TENNIS Live

Wimbledon - Semi-finals - Men

Nationality Player Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
SpainR Nadal676--
GERR Schuettler164--

Rafael Nadal

Nationality ESP
Date of Birth 03/06/1986
Height 1.85 m
Weight 85 kg
ATP Ranking 1
Player Info Left-handed; Two-handed backhand

Rainer Schuettler

Nationality GER
Date of Birth 25/04/1976
Height 1.8 m
Weight 70 kg
ATP Ranking 34
 

Live Comments

  1. 6-4 - GAME, SET, AND MATCH RAFAEL NADAL: A great forehand winner down the line sets up three more MATCH POINTS for the four-time French Open champion, and this time he confirms on the first opportunity hitting an unreturnable first serve. We're set for the "dream final" between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for a third straight year after the Spaniard earns a hard-fought 6-1 7-6 6-4 victory over Germany's Rainer Schuettler! Thanks for following our LIVE coverage and join us for the final on Sunday!

  2. 30-0 - Again Nadal goes ahead 30-0...

  3. 5-4 - Schuettler holds to force Nadal to serve out for the match, and the Spaniard just shakes his head in displeasure. We're just about to enter our second hour in this match, and it's just about to end.

  4. 40-40 - Schuettler hands the second seed a TRIPLE MATCH POINT after sending the backhand drop shot into the net. Nadal slips on the first after the serve-and-volley drop from the German and misses an even easier forehand smash at the net on the second!! And Schuettler plays a very clever serve and forehand to get back to DEUCE from TRIPLE MATCH POINT down!! What tenacity.

  5. 5-3 - A perfect drop shot by Nadal allows the Spaniard to hold easily and moves him within one game of that dream final we all expected.

  6. 4-3 - The German battles to the hold and maintain a certain amount of pride. This has been a fighting performance from the 32-year-old, it must be said.

  7. 40-40 - Schuettler tries the through the legs shot after the stunning return backhand lob from Nadal, but just misses to hand Nadal a BREAK POINT. He saves with a fine volley at the net to get back to DEUCE.

  8. 4-2 - Nadal hits couple of brilliant forehand winners across court off of the big serves out wide to come back from 30-15 down and hold. Two games away now.

  9. 3-2 - A cheeky drop shot and a LOVE-Service hold for Rainer Schuettler. Much needed. Even more needed to keep this set alive is a BREAK BACK.

  10. 3-1 - Nadal now racking up the winners. He holds to 15. WeÂ’re on our way back to a landslide Nadal victory.

  11. 2-1 - On DOUBLE BREAK POINT, Schuettler shanks a forehand horribly. We're apparently back into Nadal's first-set domination mode.

  12. 1-1 - Nadal somehow turns defence into offence, setting up a killer 102mph forehand winner from well behind the baseline. He holds to LOVE as well.

  13. 1-0 - Schuettler hits his second and third aces to open up the third set with a LOVE-Service game. Little good it's likely to do him at this point.

  14. 7-6 - Rafa confirms the breaker 7-3 as Schuettler sends the backhand well wide of the line after the fine backhand return from the world number two. A great come from behind set for the Spaniard, who is back in total control. Vamos!

  15. TB6-3 - Nadal hits the perfect slice serve down the T to book himself a TRIPLE SET POINT.

  16. TB4-2 - Rafa still leads at the change of ends.

  17. TB2-1 - Nadal quickly goes up a mini-break.

  18. 6-6 - SCHUETTLER HOLDS TO LOVE!! A great serve-and-smash finishes the game and sends us to a tie-break. The German then picks up a tennis ball and hits it against his head repeatedly, we assume in delight?

  19. 6-5 - Nadal rushes through the LOVE-Service game and has won eight straight points. Rafa, who was slipping a lot during this second set, is handed a spare pair of shoes as his box tosses him a pair of his own "Rafa" brand Nikes. Schuettler will serve to send us to a breaker.

  20. 5-5 - The Schuettler's forehand approach is well long, he bellows something loudly in German, and he hands his rival a pair of BREAK BACK POINTS.... And Nadal confirms as Schuettler sends another forehand approach long. That's obviously not part of his game, and Nadal forced him to play it twice.

  21. 30-15 - Nadal bosses the point, earns a big forehand winner and goes up 30-15 on the German's serve.

  22. 4-5 - Nadal batters the imposing forehand winner across court to hold easily to 15 and he forces Schuettler to serve out for the second set.

  23. 3-5 - Nadal's apparent nerves continue! He shanks a forehand horribly wide of the tramlines, and Schuettler holds to 15. The Spaniard will serve to stay in this set after a surprising turn of events to say the least.

  24. 3-4 - Nadal comes back from 15-30 down to hold to 30. Still nervy from the four-time French Open champion.

  25. 2-4 - Schuettler hits three successive winners to get to 40-0. The German holds to 15 with another great forehand into the corner after bullying Nadal around the court!

  26. 2-3 - Nadal holds to 30 to reclaim some sort of stability.

  27. 1-3 - Schuettler holds to 30 as Nadal sends the error long! The German has won three straight games!

  28. 1-2 - Schuettler starting to play with some real confidence, earns himself a pair of BREAK POINTS. Nadal saves the first with the big serve out wide and the forehand into the corner to wrong-foot the German. AND SCHUETTLER BREAKS!! A stupendous rally from the 32-year-old, who stays in the point brilliantly from the baseline before setting up the perfect angle at the net off of a poor Nadal drop. The world number 94 LEADS the world number two in the second set.

  29. 1-1 - That's much better, and the crowd appreciates the German for it as he holds with a service winner and a fine forehand into the corner that forces the two-time runner-up long. Maybe he can make this set competitive.

  30. 40-40 - Schuettler screams at himself to "GET EXCITED!" in German after saving a BREAK POINT. He was playing a bit to passively before. Just a bit. DEUCE.

  31. 1-0 - Nadal opens up with a comfortable hold of serve and his third ace of the match. The rout continues. Maybe the German can hold serve more than once this set?

  32. 6-1 - Typically devastating groundstrokes ultimately set up a typically killer forehand angle and a pair of SET POINT for Rafa Nadal. Schuettler saves the first with a service winner, but slaps the forehand error into the net on the second. First set to Rafa Nadal in just 22 minutes. Andy Murray is looking very good by comparison.

  33. 5-1 - A second LOVE-Service game and after just 20 minutes Rainer Schuettler, who had planned to retire earlier this year before changing his mind, will serve to stay in the first set.

  34. 4-1 - Schuettler hits a fine backhand into the corner, incredibly flat, to earn his first GAME POINT! And he prevents the bagel with the service winner out wide! Good stuff.

  35. 4-0 - Schuettler has the chance down the line, but he slaps the forehand error into the net instead. Nadal holds to 30 and we're looking at a bagel right now.

  36. 30-30 - Breaking news!! Schuettler wins two points in a row!! A great drop shot after forcing Nadal all over the court like the energiser bunny, followed by a stupendous backhand winner help the German to get to 30-30 for the first time this match.

  37. 3-0 - How did he do that?!?! Nadal some how slices a backhand winner off of the return of serve around the line and in as Schuettler just stares in disbelief after again being broken to 15.

  38. 2-0 - Nadal eases through the LOVE-Service game with a big forehand into the corner that sets up a simple slice volley winner at the net.

  39. 1-0 - Nadal rushes ahead 40-0 before Schuettler hits his first ace to get on the scoreboard. The Spaniard ultimately earns the opening break to 15 as Schuettler sends the forehand error wide. The German will have been exhausted from his five-setter with Clement that stretched over the past two days due to rain delays. A frightening start for him.

  40. 0-0 - UNDERWAY!! Schuettler to serve first.

  41. ----- - RAINER SCHUETTLER'S PATH OF THE SEMI-FINALS: 1st round bt Santiago Ventura 3-6 2-6 4-6, 2nd round bt James Blake 6-3 6-7 4-6 6-4 6-4, 3rd round bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 2-6 3-6 4-6, 4th round bt Janko Tipsarevic 4-6 6-3 4-6 6-7, quater-finals bt Arnaud Clement 6-3 5-7 7-6 6-7 8-6.

  42. ----- - RAFA NADAL'S PATH OF THE SEMI-FINALS: 1st round bt Andreas Beck 4-6 4-6 6-7, 2nd round bt Ernests Gulbis 7-5 2-6 6-7 3-6, 3rd round bt Nicolas Kiefer 6-7 2-6 3-6, 4th round bt Mikhail Youzhny 3-6 3-6 1-6, quater-finals bt Andy Murray 3-6 2-6 4-6.

  43. 15:16 - The two men are warming up now and we're two minutes away from the start of this match. In the opening semi-final Roger Federer eased past Marat Safin in straight sets, so the five-time defending champion awaits the winner.

  44. ----- - Welcome to LIVE text comments and scoring of Rafael Nadal's semi-final match with 32-year-old German veteran Rainer Schuettler, a man ten years his senior.

ATP Race 2008

Points
1 Rafael Nadal 1265 stay
2 Roger Federer 921 stay
3 Novak Djokovic 899 stay
4 Andrew Murray 520 stay
5 Nikolay Davydenko 417 stay
6 Andy Roddick 354 up
7 David Ferrer 337 down
8 James Blake 309 stay
9 Juan Marin Del Potro 307 stay
10 Stanislas Wawrinka 286 stay

Full Table »