A decade after Rafael Nadal out-dueled Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, he candidly discussed his feelings of facing Federer in a final rematch.
Though the reigning Roland Garros would be excited to play the eight-time Wimbledon winner for the title on Sunday, facing Federer is not Nadal's preference.
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After Nadal dismissed Jiri Vesely, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, to reach his first Wimbledon quarterfinal since 2011, he offered a candid assessment about a rivalry rematch.
"If he's in the final, I am excited to play Roger," Nadal told the media. "I am not saying I am not excited to play against Roger in the final. I am excited. It will be a good result for me. Facing Roger again will be something fantastic.
"If you ask me if I prefer another one, I say yes. That's the point. It's about being smart, no? The overall goal is try to win the tournament. Depends against who you play you have less or more chances to win. That's the thing. I can be here, I can't come here and say, No, of course I want to play against the best players."
On paper, Nadal's path to a sixth Wimbledon final is more arduous than Federer's road to the final.
The second-seeded Spaniard will face either Juan Martin del Potro or Gilles Simon in the quarterfinals. Should Nadal prevail, he would face either 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori in the semifinals.
In contrast, the top-seeded Federer has won all eight sets against quarterfinal opponent Kevin Anderson. Should Federer defeat Anderson he would play either Milos Raonic or John Isner in the semifinals. Federer is 5-2 vs. Isner and 11-3 against Raonic though the Canadian used his wrecking ball serve to topple Federer in the 2016 Wimbledon semifinals.
"When I come here, I come here thinking that I can do a good result, no?" Nadal said. "If not, probably I will not be here. When I arrive here, my goal is to do the things the right way, to try to give me chances to compete well. Sometimes the things works better, sometimes worst. My feeling last year I was not in this round, but I was playing enough well to be where I am this year. So happy for that."
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport