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The prospect of a Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal Australian Open final is a dream match-up for most tennis fans, but Toni Nadal sees it a little differently than most.
Federer did his part to make that dream a reality when he defeated countryman and No.3 seed Stan Wawrinka in a five-set thriller in Thursday night’s first semi-final.
Ninth-seeded Nadal needs to account for Bulgarian No.15 seed Grigor Dimitrov on Friday night to hold up his end of the bargain.
Nadal has an impressive 23-11 head-to-head record against Federer, but his coach knows what a huge challenge overcoming the 17-time grand slam champion would be.
“When we’re in a final, normally I’d prefer to be against a bad player,” Uncle Toni quipped.
“I like to watch Federer playing but I don’t want too much to be playing against him in the final.
“People say it’s a dream final, but I say that it might be for them but when I dream, I dream about Rafael meeting the worst player in the tournament.”
The pair last met in the final of a grand slam at Roland Garros in 2011 when Nadal prevailed in four sets.
The Swiss master and the Spanish bull have shared some enthralling battles over the course of their glittering careers and, all jokes aside, Uncle Toni agrees another chapter in their rivalry would be something to behold.
“The possibility of playing Federer in a final could be good for tennis and it could be good for us too,” he said.
“I have very good memories of the matches that we’ve had against Roger. But I know that when you arrive in a final against Federer it is very difficult.”
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