2019 Wimbledon Championships Men's Singles QF's Rafael Nadal(Spain)beats Sam Querrey(USA)reach SF's

Sam Querrey's biggest weapon – his serve – had been the focal point in the lead up to his Wimbledonquarter-final against Rafael Nadal. The American had been broken only once in 72 service games this fortnight.

But reality is better than theory, and on the court Wednesday, it was the Spaniard's serve that stole the attention and helped him set up his 40th matchup and first at Wimbledon since their legendary 2008 final, with longtime rival Roger Federer.

Nadal fought off Querrey, who wasn't intimidated by the occasion, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 to reach his seventh Wimbledon semi-final and 32nd overall at the Grand Slam level, best for third in the Open Era.

Next, the semi-final everyone circled when the draw was released: Nadal-Federer, XL (Nadal leads 24-15). The Spaniard beat Federer last month at Roland Garros, but Federer has made headway in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry of late thanks to their matchups on quick courts.

Most Grand Slam Semi-finals In Open Era

Player	Semi-finals
Roger Federer	45
Novak Djokovic	36
Rafael Nadal	32

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have met three times at Wimbledon: 2006 final (Federer), 2007 final (Federer) and their classic 2008 final (Nadal), which many consider the greatest tennis match of all-time. The Spaniard won 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7.