Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL campaign next year will have a new think-tank after the management announced changes to the franchise's coaching set-up. The two-time IPL champions parted ways with head coach Jacques Kallis and assistant coach Simon Katich on Sunday, the former ending a nine-year relationship - as player and then coach - with the franchise.

Kallis was appointed Knight Riders' head coach in October 2015, taking over from Trevor Bayliss, the current England coach. Since his appointment, Knight Riders made three consecutive playoff appearances but failed to make the cut in 2019. Under Kallis and Katich, Knight Riders won 32 of their 61 games - a win-percentage of just over 50. In IPL 2019, the side finished fifth, losing out on playoff qualification based on net run-rate, after a six-match losing streak midway through the season.

Katich was appointed around the same time as Kallis, and the former Australia batsman also coached the team's Caribbean Premier League franchise, Trinbago Knight Riders, helping them win back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. The tenure with Trinbago also comes to an end for Katich, who will now coach the Manchester Originals team in the inaugural season of The Hundred.

Kallis, however, could remain a part of the Knight Riders brand, according to team CEO Venky Mysore.

"Jacques Kallis has been an integral part of the KKR family and will always remain so," Mysore said, while announcing the changes. "We will be exploring ways of working with Jacques as we pursue our vision of establishing the Knight Riders brand as a global brand."

Kallis, too, released a statement following the decision.

"After nine fantastic years with KKR since 2011, as a player, mentor and Head Coach, it's time to explore new opportunities," he said. "I would to like to thank the owners, management and fellow players for many happy memories."

Knight Riders are yet to announce replacements for the two coaches.

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ELKO, Minn. – Chandler Smith recovered from a mid-race spin to win the ARCA Menards Series Menards 250 at Elko Speedway on Saturday night.

Smith, who started seventh, was dominant throughout the race, able to drive way to a full straightaway lead on several occasions on his way to his third series victory of the season.

Although he had the dominant car, Smith did have to work for it. He slid in oil laid down in turn one by another competitor and spun on lap 146 and dropped to the tail of the lead lap.

By virtue of a fast car and numerous mid-race cautions that continued to jumble the running order, Smith was able to knife his way back to the lead by lap 209. From there, he was able to drive away to nearly a full straightaway lead crossing the stripe 4.147 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Ty Gibbs.

“I was so mad when I spun down there in one,” Smith said post-race. “I was the only one riding the top groove at that point and there was oil all over the place. It just went around so slow, like it was in slow motion. I though we might have had a tire go down or maybe even got hit. I was just mad. You definitely didn’t want to hear our radio traffic after that happened.”

For his part, Gibbs thought he could have challenged Smith for the win but lost track position on the final restart and couldn’t ever close the gap.

“Everyone jumbled up on the final restart,” Gibbs said. “We lost a ton of track position and just couldn’t make it up.”

Sam Mayer finished third.

“It was a crazy night out there but we don’t have any scratches on the car,” Mayer said. “We’ll take it. We have some K&N Pro Series races coming up over the next month so we won’t be back until Salem and Indy in the fall, but we think we’ll be able to come back and get us a win in one of those two races.”

Michael Self finished fourth by inches over Corey Heim. Self was racing for position with General Tire Pole Award winner Christian Eckes on the final lap when the two made contact, sending Eckes for a smoky spin off turn four coming to the checkered. Eckes would finish eleventh, the final driver on the lead lap.

“Right now I can’t think of anything else from this race but the last lap,” Self said afterwards. “I absolutely hate that we got into Christian on the last lap. He’s not only my teammate but he’s one of my best friends. It puts a real damper on the night.”

The race was action-packed, with a slew of cautions for incidents throughout the middle stages of the race. One of those cautions involved championship contenders Bret Holmes and Travis Braden. The two made contact on the frontstretch on lap 198, with Holmes catching a piece of the wall and Braden receiving body damage to the rear end of his car. Four laps later the two came together again with Braden spinning. Holmes finished ninth while Braden finished 12th.

The finish:

Chandler Smith, Ty Gibbs, Sam Mayer, Michael Self, Corey Heim, Carson Hocevar, Joe Graf Jr., Hailie Deegan, Bret Holmes, Howie DiSavino III, Christian Eckes, Travis Braden, Eric Caudell, Dale Shearer, Tommy Vigh Jr., Tim Richmond, Mike Basham, Dick Doheny, Brad Smith, Alex Clubb.

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – Danny Dietrich continued his strong season with a victory in Saturday’s Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions feature at Orange County Fair Speedway.

The victory earned the Gettysburg, Pa., driver $10,000.

Dietrich, who nearly swept the evening program at Orange County Fair Speedway by winning his respective heat race, the evening’s dash, and finally the 25-lap main event, now owns four All Star Circuit of Champions victories in the state of New York over the course of his career, adding Orange County Fair Speedway to a list that already includes Weedsport Speedway, Lebanon Valley Speedway, and Fonda Speedway.

Despite crossing under the final checkers by a margin of victory exceeding four seconds, Dietrich did not take command for good until lap 19, taking advantage of Gerard McIntyre’s misfortune after the All Star Rookie of the Year contender made contact with the outside retaining wall while leading.

McIntyre led the majority of the 25-lapper, actually controlling 17 circuits, including the first, while attempting to keep Dietrich in his rearview mirror. Dietrich did slip by McIntyre to lead lap 12, but the New Oxford, Pa.-native battled back instantly to regain control the following circuit.

“That was a lot of fun. Hats off to my team for their hard work so far this weekend. We have one more night to go, so hopefully we can cap this weekend with another win,” Dietrich explained. “We were pretty good all night. We got close to Gerard [McIntyre] a few times before he made contact with the wall. I think we were just as good as him. Regardless, it was a great effort by everyone involved. I certainly wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t them.”

Although Dietrich was in pursuit of McIntrye from the drop of the green, the battle between the lead duo started to intensify on lap 11. McIntrye was in control ripping the top, but Dietrich was utilizing the shorter way around the speedway, closing-in on McIntyre inch by inch as the laps clicked off the counter.

By lap 12, Dietrich was in position to make a bid for the top spot, eventually sliding through turns three and four to sneak by McIntyre as the pair raced back to the flagstand. McIntyre retaliated in a hurry, quickly returning to the topside to drive back around Dietrich to lead lap 13.

With heavy traffic coming into play by lap 15, things really started to heat up between McIntyre and Dietrich, actually translating into a near-nose to tail battle during the next three circuits. Lap 19 is when trouble struck for McIntyre, slipping up the track just enough in turn two to make contact with Orange County’s unforgiving retaining wall.

After inheriting the top spot, Dietrich drove away to a four second advantage and the $10,000 prize.

Dale Blaney ended up second, followed by Tony Stewart, Aaron Reutzel and Justin Barger.

The finish:

1. 48-Danny Dietrich [1]; 2. 11-Dale Blaney [3]; 3. 14-Tony Stewart [6]; 4. 87-Aaron Reutzel [4]; 5. 5-Justin Barger [5]; 6. W20-Greg Wilson [13]; 7. 13-Paul McMahan [8]; 8. 70-Brock Zearfoss [9]; 9. K4-Chad Kemenah [7]; 10. 70X-Justin Peck [14]; 11. 40-George Hobaugh [10]; 12. O7-Gerard McIntyre [2]; 13. 10-Joe Kata [16]; 14. 26-Cory Eliason [19]; 15. 99-Skylar Gee [11]; 16. J4-John Garvin [17]; 17. IO7-Mark Coldren [12]; 18. 90-Jordan Givler [15]; 19. 55-Darren Schott [18]; 20. 87jb-Jim Bob [20]

DODGE CITY, Kan.– Current series points leader Kip Hughes overcame some early adversity to race to Dodge City Raceway Park victory lane as the Sooner Late Model Series made its first appearance atop the three-eighths-mile clay oval on Saturday.

Hughes battled past early leader Adam Schrag on the 11th round and led the remained of the 25-lapper for his fourth series win of the year.

While Hughes topped the late model forces, Clay Sellard added his second consecutive IMCA Modiifed win, Alex Wiens scored his first career DCRP win in IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mike Petersilie bested the IMCA Stock Cars and Reagan notched his third IMCA Hobby Stock win of the year.

In Sooner Late Model action, the night started off with Kip Hughes suffering engine problems in hot laps and missing out on heat race action.

“We hurt a brand new motor in hot laps, fortunately we had some spares with us and were able to get it changed out pretty quick,” Hughes explained.

Adam Schrag jumped into the early lead, but soon had Hughes pressuring him for the point.  Hughes finally slipped under to take command on the 11th round and held point until the race’s only caution flew with ten laps to go when Schrag came to a stop on the track.

Back under way, Hughes paced the final ten rounds ahead of Adam Popp with Steven Hawkins outlasting Scott Phillips over the closing circuits for the show position and Mark Brill rounding out the top five.

In the 20-lap IMCA Modified feature, Bucklin’s Clay Sellard broke into the lead on the second lap and le the rest of the way to make it two in a row.

It wasn’t without challenge though, as reigning track champion Nick Link closed in and pulled alongside on the bottom on the 13th lap.  Sellard was able to fend off the challenge and took Link’s line away to secure the win.

Link settled for second with current points leader William Nusser in third while Trent Gray nipped Ryan Heger at the line for fourth.

The 15-lap IMCA Sport Modified turned into a showdown between the Wiens brothers Alex and Kyle, both from Newton.

A. Wiens gunned into the initial lead from the pole position but soon had K. Wiens pressuring for the point. After some side-by-side battling along the way, A. Wiens prevailed for his first DCRP score with K. Wiens in second.  Bart Baker crossed the stripe third with Mike Lunow and Brian May also in the top five.

A past IMCA Modified winner at DCRP, Hoisington’s Mike Petersilie outdueled Troy Burkhart to get his first 20-lap IMCA Stock Car win atop the 3/8-mile clay oval.

After Robbie Perkins and Donald Kaup traded tuns leading the initial handful of circuits, Burkhart battled into the lead with Petersilie moving in to challenge for the point.

The duo battled wheel-to-wheel for several round before Petersilie battled into the front on the 11th round.  Petersilie kept Burkhart at bay the rest of the way to secure the win with Burkhart, Chris Oliver, Michael Pepper and Donald Kaup rounding out the top five.

Bucklin’s Reagan Sellard raced around Matt O’Hair on the 11th of 15 laps to pick off his third IMCA Hobby Stock feature win in the last four events.

O’Hair had wrestled the lead away from Dion Priddy on the fourth lap and then held off Sellard until the final handful of rounds.  The two-time and defending track champion raced on to victory lane ahead of O’Hair with Priddy, Cody Ghumm and Brett Copeland rounding out the top five.

While current points leader R. Sellard padded his Hobby Stock points lead and William Nusser maintained his Modified points lead, a pair of points leaders ran into feature issues with both Angel Munoz (Stock Cars) and Jeff Kaup (Sport Modifieds) both exiting a lap into their respective features after being collected in incidents.

WHEATLAND, Mo. – Jimmy Owens continued his mastery of Lucas Oil Speedway by capturing the first night of the CMH Diamond Nationals – Presented by Super Clean on Saturday night.

In a race that saw three different leaders, Owens fought off several challenges from Earl Pearson Jr. to secure his second straight Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and his fourth-career Diamond Nationals. Saturday night’s $15,000-to-win event marked Owens’ 63rd series win.

Scott Bloomquist, the defending CMH Diamond Nationals winner, started from the pole and led the first 10 laps until Owens charged to the lead after starting fifth. Pearson moved by Bloomquist on lap 20 using the top groove and within just a few laps caught the front-running Owens.

Owens and Pearson then dueled side-by-side for several laps as the two went back-and-forth for the top spot. Owens eventually pulled away from Pearson in heavy lapped traffic and he went on the record his ninth career win at Lucas Oil Speedway.

For the second night in a row, Pearson ran second to Owens. Mike Marlar edged out Bloomquist in the waning laps to secure the third spot. Bloomquist was fourth, with current series point leader Jonathan Davenport coming home in fifth after starting in 13th.

“We are rolling right now,” Owens said. “This is a big win for us. My car owner Leon Ramirez is here. My crew has worked their tails off in the last week. I didn’t want to see any cautions. We are still struggling on restarts. It’ll be awesome to get to back here tomorrow night and race. The crew is pumped up. It’s a great feeling to get back to victory lane at Lucas Oil Speedway.”

“We couldn’t get off the corner,” commented Pearson. “Everybody knows that Jimmy is so good here. He has won countless times here before. We tried to run with him for 12 to 15 laps. He could move around a lot better than us. We finished second to Jimmy last night and again here tonight. We’ll come back tomorrow night and give it another shot.”

Marlar continued his streak of solid finishes with the series by coming home in third.

“We changed some stuff on the car before the feature. It was a fun track to race on tonight. We went with something out of the ordinary and it worked. Congrats to Jimmy on the win, he deserves this win. It was good to race against Scott [Bloomquist] again, and it’s good to see him back. He and I battled the whole race.”

The finish:

Jimmy Owens, Earl Pearson Jr., Mike Marlar, Scott Bloomquist, Jonathan Davenport, Shanon Buckingham, Billy Moyer, Jesse Stovall, Rick Eckert, Hudson O’Neal, Tony Jackson Jr., Tim McCreadie, Kyle Bronson, Shannon Babb, Josh Richards, Tyler Erb, Billy Moyer Jr., Devin Moran, Stormy Scott, Mason Oberkramer, Gavin Landers, Mitch McGrath, Jake Neal, Logan Martin, Payton Looney, Terry Phillips, Will Vaught, Michael Norris.

OXFORD, Maine – Calvin Rose Jr. raced to his first super late model win of the season Saturday night in Budweiser Championship Series stock car racing action at Oxford Plains Speedway.

Rose, a former champion in the second-tier Street Stock class, took the lead away from four-time track champion Timmy Brackett about a quarter of the way through the 50-lap, caution-free race, then stayed in front of fast-closing Curtis Gerry.

It was the secondSuper Late Model win for Rose.  Gerry, who lined up 19th, again impressed, earning runner-up honors without the benefit of a restart.  Brackett, who has been luckless all season long, ended up with the third-place trophy after the checkered flag waved.

Dan Winter was fourth across the finish line, followed by Cole Butcher.  Scott Robbins, Jeff White, Ryan Deane, Scott McDaniel and Reid Lanpher filled out the top-10.

Billy Childs Jr. didn’t lead every lap of the Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock main event, but no one ever got all of the way by the 2018 champion in the 30-lap race and he scored his first triumph of this season.

Matt Dufault, the division’s defending champion and current points leader, put on a show in the outside groove, challenging Childs before earning runner-up spoils.  David Whittier, who led a couple of laps while battling Childs from the outside groove, was the third-place finisher.  Rick Spaulding, the previous week’s winner, charged from the back of the pack to finish fourth. Skip Stanley rounded out the top five.

Defending Bandit division champion Dustin Salley continued to dominate in Budweiser Championship Series four-cylinder competition, winning his fifth race this season in his third different winning ride. Rookie Alex Mowatt was the best of the rest, followed by Chad Wills, Tyler Green and Travis Verrill.

Brady Childs raced to his fifth victory of the year in Rookie class competition to remain atop the championship standings.  Owen Stuart was forced to settle for runner-up honors, snapping a two-race winning streak. Maddie Herrick earned third-place hardware, ahead of Derek Cook and Jeremy Turner.

LONDON -- In the end, the Centre Court crowd cheered. But it came after Novak Djokovic had fallen, howled, cupped his hand to his ear and shown all manner of frustration, both with himself and the world on the way to his sixth Wimbledon final.

Djokovic had inhabited every character in his persona as he got through the men's semifinal challenge of Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Friday. He got wound up by the crowd, he slid around on the baseline as if he were on clay, he dispatched those beautiful sweeping forehands, he fell in dramatic style, nudged those deft drop shots so they kissed the top of the net and clocked up the sets. It was your typical Djokovic knockout match. Appreciate it while you can.

Perhaps the most evident underlying emotion among the spectators watching this match was anticipation for what was to come. There was a restlessness. From the outside, it appeared like they were relaxed watching the first semifinal, perhaps even underappreciating Djokovic and Bautista Agut, regarding them as entrée to the main course of the other semifinal, between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

For all his grace on the court, his effortless style and his No. 1 ranking, Djokovic still seems to thrive most when he manages to cast himself as an outlier on Centre Court, a place he has already won four titles. The crowd roared when opponent Bautista Agut got on the front foot and took the second set. Perhaps it was that classic British mentality of favoring the underdog -- even Djokovic suggested as much in his postmatch news conference -- or maybe it's that they have never really taken Djokovic to their hearts in the same way they have Roger and Rafa. As Djokovic walked to his chair after having lost that second set, he motioned toward the crowd to increase the volume in favor of Bautista Agut. He was welcoming the challenge while still recognizing that this is his court, one that he marks winning the tournament on by eating the grass. "I had enough support here over the years, so I don't complain," Djokovic said afterward.

Before the match started, many expected this to be a straightforward task for Djokovic; a case of get the job done, get the rackets strung up and watch Nadal-Federer. But while the first set was a walk-through for Djokovic -- almost rope-a-dope at times as he tempted Bautista Agut to hit winners and then watched them fly over the baseline -- the second set saw the Spaniard stamp his authority on Centre Court.

This was Bautista Agut's first Grand Slam semifinal, and his pre-Wimbledon expectations were so low he had booked his stag do for this week in Ibiza. But on this warm July afternoon, instead of moving to the relentless sounds and lights of Pacha or Amnesia, he was in his own dance with Djokovic on Centre Court. He threw everything at Djokovic, but it took him a set to work out how best to cope with the unrelenting nature of his game. "We finally have a match now," was the verdict of one Wimbledon veteran behind the press box when Bautista Agut broke Djokovic for the first, and only, time. It was the catalyst Djokovic needed, triggering urgency and a longer, lower-pitch growl behind every shot. It was Djokovic's Hulk mode. Eric Bana, watching on from the Royal Box, would have appreciated the transition, having played the character in 2003.

"It's nothing unusual," Djokovic said afterward. "You go through these kinds of emotional moments, especially in big matches like this, all the time. I mean, at least on my side. Sometimes I show my emotions, sometimes I don't. It's nothing really in particular."

From losing that second set, Djokovic was more settled but still gesticulated to his box, and at one point let out a remarkable wolflike howl into the sky after sending a forehand long -- it was like the sound you make when you've just shut the house door and realized the keys are still inside. That came when Djokovic already had the third set in the bag and had just missed out on breaking Bautista Agut at the start of the fourth. It proved to be a short-term frustration, as he eventually broke the Spaniard twice and came through 6-2.

After the fist-pumping celebration to acknowledge a job done, he stood in the middle of Centre Court and welcomed applause from all four sides. He turned his hands to the air. It was his court again. But he will remember how the crowd rallied behind the underdog. He will remember his own frustration at how his game was derailed in the second set. And he will use that as motivation on Sunday when he goes up against an old foe in Federer. But don't expect him to treat this like just "another Wimbledon final."

"Of course, I'm going to be excited and nervous and everything that you can think of," Djokovic said. "I'm going to do my best to control that in some way and be able to portray my best tennis in [a] balanced, hopefully, state throughout the match."

But with Djokovic, don't expect it to be an emotionless display. Expect him to be fighting against the world, chasing that moment of calm at the end where he soaks in the deserved recognition.

LONDON -- Eleven years ago, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal set a new, impossibly high bar for Wimbledon matches, with Nadal winning that 2008 final in near darkness after five enervating sets before an amazed Centre Court crowd.

Federer and Nadal did not quite clear that tall bar in their four-set Wimbledon semifinal on Friday, but Federer, the winner by 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, won't mind one bit. For 11 long years, he has had to live with the fact that while he is considered by most to be the GOAT, he was the loser in what many believe is the greatest match of all time. As far as redemption narratives go, this was close enough. Where does it rank on Federer's own highlight reel?

"Obviously, extremely high," Federer said afterward. "It's always very, very cool to play against Rafa here, especially [as we] haven't played in so long. It lived up to the hype. ... It's definitely, definitely going to go down as one of my favorite matches to look back at, again, because it's Rafa, it's at Wimbledon, the crowds were into it, great weather."

Eleven years is a long time, and much has changed for and about both men.

Nadal, 33, has long retired those "Gilligan's Island" clam diggers and sleeveless shirts. His dark hair is now visibly thinning on top, instead of framing his face in perspiration-soaked coils.

For his part, the 37-year-old Federer has stored that foppish, retro cardigan he wore here in 2008, fathered four children and abandoned his once-indispensable 90-square-inch racket in favor of one with a significantly larger (97-square-inch) head, the kind of racket that his 2008 self might have pooh-poohed as a racket for the elderly.

That final detail is significant, because Federer has admitted that the larger racket, adopted after at least one failed trial run in 2013, had been instrumental in his recent six-match winning streak over his career rival, a streak finally halted at last month's French Open.

It wasn't so long ago that Nadal ran roughshod over Federer's one-handed backhand, knowing he could eventually break the shot down by peppering it with those high-bouncing, heavy forehand topspin drives. It's different now. As Federer said in March 2017 after a straight-sets victory over Nadal at Indian Wells, "This year, I feel super comfortable with the racket. And I think I have gained confidence stepping into [the backhand]."

Federer was almost 32 years old and already a 17-time Grand Slam champion when he decided to embrace the larger racket. He was mindful that his friend and onetime role model Pete Sampras, who retired at 31 in 2002, regretted never giving one of the new, larger rackets a chance to add a year or two to his career.

Federer's decision is one of many that help explain his longevity, as well as the level of tennis that he has sustained. His willingness to ignore his success and dare to reinvent himself goes hand in hand with his long view of his career.

"I wanted to play for a long time," Federer said earlier in this tournament. "I felt that I took that decision a long, long time ago, not just three years ago, that hopefully I can still be on tour. This was basically taken back in 2004 when I became world No. 1."

But Federer himself might be shocked at what he still is accomplishing at age 37 -- or he might be, if he ever took time out from bamboozling his rivals. Among them, Nadal is his sentimental favorite, as well as his career-measuring yardstick. Theirs is a rivalry that has been distilled down to its pure essence.

The men were asked Wednesday to talk about forehands and backhands, strengths and weaknesses. Both of them shrugged and took a pass: "I don't know. It doesn't matter anyway. Who cares?" Federer said. "It's about how has he played so far, how have I played so far. I hope it goes my way."

Still, 11 years is a long time, and the changes in the two men were evident in the match. The exuberance and explosive desire of youth has been replaced by patience, stoicism and an opportunistic and watchful focus.

Perhaps because he lost that historic match to Nadal, Federer seemed especially eager to shut out all distractions. He played Friday's entire match with his head down, communing only with himself, when the ball wasn't in play. He walked gingerly from side to side on the court. He waited patiently between points, his entire body slack, oblivious to Nadal taking his time, going through his elaborate rituals before allowing play to continue.

"It's always very, very cool to play against Rafa here, especially [as we] haven't played in so long. It lived up to the hype." Roger Federer

The greatest surprise in the match was Federer's continued ability to stay in the rallies when they were throwing haymakers at each other, the kind of warp-speed rallies that Nadal always has specialized in winning. Those rallies might not have occurred in the most crucial moment of the match, and there weren't a great number of them. But the way Federer stood in and exchanged blows with Nadal gave him confidence.

"Winning long rallies is always a nice feeling," Federer said. "They were also played on a very high level in terms of speed and power and spin and everything. Almost every shot we're trying to win the point. ... I think it is important that I can win those, as well. I wonder if it took something out of him."

And it appeared to discourage Nadal.

Nadal was unable to execute a reliable game plan. But for that second-set lapse by Federer, Nadal was unable to break down the backhand. Federer's quickness and fierce serve returning took care of the rest.

"[He plays] very inside the court. He's not giving you time to open the court," Nadal said. "When I was hitting the ball with the forehand, [and] especially with the backhand, I was not able to open the court as [on] the other days. You will not make him miss for speed of the ball. You need to make him miss because you put him out of position."

Federer probably will have to bring the same measure of determination and the same physical skill set to Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic. The defending champion looked strong in his own semifinal win over Roberto Bautista Agut, even if that match was, by comparison, a ho-hum affair.

Federer's win on Friday was of modest duration (3 hours, 2 minutes) -- as compared to the 4 hours, 48 minutes Federer and Nadal consumed in 2008 -- so theoretically he should have plenty left in the tank. But this was an extremely intense, draining and deeply satisfying experience for Federer. Can he do it all over on Sunday?

"I don't have much energy to go train very much right now," Federer said jokingly, when asked how he would prepare for the ultimate test. "I don't think there's much I need to do in terms of practice. This is like a school: The day of the test, you're not going to read I don't know how many books that day. You don't have the time anyhow. It's quite clear the work was done way before."

Federer likely will have to labor just as hard -- and play an equally leakproof game -- if he hopes to neutralize Djokovic in the final. The Serbian champ is trying to equal Bjorn Borg's five Wimbledon titles. But Djokovic also is hoping to move closer to the eight-time Wimbledon and 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer in the record books.

"We all know how good [Federer] is anywhere, but especially here," Djokovic said after his own victory. "This surface complements his game very much. He loves to play very fast."

Djokovic pointed out how Federer likes to "take time away" from his opponents and how he doesn't often give opponents the "same looks."

"He just rushes you to everything," Djokovic added. "So, for players like Nadal or myself that like to have a little more time, it's a constant pressure that you have to deal with. I've played with Roger in some epic finals here a couple years in a row, so I know what to expect."

There are no surprises among these three men. Their trivalry has been long and rich, with chapters still unwritten. All three men are in their 30s now (Djokovic is 32), so there's no telling how long this can all go on. Nadal knows the window is closing.

But then, what might he -- or Federer -- have said in 2008, if they were told after that epic final that they would have to wait 11 years to meet again under similar circumstances?

"Age kicks in," Federer said, looking ahead to the final. "I know it's not over yet. There's no point to start partying tonight or get too emotional, too happy about it, even though I am extremely happy. I think I can with experience really separate the two. If it was the end of the tournament, it would be very different right now. I'd be speaking very different, feeling very different. There is, unfortunately or fortunately, one more."

And a big one it is. Whether it will come close to being as big as the 2008 final for the man who was on the losing end of that one remains to be seen.