Tennis: IT'S THE final everybody wanted but for a time yesterday it did not look like the final everyone was going to get. Roger Federer messed with heads. He tugged on nerves and rattled cages.

The world number one delayed his passage to the final, which will be against a peerless Rafael Nadal, for over three fraught hours until finally extinguishing the fire of the spirited Frenchman, Gael Monfils.

Nadal's Roland Garros semi-final win over Novak Djokovic and Federer's over Monfils were certainly contrasting and the begging question now is how Federer is going to claim the only Grand Slam he has not won against a player in such a bullish mood.

Where Nadal was powerful, controlled, penetrating and dominant against Djokovic in his 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 win, Federer was erratic and occasionally fragile as well as brilliant in his 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 win over Monfils and as the wind picked up and the home crowd perked, there were moments where the Swiss claim on Pete Sampras's record 14 Grand Slams seemed beyond reach.

But Federer, above all, was gunning for the Spaniard. "I feel better every year. It's no joke, I feel fitter," said Federer. "I believe very strongly this is my year."

The first 6-2 set against Monfils was vintage Swiss but Federer soon showed that his fans should not relax. From three unforced errors in the first set, he leapt to 14 in the second and lost it 7-5. He tidied up and reduced the errors to three in the third set and then crept up to 10 in the fourth, which he won on the third match point.

While Federer controlled the match and kept Monfils scrambling and often ending up on his back on the clay, he struggled to finish off the 21-year-old from Guadaloupe. The number one put his struggle down to the ability of his opponent.

"He plays from way back, he has a fantastic serve and an athletic ability so yes, it was as expected," said Federer.

After his semi-final defeat yesterday, Djokovic was asked if he could imagine what it was like to come into a Grand Slam and play on a court where he had never lost a match.

Astonished at the question, the 21-year-old Serb looked up and shook his head.

"That's a question for him," he replied.

The "him" was Nadal and the players now casually refer to the slow clay on Philippe Chatrier centre court as "Rafa's Court".

Yesterday in windy Paris Nadal again hammered home why that was so. Since arriving here as a senior player in 2005 the Spaniard has never lost. This year he has not dropped a set on his way to tomorrow's final.

It was a match that Djokovic had believed he could force his way. That notion came from beating the Spaniard in Hamburg earlier this year.

But two sets into the match it was clear who was in control and by the time it had hurtled out of Djokovic's control and into the third set, when the Serb decided that greater risk reward was the only way to hurt his opponent, it was too late.

His first serve percentage of 54 per cent was also critically low.

Nadal won the first set 6-4, the second 6-2 before Djokovic, finding himself two sets and two service breaks down, began to play the more aggressive game.

"The first two sets, especially the second was pretty bad for me," he said.

"I wasn't finding rhythm and making a lot of unforced errors. In the split of a second I was two sets down and a double break down. I wasn't moving the way I did in our last match at Hamburg. He showed again that in the most important points he's very strong mentally."

So Nadal and Federer again grace the court on the last day, their third time in succession. It is Nadal's fourth year in the final, having beaten Manuel Puerto in his first visit and it is Federer's fourth time trying to beat Nadal in the French Open.

"You can't draw too much out of the matches so far," said Federer.

"For a start Rafa is a lefty. But I have the right tactics, I have the game, I have the fitness to beat him. It looks good for Sunday, for me anyway."

Nadal will view things differently, no doubt.

MEN'S SINGLES: Semi-finals: (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt (3) Novak Djokovic (Ser) 6-4 6-2 7-6 (7-3), (1) Roger Federer (Swi) bt Gael Monfils (Fra) 6-2 5-7 6-3 7-5.

MIXED DOUBLES: Final: (3) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) and Bob Bryan (USA) bt (1) Katarina Srebotnik (Slo) and Nenad Zimonjic (Ser) 6-2 7-6 (7-4).