Tennis: Roger Feder, Rafael Nadal To Renew Wimbeldon Rivalry On Friday

A classic tennis rivalry renews Friday when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal square off the in the Wimbledon semifinals. The meeting will be their 40th career showdown, but their first at the All England Club since their 2008 final. Although they will be hard-pressed to duplicate that classic, in which Nadal prevailed after nearly five hours of play, ticket holders will undoubtedly be thrilled to witness the latest chapter in this storied rivalry.

"Obviously, I know people always hype it up," Federer said Wednesday of his rivalry with Nadal.

Both veterans struggled early in their quarterfinal matches Wednesday before coming on strong to advance.

The second-seeded Federer managed a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kei Nishikori. The victory was his 100th match win at the All England Club as he became the first man to reach that total at any Grand Slam tournament. The third-seeded Nadal followed with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory over unseeded Sam Querrey.

Nadal holds a 24-15 all-time edge over Federer, including a 10-3 mark in Grand Slams. This will be their fourth Wimbledon meeting and the first that isn't for the title. Federer won the first two finals before Nadal responded in the 2008 classic.

The third component of the "Big Three," Novak Djokovic, also reached the Wimbledon semifinals and, in doing so, the iconic tennis trio made more history.

The three have combined to win the last 10 majors and 14 of the past 16 Wimbledon titles. This is the 13th time that Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are in the semifinals at a major tournament together. On 11 of the previous occasions, one of them claimed the title.

Djokovic defeated No. 21-seed David Goffin 6-4, 6-0, 6-2. He will face No. 23 seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the other semifinals Friday.

In opening odds, Nadal is a -140 favorite (risk $140 to win $100) against Federer (+120). Djokovic is a massive -1,300 favorite against Bautista Agut (+800).