Photo: Australian Open

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

ARTICLES:

• Day 12 preview: Time for the test (via ausopen.com)

… Federer needs to be in peak form and confidence against Nadal. His little flinch – not converting two match points in the third set against Murray on Wednesday night – could sow tiny seeds of doubt. That could be costly against a more redoubtable opponent like the ruthless Rafa. Nadal in four.

• Nadal vs. Federer Preview Analysis (via ATP)

… Rafael Nadal prevailed in both previous encounters with Roger Federer at the Australian Open, in the 2009 final and 2012 semi-finals.

• A career-defining match for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal  (via SI.com)

… If Nadal goes on to win the title, it will consecrate his 14th major. Five years younger than Federer, he would be only three Grand Slam titles behind. (Who would bet against his catching up, especially given Nadal’s squatters rights in Paris?) This would also diminish claims that Nadal is a clay-court specialist. He would now have won each Grand Slam at least twice.

• One to Watch: Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer Semifinal Preview (via tennis.com)

… Federer is playing more dynamic tennis right now, but Nadal has a remarkable ability to raise his level of play to meet the required challenge. The Pick: Nadal in five sets.

• Nadal’s blister could hand Federer crucial advantage in semi-final (via Eurosport)
• Rafael Nadal v Roger Federer – Chapter 33, the sport’s odd couple meet again (via The Telegraph)
• How is Rafael Nadal able to keep winning with these gruesome blisters? (via ftw.usatoday.com)
• Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer: Best moments from captivating rivalry (via SI.com)

… In advance of their first showdown at a Slam since Nadal’s four-set victory in the 2012 Australian Open semifinals, let’s look at some of the key moments and matches that have made this rivalry so riveting.

• Rafa Nadal resorts to radiofrequency treatment (via marca.com)

… The Spanish Tennis Federation has dispatched Dr Ángel Ruiz Cotorro and physiotherapists Julián Casanova to Melbourne in an effort to treat Rafael Nadal’s injured left-hand. “We applied creams that help regenerate skin, but also Indiba, which serves to accelerate the healing process” explains Cotorro. The device uses radiofrequency to accelerate the metabolism of cells, reorganizing oxygenated blood, and speeding up blood flow by promoting lymphatic drainage of the peripheral area.

• Nadal se entrena a tope y cambiará de protección (via tenis.as.com)

… En el entrenamiento, Rafa se sentó tras las indicaciones de su tío Toni y esperó a que el fisoterapeuta Rafa Maymó le aplicara fluídos antisépticos y para pegar una ligera protección a la llaga de la mano, una mínima protección plástica, como un parche del tipo ‘Compeed’.

• Steve Flink: An old rivalry is ready for renewal (via Tennis Channel)
  Rafa & Roger: The Rivalry (via ATP)
• Reflections: Australian Open Day 11 (via The Slice)
• Love Rafa’s Australian Open kit? VOTE it as your fave for a chance to win a $50 Midwest Sports gift card!

VIDEOS:

• Nadal vs. Federer – The Semifinal
• Uncle Toni Nadal on Rafa – 2014 Australian Open
• Nadal: It took ‘a little luck’ to beat Dimitrov
• Game, Set and Mats: Nadal dismisses Dimitrov

PHOTOS: Rafael Nadal practices ahead of semifinal with Roger Federer at Australian Open

NADAL vs. FEDERER: What time does Rafa play and where can you watch? Find out here.  // Comprueba aquí el horario del partido de Rafa y cómo seguirlo en directo.