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Federer vs. Nadal: How the sports world reacted to another Wimbledon thriller

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Federer needs five match points but defeats Nadal (1:38)

Rafael Nadal keeps it close in the fourth set, fending off multiple match points, but in the end it's Roger Federer who takes the set and advances to the Wimbledon final. (1:38)

LONDON -- Roger Federer defeated old rival Rafael Nadal to reach his 12th Wimbledon final with a sublime display of tennis on Centre Court.

In their first meeting on the All England Club grass since an epic 2008 final, eight-time champion Federer toppled Nadal 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Friday to set up a clash with Novak Djokovic for the 2019 championship.

Here's how the sporting world reacted to the iconic duo's 40th career meeting:

And, as always, a classy response from Nadal: