Rafael Nadal is anticipating another memorable clash with Roger Federer when the two meet in Thursday's Australian Open semi-finals.
Their only previous Australian Open clash went five sets back in 2009 and the Rod Laver Arena will be hoping for a similar treat on Thursday night.
Despite his 17-9 head-to-head lead over Federer, Nadal has always talked up his rival's chances throughout their career. He was at it again after beating Tomas Berdych on Wednesday.
"Always playing in these kind of surfaces he's the favorite," Nadal said. "His level is fantastic, and he won today a fantastic match against one of the best players of the world, Del Potro. So he's doing very, very well. Did he lose a set yet ?"
"So he's doing well and he's playing fantastic and he had a fantastic end of the season last year. So he's coming with confidence. It will be a very, very difficult match for me, and I will try. Every match is different, and I know I will be on court playing against probably the best of the history. So obviously my only way and my only chance to win is play aggressive, play very well, and to play to a limit. That's what I gonna try."
However Nadal's assertion that Federer is favourite is highly questionable. The cool night session conditions at the Australian Open suit both men and more importantly, Nadal has a stranglehold in Federer's head on most surfaces. The Swiss has not beaten him on outdoor hard courts since 2005.
Federer may be playing well but the smart money is on Nadal in four or five sets.
