Updated: July 5, 2008, 5:56 PM ET

Will ruler of clay turn master of grass?

Who will win the Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?

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WIMBLEDON, England -- Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the last two standing at the All England Club for the third consecutive year. It's their sixth meeting in a Grand Slam final -- the most between any two players in the Open era.

The Swiss has upended Nadal here the past two years, including a memorable five-setter in 2007. Federer has won 65 straight matches on grass and five consecutive Wimbledon titles.

However, Nadal has made discernable changes to his game, specifically honing his grass-court attack. Considering the thrashing he delivered to Federer in the French Open final and his overall 23-match winning streak, Nadal's confidence level is burgeoning.

So who wins? Greg Garber and Bonnie D. Ford go head-to-head.

Who will win the Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
ROGER FEDERER

Roger Federer
Federer
Perhaps the most telling moment in Roger Federer's news conference after he blew through the latest tollbooth was his temporary amnesia about the previous mile marker.

"Who was I playing last match?" Federer asked, sincerely blanking for a second about the opponent he defeated before handling Marat Safin in Friday's semifinal.

Uh, Rog, it was that tall, skinny dude, Mario Ancic -- the last guy to beat you on grass, by the way, 65 matches and six years ago.

This was not arrogance on Federer's part. It was focus. Grass has cured any lingering effects of the illness that got his year off to a rocky (for him) start, and he's ticking off obstacles with the single-mindedness of someone making up for lost time. Ancic was old news, and so was Safin about five minutes after they shook hands.

A lot has been made of the pressure on Federer, with talk surfacing for the first time about an end to his dynasty. Yet it might be easy to underestimate how comfortable Federer feels on this proving ground. He doesn't take anyone lightly -- Ancic's shocking upset in 2002 taught him that. But in a way, almost everyone across the net at Wimbledon is alike to Federer -- i.e., nowhere near him. An obvious observation that bears repeating is that Federer's self-confidence on grass is a mirror image of Rafael Nadal's on clay.

Of course, Nadal is different. Federer said so unequivocally. If he were to dwell too much on the other guy, on Nadal's improvement and the wonderful way he played in last year's final, he might flounder. If Federer were to dwell too much on his own legacy, he might tighten up. On the other hand, if he continues to serve well (as we think he will), and continues to comport himself as if he's the benign but powerful Chairman of the Board or Prime Minister or Chief Landscaper or whatever they call the head of the All England Club, then nothing will have changed from the past few years -- it's still his tournament to lose, and he won't.

-- Bonnie D. Ford

RAFAEL NADAL

Rafael Nadal
Nadal
Rafael Nadal has been 22 years old for a little more than a month now.

If you look at the ages of Grand Slam champions, they would suggest that he is just entering his prime as a major player. Twenty-four, for a man, is the midpoint. Roger Federer, a relatively late bloomer, turns 27 next month. Do the math.

Nadal has accelerated through the learning curve on grass so swiftly that even Bjorn Borg, the great Swedish champion, is amazed.

"I don't know when he had time to practice," Borg joked Saturday.

On Sunday, at about 5 in the afternoon at the All England Club, Federer won't be laughing. Nadal, the master of clay, will show a new side of his game. He will proclaim himself the new grass master and take down Federer. The chemistry at the top of men's tennis will be altered.

Sure, Nadal was flat in his semifinal victory over Germany's Rainer Schuettler. His knees are bothering him and he could be forgiven for looking past the journeyman, ahead to his sixth major showdown with Federer in a championship final. Still, the match took only two hours and one minute, so he'll have plenty of time to recover.

The last time they met on this stage was only a month ago in Paris. Nadal, you may remember, flogged Federer, allowing him only four games. Four games -- imagine that!

Wimbledon is different, Federer's backers insist. His old confidence is back on the grass and he's focused on winning his sixth straight title here.

It almost happened for Rafa last year. He took Federer to five sets and was only a few shots from breaking through. Now, he's already won a grass tournament in this town and six straight matches at the All England Club.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

Nadal, in four.

-- Greg Garber

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