THE BATTLE between two warriors for a place they both knew they were never likely to visit again, a Wimbledon semi-final on Centre Court, finally drew to a close after two days and a succession of rain delays.
Rainer Schuettler, the 32-year-old German and Arnaud Clement, a 30-year-old Frenchman, spent Wednesday night and yesterday afternoon and evening engaged in a marathon match for the pleasure of meeting Rafael Nadal on Centre Court today.
It just doesn't seem fair. Nadal spent yesterday lunchtime practising on the courts at Aorangi pavilion, signing autographs and resting before today's meeting with the older player. Meanwhile Schuettler slogged out a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-7(7), 8-6 win over five hours and 12 minutes, equalling the second longest match ever played at Wimbledon.
The defeated Clement, ranked 145th in the world, had signed up to play in the Irish Open at Fitzwilliam this week in the expectation he would not be playing in the second week of the Grand Slam. But Clement will look back on yesterday with regret that his one opportunity to clinch match point was passed up. It was his best ever showing and by the tone of his voice, he too knows he is unlikely to get as close a glimpse again.
It is Schuettler's first Wimbledon semi-final and he is the lowest ranked player to get so far since the 125th-ranked Goran Ivanisevic surged through in 2001.
Nadal might look on his meeting with a veteran as a great break and will hope Safin forces Federer into something more than a canter.
"The second half of the first and the second set, especially, was probably my best match here," said Nadal somewhat ominously after he had beaten Andy Murray. He was later asked what the score would be if last year's Nadal played this year's.
"I think I gonna win right now," he said. "Slice better. The position on court is better. I'm playing more aggressive with the forehand and the backhand is feeling well too."
"He has an advantage," said Schuettler about his next opponent's freshness. "But I don't really care. I work hard and I'm physically fit. We played three hours today and yesterday two but it's okay. I will be okay.
"I am so far away right now from the match. I played him in Basle and beat him there and since then he has always beaten me. I'll just go out there and try to make it as hard as possible for him to beat me. I am definitely underdog."
Schuettler becomes only the third German player since 1968, after Boris Becker and Michael Stich, to reach a Wimbledon semi-final. "I'm more than happy. And only Boris and Michael made it so far. Yeah, whatever happens I'm just happy to be in the semis," Schuettler added.
Federer's gate to the final is blocked by an altogether bigger threat, Marat Safin. The Russian has exceeded all expectations and has been relentlessly talking down his chances.
"I'm playing but that doesn't mean I have a chance there," he said mischievously. Safin is anything but a shrinking violet. He has won two Grand Slams, despite his career being blighted by injury and his own indiscipline.
"I'm surprised I'm still here," he added, warming to the theme of underdog. "I'm surprised I won two Grand Slams. The way things looked in 1995, it didn't look so great. Thank God people believed in me. No one would think you'd be the Russian champion of the US Open and Australian Open.
"I have to deal with the things I have in my life. A lot of injuries left and right. I'm tired of making comebacks every year. It's annoying. But that's my career.
Federer has not dropped a set and his filleting of Mario Ancic in the quarter-final was like Nadal's display against Andy Murray, his best of the tournament so far. Once again his serving was humming and to deal with that will be Safin's tallest order.
"He had unbelievable precision and it's very tough to read because he's mixing it so well," said Ancic.
Actually, for once everyone agrees with Safin and nobody gives him a chance. His ranking had slipped down to 95th this year and he was forced to play the qualifiers for the clay court tournament in Hamburg in May.
The difference between the old and new Safin is he forgot about the fact he had won Grand Slams and applied himself to the long climb up. Wimbledon is pay-off.
"To start playing the quallies in tournaments touched the bottom. That was really too much. But I made the choice. People, they thought what am I doing? But I went there. I qualified. I guess this tournament is pay off for the Hamburg quallies. It's worth it."
For the tournament too.
FEDERER V SAFIN
26
Age28
6ft 1in
Height6ft 4in
13st 5lbs
Weight13st 8lbs
1
SeedingUnseeded
1
World ranking75
€26 million
Career money€8.5 milliion
12
Grand Slams2
3
Grand Slam runners-up2
55
ATP Tour titles15
W 03, 04, 05, 06, 07
Best WimbledonSF 2008
8
Head to head2
WIMBLEDON DETAILS
WOMEN'S SINGLES
Semi-finals: (6) Serena Williams (USA) bt Jie Zheng (Chn) 6-2 7-6 (7-5), (7) Venus Williams (USA) bt (5) Elena Dementieva (Rus) 6-1 7-6 (7-3).
MEN'S SINGLES
Quarter-final: Rainer Schuettler (Ger) bt Arnaud Clement (Fra) 6-3 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (7-9) 8-6.
Men's Doubles Semi-final:(8) J Bjorkman (Swe) K Ullyett (Zim) bt (1) B Bryan (US) M Bryan (US) 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (11-9). (2) D Nestor (Can) N Zimonjic (Ser) lead (9) L Dlouhy (Cze) L Paes (Ind) 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-1 3-3.
Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals:(1) M Bryan (US) K Srebotnik (Slo) bt (5) K Ullyett (Zim) A Sugiyama (Jpn) 6-3 3-6 6-3, I Andreev (Rus) M Kirilenko (Rus) bt (3) P Vizner (Cze) K Peschke (Cze) 6-3 6-4; B Bryan (US) S Stosur (Aus) bt (9) A Ram (Isr) N Dechy (Fra) 6-4 6-2.
TODAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court (Play begins at 1.0pm) (1) Roger Federer (Swi) v Marat Safin (Rus). Rainer Schuettler (Ger) v (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa).
