Federer has walked through the draw without really having been tested. Nadal had two wars in a row, against Soderling and Youzhny, and then regained form en route to stomping Berdych and walking over Djokovic. After all the speculation during the rain about what would happen, the two best players in the world showed once again that they are without question levels above the competition .
And so the scene must to the battle fly... Federer came out playing impeccable tennis and gained a break on Nadal right off the bat in the first set and I think I was not alone in thinking that he is just too much for Rafa on grass. When Nadal broke back, though, to even the set, it was clear this would be a fight. Not just because of the score but because of the way Rafa was hitting the ball. The sting and spin on his forehand was just astounding. Federer did press forward more than he has done on his way to the final, and it did pay dividends. Both men served exquisitely. Federer has a distinct advantage with his serve on grass, because he can hit aces. The set reached a tiebreak just as the level of play reached its apex. Federer gained a break and then served out for one set to love, but it was game on and everyone in the crowd or back home watching the television knew that they were finally in for the match they'd been waiting for between these two great champions.
In the second set, the played settled in a bit and patterns emerged, mostly to Rafa's benefit. Nadal gained a tactical edge by stepping in and taking his returns early with a short backswing, punching balls to the corners. Then he engaged Federer in rallies during which he kept his forehand bouncing high to Roger's backhand, an uncomfortable shot for him. Nadal hit with power and touch from all over the court. Federer played well, continued to serve extremely well, and stayed in the set until he was broken at 4-4. Rafa served out the set for 6-4 and the match was all even. But not really. Because as I said in my last story, you knew that Roger would feel extremely vulnerable at a set apiece. He likes to play as a frontrunner and swing free. McEnroe put it well when he said, after Nadal hit an unbelievable half-volley, that Rafa was playing his absolute best on grass and that Roger needed to come up one more notch to win.
The third set was an absolute war. Federer continued to push his tactic of coming to net, forcing Rafa to hit passing shots, which Nadal did with frequency and flair. The level of tennis was breathtaking. Even the sound coming from the players' racquets was unusual, each shot a discreet concussion bomb. The match assumed grass court form, both men holding serve easily and gliding towards an inevitable tiebreak that would decide the set and, probably, the match.
Federer is one of the best
tiebreak players in history, because his serve, on both the first and second balls, is so effective and his return is a weapon. His record reflects it. Nadal's tiebreak record is more akin to his regular point record. He wins at about 70%. Federer got an early break and played well from in front and won the tiebreak going away. It seemed like Rafa would live to rue a missed forehand he hit on Federer's serve game at 15-30, 5-6, which would have given him two set points. It appeared that the match was over.
But that would be to confuse Rafael Nadal with other players. He came out and broke Federer in the first game of the fourth set and then just poured it on off the ground, punishing returns, forehands, passing shots and just killing Federer in the early part of the set en route to going up two breaks. Then something unimaginable happened. Rafa got hurt. You couldn't see what happened but returning serve up 4-0 he began to limp. He received treatment during a full injury time out on the change over. It was a huge break in momentum. The changeover before, Federer was asking the chair umpire to turn the Hawkeye line calling system off, because he felt he was getting a raw deal on calls. Federer looked like he looks when he throws games away, muttering, slapping, grousing around. He got a major reprieve with the injury time out. As we watched the treatment, the trainer probing the inside of Nadal's knee where the ligaments live, it became pretty clear that the injury was a significant one.
Rafa came out after the timeout walking gingerly, and Federer had taken the time to re-compose himself, his game regaining a level of acuity. Rafa was not done, though. He continued to strike balls cleanly, even if he wasn't moving as well. He was pulling a
Serena , upping
the risk level in his game to hit winners. The crowd, which had been buzzing with the consciousness that they were witnessing one of the great matches in history, became churchlike and quiet. Nadal served out the set for 6-2 and the match went to a fifth and deciding set.
Time to breathe and take in the moment. It's the first time in history that two men have played on another in both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in consecutive years. No other player has won a grand slam final in the sport since Safin won the Australian in January of 2004. All the past champions have recognized the level of tennis these two men have achieved. Federer has not been to a fifth set at Wimbledon since he de-throned Pete Sampras in 2003.
So let's fight it out boys.
Word came in through McEnroe and Ted Robinson that Nadal had received treatment for patella tendonitis, the injury that essentially ended my own competitive athletic career and that is really the result of fatigue and over-training. The trainer taped it the leg just under the kneecap to stabilize the tendon, keep it in its groove. The injury is a soreness injury and not one that could result in further damage.
Both men held their initial serve games for 1-1. The tennis had changed, become more cautious. As Becker once said, once you reach the fifth set, it's not about the tennis anymore. It certainly wasn't about the tennis anymore as Nadal got two break points on Federer's serve, and Roger played defense to pull it back and come through. That pattern held through the next two games. Rafa held easily and then had two more break points on Roger's serve at 2-2, which Federer saved by serving extremely well again.
The match's hinge came with Nadal serving at 2-3, having twice had big opportunities on Federer's serve. Roger Federer is the quintessential frontrunner. If he can get any kind of space, he raises the level of his game instantaneously. He hit two good shots and got Rafa to 0-30 on his serve and eventually broke him by hitting four outstanding shots in a row, the culmination a cross court slice backhand followed by a down the line run around forehand, a one-two knockout punch. 4-2 Federer in the fifth.
Roger took that advantage and played a near perfect serve game for 5-2 in the fifth. Rafa must have had to fight despair at that point, after having so many good opportunities to win the match, after outplaying Federer for most of the match, and then seeing the inevitable outcome on the scoreboard. You can't beat Federer from 2-5 in the fifth set on grass. You just can't.
Federer, sensing the moment had arrived, lifted his game another notch and jumped on Rafa's service game, breaking him for the Championship. What a match. Federer cried his eyes out from his seat, the tension of two weeks pouring out and the ultimate gratification of a professional his reward. Nadal for his part looked broken, exhausted. Their embrace at the net was not as long or as warm as it has been in their past contests. What an unbelievable fight from Rafa. Please rest that knee young man. You are a lion. And Roger. Five in a row. With Borg there to watch and all the world there to witness what kind of champion he has become. Hold that tin up and be proud.
Roger, in a white blazer and trousers, said: "I told Rafael at the net he deserved it as well, but I'm the lucky one today."
Before the match, Connors, McEnroe, and Borg walked out onto center court at the All England Club, just to soak in the ambience. 