by Richard Evans, Tennis Week, Special to FOXSports.com

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Both men won their semifinals with ease Friday, although, surprisingly, it was the unseeded and almost forgotten German, Rainer Schuettler, who put himself in a better position to offer up a challenge when he served for the second set against Nadal. But then his nerve deserted him, Nadal broke back and cruised to a 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-4 win.

Marat Safin, meanwhile, was better at the press conference than he was on the court. The big Russian got off to a slow, nervous start against Federer. And while Safin offered glimpses in the second set of the remarkable talent that enabled him to destroy a shocked Pete Sampras in the 2000 U.S. Open final, the World No. 1 served too well and hit too many winners off the ground to ever allow Safin a glimpse of never-never land. The score was 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-4 and it made for 65 straight wins on grass for Federer and 40 at Wimbledon. If Tommy Haas had not defaulted before their match here last year it would be 41.

Safin is in awe. It was his first Wimbledon semifinal and it was clear he loved the experience despite being totally frustrated by Federer. Asked to describe what it's like to play Roger, Safin was at it his laconic best.

"Everybody's just slicing to the backhand and he makes the passing down the line which is the simple one," Safin said. "But ... he is pushing you on the forehand. ...You can't really do anything special with it. You can build up the point but every time you touch his forehand, he start to push you around. ... And every time you have it, you miss it. So it's too simple. It's really simple but you can't do anything about it. It is annoying, annoying. And every time you have a break point and he's really under pressure, he serve the first serve, that's for sure. So it's disappointing."

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There was a little shrug and a small, resigned smile after that dissertation. But it gave an idea of how impossible it is to play Federer. Not that this means Safin won't be back for more. Having said earlier that he wants to play tennis more than anything else, even though, financially, he doesn't have to, Safin went on: "I never lost my love for the game, otherwise I would have stopped long ago because for sure I'm not doing it for the money. ... We just love the game. We love to go on court. We love to play great matches. We love to suffer and we love to win."

While Safin's comments offered a hearfelt reprieve from the on-court action, it did little to deter from the bottom line of this fortnight: We have two of the greatest players of all time facing each other on the world's greatest tennis stage and no one has a clue who is going to win.

Many people think this will be the Spaniard's moment. But the doubts surrounding Federer have faded, as his game has slipped back into such smooth precision that once (in the very recent past) defined it. Certainly none of the experts lined up by the BBC — John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Tim Henman — were prepared to go out on a limb. Becker, who had gone with Federer before the start of the championships, said, bravely, "You know me, I am not one to bend with the wind. I am staying with Roger."

Schuettler, too, was unsure.

"I don't know, they are both playing extremely well," he said. "For me, it's amazing how easy Roger makes it look. I practiced with him here. He just seems that he's not even trying. And Rafa is just the opposite. He's like so pumped and he's always there. I hope it will be a great final. I would like Roger to make it six in a row. We are friends, so it would be really nice. Rafa also, the way he played, would deserve it. For me, whoever wins will be a great champion."