The 39th match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal failed to materialise on Saturday as the World No. 2 Spaniard hobbled out of Indian Wells to send Federer into a title clash with Dominic Thiem.

Nadal, whose longstanding right knee trouble flared up in his quarter-final victory over Karen Khachanov, couldn’t take the court for the blockbuster semi-final with Swiss great Federer.

“I wanted to try my best to be competitive today,” a dejected Nadal said. “I warmed up today in the morning, and I felt that my knee was not enough good to compete at the level that I need to compete, to play semi-finals match of this event.”

Federer, seeded fourth as he pursues a record sixth title in the California desert, will battle 25-year-old Austrian Thiem, who is seeking his first title in one of the ATP’s prestigious Masters 1000 events.

The Federer-Thiem final clash will be held tomorrow at 4 am (IST).