Inside Federer v Nadal: 40 Facts about the 40th 'Fedal' Clash

This image is a derivative of IMG_6408 by Marianne Bevis (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Let's take you inside "Fedal XL" this Friday at Wimbledon, with 40 facts on this 40th meeting between two global icons, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

1 - This is the first Wimbledon Semi-Final between the two men. Their three previous Wimbledon meetings were all in the Final.

2 - The number of consecutive Wimbledon Semi-Finals Rafael Nadal has made after six years without a Wimbledon SF appearance.

3 - The number of 'Big 3' meetings at major tournaments so far this year: Djokovic-Nadal in Australia, Fedal at Roland Garros, now Fedal at Wimbledon.

4 - The number of Nadal wins over Federer in seven major-tournament matches played outside of clay. Nadal is 3-1 at the Australian Open and 1-2 at Wimbledon.

5 - The number of hours on court Nadal exceeded in his last Wimbledon Semi-Final, last year, against Novak Djokovic.

6 - The number of consecutive major Semi-Finals Nadal has reached, the longest such streak of his career, done at ages 32/33.

7 - The number of Nadal's Wimbledon Semi-Final appearances, on his "worst" surface. ("Worst" in quotation marks - I hope you get the implication there.)

8 - The number of times a 'Big 3' player has made the Semi Finals of a major this year: Djokovic and Nadal three times each, Federer twice.

9 - The number of years since Nadal's last Wimbledon title, in 2010.

10 - The number of Nadal wins over Federer at the majors in 13 matches - 6-0 on clay, 4-3 on other surfaces. Also, the number of consecutive major titles the 'Big 3' has won. The 2016 US Open (won by Stan Wawrinka) was the last major not won by Federer, Nadal or Djokovic.

11 - Number of years since Fedal's last meeting at Wimbledon, in 2008.

12 - Number of years since all members of the 'Big 3' made the Wimbledon SF, in 2007.

13 - Number of years since Fedal's first Wimbledon meeting, in 2006. Also, the number of Federer wins in Fedal matches played off clay (13-10).

14 - Number of Nadal wins in Fedal matches played on clay (14-2).

15 - Number of years since the 'Big 3's' first year with multiple major championships (2004). The 'Big 3' has won at least two of the year's four majors every year since then.

16 - Number of years since Federer's first major SF and first Wimbledon Championship (2003).

17 - Federer's 17th major title was won in 2012 by beating a 'Big 3' opponent in the SF. That year the opponent was Djokovic.

18 - Federer's 18th major title was won against Rafael Nadal at the 2017 Australian Open.

19 - Federer's 19th major title was won at Wimbledon in 2017. Federer did not face a 'Big 3' opponent en route to that title.

20 - Number of major Semi Finals Nadal has reached at the three non-clay majors.

21 - Number of 'Big 3' major tournament finals - 9 between Federer and Nadal, 8 between Nadal and Djokovic, 4 between Federer and Djokovic. A Djokovic SF win over Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday would push this total to 22.

22 - Nadal turned 22 in 2008, winning a classic Wimbledon Final one month after his birthday. Rafa has won 13 majors since that Wimbledon title. He had five after that memorable victory over Federer in the fading light of Centre Court.

23 - Number of Fedal matches played on non-clay surfaces.

24 - Number of Nadal wins head-to-head over Federer in 39 total matches.

25 - Each member of the 'Big 3' has won at least 25 straight major-tournament matches at some point in his career.

26 - Federer will be playing for his 26th non-clay major final appearance on Friday. 25 finals on hard courts and grass courts, 5 at Roland Garros.

27 - Nadal will be playing for his 27th major final on Friday.

28 - Nadal last played a Wimbledon Final in 2011 against Novak Djokovic. Nadal made 28 major appearances between that tournament and this one. He is one win away from likely meeting Djokovic again in a Wimbledon Final, eight years later.

29 - Federer and Nadal have both won at least 29 consecutive sets at some point in their careers at the major tournaments.

30 - A man hasn't won a major singles title when under 30 years old at the time of his championship since Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2016, age 29. Every subsequent champion has been over 30 at the time of winning the title. Also, no active male tennis player under 30 years of age owns a major title.

31 - Federer will be playing for his 31st major final on Friday. Also, the 'Big 3' have won 31 of the 38 majors played this decade. The non-'Big 3' major champions: Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka with three majors apiece, Marin Cilic with one.

32 - Nadal's number of major Semi Finals, now alone in third place in the Open Era. Rafa has passed Jimmy Connors, who appeared in 31.

33 - Nadal's age. Rafa is trying at this Wimbledon to win majors on all three surfaces - grass, clay and hardcourt - in his 30s, a rare feat.

34 - The last Federer-Djokovic major final, which would likely again occur if Federer beats Nadal on Friday, came when Federer was 34 years old, at the 2015 US Open in New York. Also, Federer and Nadal have combined to play 33 grass-court finals. The winner will bump the total to 34.

35 - Number of major titles the 'Big 3' have won since the Federer-Nadal 2008 Wimbledon Final.

36 - Federer has made 55 major Quarter Finals. 36 of them came consecutively, from 2004 Wimbledon through to 2013 Roland Garros. Sergiy Stakhovsky stopped the streak at Wimbledon in 2013.

37 - Federer's age, also the age of Serena Williams entering the Wimbledon Semi Finals.

38 - Fedal's combined number of major titles, making Friday's match the largest accumulation of majors between any two male players in Open Era history. This number is still likely to grow in the next few years.

39 - Australia's Ken Rosewall was 39 when he played 30-year-old Australian John Newcombe in the 1974 US Open SF, played on grass in Forest Hills, New York. That is one of the oldest major Semi Finals of the Open Era (69 years combined). This Fedal match - with the 37-year-old Federer against the 33-year-old Nadal - will eclipse it (70 years combined).

40 - Friday's meeting means that every 'Big 3' rivalry will have reached 40 matches. Fedal at 40, Djokovic-Nadal ("Rafole") is at 54, and Djokovic-Federer ("Fedole" or "Fedovic") is at 47.

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