There was tension in the air, Dusk was descending, wind was swirling and more than 15000 fans of Federer were shouting ''Ro-ger'', ''Ro-ger'' at the ground and finally Novak Djokovic failed to faced Federer and not able to continue win 42 matches in a year.
Federer rocked back, unfurled his body and whipped an ace, his 18th Friday, to seal a 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) victory over Djokovic, then roared and wagged his right index finger, as if telling the world, "I'm still No. 1!"
On other matches Rafael Nadal dismisses Andy Murry 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to improve to 44-1 at the clay-court major tournament.
Federer will go for a 17th Grand Slam title, and second at Roland Garros, in Sunday's final against longtime nemesis and five-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal.
"I wasn't here to spoil the party," said the third-seeded Federer, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the 2009 French Open. "Almost feels, somewhat, like I've won the tournament, which is not the case. Silverware is still out there to be won, and I'm looking forward to the match with Rafa."
It'll be their fifth meeting and fourth final in Paris since 2005. Nadal is 4-0 in those matches, part of his 16-8 overall lead head-to-head.
A sixth French Open title would tie Nadal with Bjorn Borg for the most in history.
"I don't think about that," said Nadal, who turned 25 Friday. "A lot of respect for the great Bjorn, but I focus to play well. For me, is much more important win Roland Garros than equal Bjorn."
Djokovic is the only other player to have beaten Federer more than eight times, including a 3-0 mark this season before Friday. Long considered one of the top talents in tennis, Djokovic credited a handful of factors with helping him excel recently: more maturity; confidence from helping Serbia win its first Davis Cup title in December; a gluten-free diet he now refuses to discuss in any detail. He won his second major title at the Australian Open in January and arrived in Paris as a co-favorite with Nadal, thanks in part to having beaten the Spaniard in two tournament finals on clay in May.
Nadal's victory over the fourth-seeded Murray was far more compelling and competitive than a typical straight-set sweep, yet still paled in comparison to what Federer and Djokovic produced later. Because Nadal-Murray lasted more than three hours — and because the tournament pushed back the start of the men's semifinals from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to accommodate TV — Federer and Djokovic didn't set foot on Court Philippe Chatrier until early evening. It was nearly 6 p.m. when the first point was played, and the heavy gray clouds clustered overhead limited the light.
By the end of the match, at 9:36 p.m., it was tough to see. Both men knew that if Djokovic managed to push their semifinal to a fifth set, play would have been suspended for the night and resumed Saturday.
For portions of the first two sets, Djokovic's timing was a tad off, perhaps a result of not having played since Sunday. It was an unusual four-day break in the middle of a Grand Slam tournament, one that came about because Djokovic's quarterfinal opponent withdrew with an injury.
Everybody expecting that the final will be more enjoyable.
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