Federer not relying on history for Nadal showdown - (2025)

Roger Federer believes previous matches against Rafael Nadal will have little bearing on the 39th meeting between the pair at Indian Wells.

Roger Federer may have dominated Rafael Nadal in recent times but is taking nothing for granted despite being a 4/9 favourite to win their Indian Wells semi-final.

Swiss ace Federer advanced to the last four with a 6-4 6-4 triumph over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz while Nadal had to battle hard to get the better of Russia’s Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-2).

The pair will now meet for the 39th time on Saturday, with Nadal leading 23-15 in the head-to-head.

However, the 37-year-old Swiss legend has bossed the left-hander in the latter stages of their careers, winning the last five meetings between the duo, and pulled off a straight-sets victory when they last met in the Shanghai Masters final in October 2017.

He may be favourite, but the eight-time Wimbledon champion believes it would be folly to read too much into the historical battles.

“I don’t think those matches matter that much, to be honest,” said Federer. “A lot of time has gone by, unfortunately maybe for the rivalry, for us, or for me. It’s always better to keep on playing against him.

“The fans are maybe more excited about us playing than me as I’ve always got to be focused on my own game but it always brings extra energy into the stadium and for the both of us.”

Nadal is hopeful of being able to play despite requiring treatment on his right knee during his quarter-final on Friday.

“I will try my best to recover – these are the matches I want to play,” he said.

Austrian seventh seed Dominic Thiem face Canada’s 13th seed Milos Raonic in the other semi-final (Thiem 11/8, Raonic 4/7 – Match Betting).

Odds subject to change.