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Tennis

Federer and Nadal set for final showdown

06/07/2008

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are both talking up their chances of winning ahead of the Wimbledon men's final today.

The top two ranked players in the world for the last three years have developed great respect for each other while their rivalry has grown, but both men are determined to emerge victorious at SW19.

Federer is aiming for his sixth successive Wimbledon crown while Nadal is trying to achieve his first championship win at the All England Club.

Nadal recently destroyed Federer in straight sets at the final of the French Open and has beaten the Swiss star in the last three finals at Roland Garros.

However, Federer has a similar record against Nadal in Wimbledon finals and today will be the third consecutive final between the pair on the grass.

Federer concedes they have developed a good rivalry but says pundits will have to wait a few more years before they can compare it to other great contests from the past.

He said: "Right now we are in the middle of it all so you can't make a judgment about it. Maybe in five years' time we will see how it is looked at."

Federer remains confident he can keep his amazing winning streak at Wimbledon going, though he admits he will have to be at his best to defeat Nadal.

He said: "I am on an incredible winning streak on grass and if I am to lose here somebody has to break that. But this is crunch time and I am playing someone who has a good chance against me on a given day."

Nadal took Federer to five sets in last year's final but could not quite find a way past the reigning champion.

However, having had success at Queens before the tournament the Spaniard hopes he has improved enough over the last 12 months to go one step further this year.

"Every year is different, every match is different. It depends how you get to the final, how you feel when you get there, how you are playing. Last year I was very close, this year I hope will be that bit better," said Nadal.