The French Open Semifinals

Tomorrow morning (this morning for the eastern time zoners) the men's French Open semifinals will be played. The three best players in the world and another great clay court player in David Ferrer will be participating. And included in this games will be some of the most mixed emotions I can recall having about a sporting event.

I don't know what I want to happen. That's not true. I know that I want Roger Federer to beat Rafael Nadal in the finals of the tournament. It just doesn't seem like that's a possibility. Federer is basically incapable of beating Nadal period, let alone on the clay at Roland Garros. So for the two of them to meet in the finals would almost certainly spell disaster for Fed. There are four options that remain in this French Open: Federer wins a record 17th Grand Slam, Nadal wins a record seventh French Open, Djokovic wins his fourth straight major or Ferrer wins his first. The latter is extremely unlikely. The first of those is not much more likely.

At stake is the legacy of Federer. If he were to win, it would give him the most championships ever. If he were beat Nadal and win, it would cement him as the greatest player ever, so far ahead of everyone else as to be in a Michael Jordan-esque position at the top of his sport. If he were to lose to Djokovic, the prevailing discussion would continue to be about Federer's age. If he were to lose to Nadal, then the doubt about Federer's all-time greatness would continue to creep up. Is Nadal really better than he is? With yet another win, the conversation would keep coming up.

I'm terrified of that final scenario. I love Roger Federer's game more than any other tennis player. Since Rafael Nadal is the biggest threat to Federer's legacy, I dislike him more than I should. I don't want him to succeed.

So is a Djokovic win over Federer more preferable? Since Djokovic seems to have Nadal's number, that might be better for the Finals. Or maybe a reminder that Federer still has it against the best in the world (he beat Djokovic in this same spot last year, followed by a loss to Nadal) would be better. A second French Open title for Fed somehow seems empty if he takes it by beating Ferrer in the final (even though he would have to beat Djoker to get there).

I have no idea what's going to happen in the morning. I guess the good news is I don't know what's worth rooting for. Maybe that'll mean I'll just be able to watch and enjoy some tennis.