WIMBLEDON, England — Long after they finish whipping topspin forehands for an excellent living, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will share a link to Centre Court.
It is the tennis nostalgia factory yet still essential place where Nadal beat Federer in the 2008 final that belongs on anyone’s short list of the greatest matches ever played.
But the classic rivals’ Wimbledon roads and fortunes continue to diverge, and the latest evidence came on Thursday.
Federer, with his 34th birthday approaching, did another bravado impression of his dominant days at the All England Club to overwhelm Sam Querrey.