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Roger Federer Looks for a 9th Wimbledon Title After Beating Rafael Nadal

Hannah Mckay/Reuters

WIMBLEDON, England — This one, unlike Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s 2008 duel into the twilight on Centre Court, was not a contender for the greatest match of all time.

This was only a semifinal, after all, but it still had its moments, both tense and transcendent. It also had a different finish.

Nadal won that magnificent 2008 Wimbledon final, prevailing by 9-7 in the fifth set in something much closer to darkness than daylight.

Federer won the 2019 rematch on Friday, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, finishing it off on his fifth match point by playing as boldly as he had from the start when he slapped an ace on the opening point.