Wimbledon favorite Andy Roddick turned his right ankle forcing his withdrawal from his semifinal match Saturday against James Blake at Queens.

U.S. tennis commentator John McEnroe almost seemed to goad French Open champ Roger Federer into skipping this week’s Gerry Weber Open on the grasscourts at Halle during his post-match interview at Roland Garros. It remains to be seen whether the Swiss turns up in Germany, or turns a doctor’s note into the ATP claiming “exhaustion.”

Nadal is not facing a radically depleted or wounded Roger Federer in the final. Federer won all 10 sets he played in picking up his 5th Halle title. Marcos Baghdatis and Nichols Kiefer stand out as solid wins in the quick transition from clay to grass. The Fed has also posted straight set wins over Robin Soderling, 2002 Wimbledon Champion Lleyton Hewitt, 2004 Wimbledon semifinalist Mario Ancic, and the enigmatic talent of Marat Safin. Nadal made a similarly quick and impressive transition from clay to grass, but he did so with the wind of victory at his back not the sting of humiliation. Federer has looked sharp at Halle and at Wimbledon.

With the clay season behind us – don’t tell Nikolay Davydenko that, though – time to shift focus to grass.