French Open 2011: Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal To Meet In Finals At Roland Garros

After Roger Federer won the second set of his 2011 French Open semifinal match against Novak Djokovic, it looked like The Joker’s incredible winning streak was about to come to g the set an end. That might still be the case, but he’s bounced back in incredible fashion, breaking Federer in the second game of the third set and holding onto that break, eventually winning the set 6-3.

This has been an incredibly close match throughout, and whether or not Djokovic makes it tough for Federer in the fourth set, this is probably the match of the year to this point after the Australian Open was devoid of any true epics between elite players. Both Federer and Djokovic are playing at an extremely high level right now and it’s been an absolute joy of a match to watch so far.

The semifinal French Open 2011 match between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic has been anticipated since the draw was first announced; it was to be the event of the spring at Roland Garros. Right now our combatants are two sets in, and one of them seems to be slow to realize the magnitude of the day -- or, it could be his four days off before returning to play on an uneven court in less-than-desirable conditions.

Do not adjust your television dials: World No. 3 Federer leads world No. 2 Djokovic two sets to none, 7-6(5) 6-3. The Serb’s frustration at himself, the officials, and the world in general is readily visible. NBC announcers are already attributing his slide to “the weight of the moment,” but recall that with his walkover from Fabio Fognini, Djoko’s playing cold, with an entire match less under his belt than Federer has.

It’s all gone south for Andy Murray. He was ‘British’ in the English papers this morning, but he will almost certainly be referred to as ‘Scottish’ come tomorrow. He’s down two sets to love against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at Roland Garros after losing the second set. Despite Nadal’s brilliant shot-making, he has no one to blame but himself.

Murray obviously has the talent to stick with Nadal, but he’s been missing shots in all of the crucial moments. His two straight shots into the net to lose the first set were disappointing enough, but he’s continued that disappointment through the second set. There was an interesting sequence where the two players broke each other back and forth, with Murray going down a break and recovering on two separate occasions. However, he couldn’t recover from the third break, going down 6-5 and eventually losing the second set 7-5 on Nadal’s serve.

The Roland Garros semifinals match between World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 4 Andy Murray was scheduled first on Day 13 of the French Open 2011, we like to think, because tournament organizers assumed it would be over with in a hurry, freeing up valuable primetime advertising hours for Federer-Djokovic. And he’s down a set, but wonder of wonders: Murray is (kinda) making Nadal work for his points.

Nadal took the first set, 6-4, but not without Murray battling to within deuce at 5-4, before he hit several crucial balls straight into the net in classic fashion. However! A double fault on Rafa’s part has just moved the second set to 3-all, and Murray’s serving. We could be in for a fun morning in Paris here, sports fans.

Semifinals action concludes Friday in the French Open 2011 at Stade Roland Garros, with play beginning at 8 a.m. EDT. The top four seeds in men’s tennis will all be featured in televised action. Today’s TV schedule:

• 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.: Men’s Semifinals (Tennis Channel)

• 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Men’s Semifinals (NBC)