Mental strength: Federer (Last year 9.5, now 8) Nadal (Last year 8.5, now 9.5)
Nadal has got inside Federer’s head. Federer desperately wants to beat Bjorn Borg’s streak of five straight wins and that could affect his thinking. Much will depend on the opening set. It might all boil down to the question of whether 65 straight wins on grass are sufficient to dispel the recent memory of being thumped 6-1 6-3 6-0 in the French Open final.

Ground strokes: Federer (Last year 9.5, now 9) Nadal (Last year 8, now 9)
Federer’s forehand is up there with the best, although he is making more errors than last year. On the basis of what we have seen this year, he is third in the ground-stroke category behind Nadal and Novak Djokovic because his backhand has become predictable. Nadal’s extreme grip suggests he should struggle to hit winners with balls close to the ground but he has improved enormously and being naturally right-handed he has so much control of his double-fisted backhand

Serve: Federer (Last year 9.5, now 10) Nadal (Last year 7, now 8.5)
Federer’s serve has looked better and better throughout the tournament. Against Mario Ancic in the quarter-final he won 88% of points on his first serve, and 77% against Marat Safin in the semi-final. His serve has been broken just twice and in four of his six matches he has not served a double fault. Nadal is not a power server, but the direction and spin he imparts make life difficult, especially when he aims the ball into the body or slides it out wide

Net game: Federer (Last year 9.5, now 8.5) Nadal (Last year 7, now 8)
I often wonder why Federer does not use his net game more because his volleying ability has few equals. Under the early guidance of my fellow Aussie, Peter Carter, he employed an attacking game, but those net approaches are few and far between these days. A year ago, Nadal lacked the confidence to come to the net but things have improved. It is not his natural game and the backhand wing needs fine-tuning, but the work ethic that is so important can be seen in the way he is happier to attack. The only way Federer can dictate is to attack.

Touch: Federer (Last year 9.5, now 8.5) Nadal (Last year 7, now 8)
Initially, Nadal’s win over Andy Murray in the quarter-final almost turned into a lesson of when to play the drop shot. His touch at exposing his opponent’s court position merited full marks as Britain’s hope was repeatedly marooned. Seeing the way Rafa hits the ball, starting off with the racket facing the surface of the court and then rotating the wrist to an excruciating angle, leaves me wondering what injury he risks. Yet he imparts such spin that so many opponents repeatedly hit the ball yards long. Federer has the softest hands the game has seen but more errors are creeping into his game.

Movement: Federer (Last year 10, now 9.5) Nadal (Last year 10, now 10)
These two are up there with the finest movers I have ever seen, such as Stefan Edberg and Pat Rafter. Federer seems to glide and it is not surprising that his movement is often compared to that of a ballet dancer. Nadal is big and strong but deceptively quick. Both men cover the court very well and have the explosive power of top sprinters. I have dropped Federer’s mark because I think the illness he suffered at the beginning of the year may have made him a split-second slower.

Tactics: Federer (Last year 9.5, now 8) Nadal (Last year 8.5, now 8.5)
Federer has more options than Nadal but doesn’t seem to use them. Anybody who gets into extended baseline rallies with the Spaniard is harming his own chances, but that has repeatedly been the pattern. Nadal is getting cleverer by the match. Against Federer in the French Open he aimed every first serve at the backhand, and look at the result. If there are rain delays, it will favour Federer because he is more used to the stop/start pattern, whereas Nadal needs to find a rhythm.

Prediction: Nadal to win a marathon final