Wimbledon, England — They’re going to meet again. For the third straight year, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are marching toward the Wimbledon final, where they will play the most important match of their careers. Marat Safin isn’t going to get in the way — as well as he has played these past two weeks, he’ll be lucky to win a set against Federer in the semifinals. Arnaud Clement or Rainer Schuettler? Pity the poor man who wins that match and with it the privilege of being shredded by Nadal on Friday. It won’t be a pretty sight.

The final, however, could be glorious. The five-time Wimbledon champion, Federer, against the two-time runner-up, Nadal, the mystical Majorcan who can’t miss a shot. Federer could become the first man to win Wimbledon six times in a row. Nadal could become the first to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back since Bjorn Borg in 1980. One of them will make history. One of them will shatter the other’s chance to do the same.

In London this week, the newspapers have described Federer as a marked man. One columnist said he was a “champion waiting to be beaten.” It has been said that he is struggling, despite the fact that he hasn’t lost a set this tournament. Last month’s French Open final, in which Nadal trounced Federer in straight sets, seems to have colored all that is said about Federer at this tournament. It’s as if he’s a fragile, worried player, not quite the man he used to be.

Baloney! So far this tournament, Federer has looked as good as he ever has at Wimbledon. He’s serving exceptionally well, and you’ll recall that his serve saved him from defeat against Nadal in last year’s final. In yesterday’s quarterfinal against Mario Ancic, he smacked 15 aces and didn’t face a break point. He made only six unforced errors, none in the third set. Ancic, the last man to beat Federer at Wimbledon (in 2002), has the perfect game for grass: a strong serve, solid volleys, flat and powerful ground strokes, and great determination (he won his previous match 13-11 in the fifth set). He didn’t stand a chance, and if not for a rain delay that let him collect his thoughts, he might have be unable to recover from a 6-1 first set to at least keep the score respectable (6-1, 7-5, 6-4).

“I never saw him serving better,” Ancic said. “Every time against me, I think this is the best he ever served.”

Nadal, like Federer, let his intentions be known from the first game against Scotland’s Andy Murray, who has been worshipped by the British press since his come-from-behind victory against Richard Gasquet on Monday. Murray, one of the sport’s best at returning serve, won the coin toss and let Nadal serve first. Nadal was more than up to the challenge. He won the first game at love and baffled Murray with two winning drop shots. Nadal broke serve in the eighth game of the match, and from there he assaulted his opponent with a barrage of winners that made Murray’s fans wince. Nadal won 13 consecutive points early in the second set and another 11 in a row a few moments later. He served beautifully (he lost two points on serve in the second set and just 10 in the match) and rarely missed. He drilled passing shots. He hit a wonderful lob. He gave away nothing. Most of all, he hit his forehand as only he can: hard, deep, and with so much spin that the ball seems to accelerate after it hits the ground. (It doesn’t, of course, but the fact that it continues to move with such force is why players describe Nadal’s forehand as the “heaviest” shot in the game.)

“He’s hitting the ball so close to the line, so hard, that it was difficult for me to get into a rhythm,” Murray said. “I felt rushed on every point. It’s amazing how fast he moves his arm and how much control he has over it.”

With Federer and Nadal playing this way as the final approaches, it is impossible — and unfair — to call either man the favorite. Just know that if Nadal wins, it won’t be because Federer has lost a step. If anything, Federer is better-prepared for the final this year than he was last year. After a strenuous clay court season and French Open final in 2007, Federer skipped his customary grass court warm-up tournament in Halle, Germany, to rest. The first week of Wimbledon was largely rained out, and one of his opponents defaulted. When he arrived at the final, he had played too little tennis. This year, he has had more time off in the early season (owing to a few losses following his bout with mononucleosis) and he won the Halle tournament late last month. He has now won 64 consecutive matches on grass.

“I really feel like I’m playing as good as the last few years,” Federer said.

Nadal is better prepared, too. Last Wimbledon, the rain so disrupted the tournament that Nadal had to play seven consecutive days. Two of his matches lasted five sets, yet he still had enough energy to push Federer to the brink in the final. Asked if he was ready to do one better this year, Nadal, never one to speak as confidently as he plays on the court, said, “I hope.” In four days, we’ll find out.

Mr. Perrotta is a senior editor at Tennis magazine. He can be reached at tperrotta@tennismagazine.com