because we played a lot of times in a lot of important matches, and this is one more. I lost the last two times here, last two years, and this year I gonna try my best another time for try to win.”
Amazingly Federer goes into the final not the raging favourite that he has been in the past which is surprising seeing that he is the five-time defending champion.
That view from observers of the game is because of what happened in Paris, even though everything about that is different to this time.
Nadal won Queen’s Club, his first grass court title (Federer won Halle the same week), and Federer hasn’t necessarily been as dominant in the months leading up to Wimbledon. Funny how 65 consecutive match wins on grass hasn’t been considered.
“I don't think it matters really a lot if I'm the favourite or not,” said Federer. “I'm on an incredible winning streak on grass. First somebody has to be able to break that, you know, before we start talking differently. But, yeah, should be an interesting final; it's definitely going to be an interesting match.”
Federer hasn’t dropped a set en route to the final and it’s the second time in his career he’s done that. He’s still to win the title without losing a set; the last time that happened was in 1976 by Borg. Roger is also just one match away from equaling Borg’s record of 41 consecutive match wins at Wimbledon.
“My way to the final's been great,” said Federer.
“I cannot do much better than this. I've just been playing consistently well. I wasn't maybe pushed to the degree where I have to say I played my best tennis ever. I just think it's been good tennis so far. If I were to win on Sunday, then maybe I can say I've been playing my best ever.”
Federer and Nadal have so much respect for one another and it’s been years since both of the world’s two best players have been universally liked. Peers, fans and the hardened media don’t have a bad word to say about them.
The two guys are not necessarily going to go out for a drink or dinner together but they genuinely like one another. It’s a far cry from the days of Connors and McEnroe or Lendl and McEnroe etc. and when they step on the court there will be no agro and the only things they will leave behind is their blood and sweat.
“I only gonna try my best, no?” said Nadal. “Go on court, try to play my best tennis, try to put my rhythm, my intensity. Later, if he plays better than me, he beat me, I just congratulate him like every year.
“(I play) the same like every match and the same like every time when I'm in one final, one important final. I think playing three finals here, I don't have to show anybody if I can play good here. But for sure win or lose is a difference, important difference in the finals especially. And probably if I win on Sunday, my career is changing a little bit more, no? If I win here probably gonna be one of the most important wins in my career.”
Nadal wants this title more than any other. Even though he has won four consecutive French Opens and clay is his preferred surface, Wimbledon is his favourite tournament. And while the Roland Garros centre court is Nadal’s lounge room, the lawn on the Centre Court of the All England Club at SW19 is Federer’s garden.
“Rafa is a great competitor,” said Federer. “I mean, he's got a winning record over me. Every time I play him I want to try to beat him. The thing is, I've played him so often on clay, it's more of an advantage for him in the head to heads.
“At the same time, I mean, he's now become so good on all other surfaces as well that he's a real threat on anything. That's not only for me, but for any player.
“Now, let's see what happens now the rest of the season, because I think this is maybe my favorite part of the season, you know, trying to win Wimbledon and US Open back to back, and we got the Olympics stuck in it, as well.
“So it's a huge, huge possibility for both, for any players right now. So that's why I think it's an exciting time right now for us.”
The Championship match promises to be a thriller. Could this year be a case of history repeating because things changed when McEnroe beat Borg in the 1981 final? Could we see the prince of tides become the king of the court again? That’s what’s so brilliant about sport … the unknown element.