Confident Nadal lies in wait for Federer

LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) French Open champion Rafael Nadal has a cunning plan up his sleeve as he aims to end Roger Federer's three-year Wimbledon reign in the men's final tomorrow.

''Before the match in the locker room I (will push him) and after that he'll go to the court a little bit (dazed),'' a cross-eyed Nadal joked as he moved his head from side to side.

The Swiss world number one is favourite to add an eighth grand slam prize to his bulging trophy cabinet tomorrow, thus joining Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras as the only men to have won four consecutive Wimbledon titles in the professional era.

Federer has been in imperious form on grass this year and has stretched his record of consecutive wins on the surface to 47 without dropping a set in this year's tournament.

The Swiss maestro also has a 55-4 win-loss record in 2006, superior to Nadal's, but, ominously, all of those defeats have been inflicted by his Spanish bogeyman.

''I always play very good matches against him,'' the second seed said, looking ahead to the fifth final meeting between the duo this year.

''I am trying my best. I have been a little bit lucky, sure in Rome. In Dubai maybe, too, because I was losing easy. He was playing unbelievable.

''But I don't know (how I won). I try my best and I fight every point.

''I just believe that I can win all the time. But it's not normal to win four consecutive times against one man when he's lost only four matches in the year.'' When the 20-year-old was seeded second for this year's Wimbledon, not many, including Federer, thought he would live up to his seeding.

QUICK LEARNER Nadal, though, has proved to be a quick learner.

With 1992 champion Andre Agassi among his victims over the past fortnight, Nadal has displayed a new-found expertise on the hallowed turf and does not shy away from approaching the net.

His serve, which is usually considered the weakest part of his game along with his volleying skills, has been a revelation at Wimbledon.

He will be entering the final having won his serve 80 times in a row, a sequence stretching back to the second set of his second-round match.

His attitude and sheer will to win have now left him just one match away from becoming only the second Spanish man after Manuel Santana in 1966 to lift the Challenge Cup.

Having surpassed even his own expectations on the slick surface this year, Nadal has started to feel at home at Wimbledon and believes he can evict Federer from Centre Court.

''Roger is the best on this surface and he is the favourite by far,'' said Nadal.

''But serving-wise, this has been the best tournament in my life.

''I'm now comfortable on court. I don't feel strange when I go to the court and that's the important (thing).

''I want to win. I need to play the best match in my life, so I'm going to try that.'' REUTERS SY KP2336