This game was definitely the best I have ever witnessed - there was no shortage of drama, physical prowess, insane hitting, impossible winners and prolonged, agonizing suspense. Mother nature player her part too, with rain delays at the most apt moments. Wimbledon was a stage today and the world was the audience. Most amazingly, there was no script and they both emerged after each break with their resolve to script an amazing win renewed. And at the moments when the suspense reached a crescendo, Mother Nature announced the end of the act.
To quote one of my all time favourite songs:
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going"
Today, when the going got tough it only brought out the best in each man. Tennis has emerged for the better and each man is a champion in my heart. People, order your game DVDs, I have already saved the recording on my DVR. The humbleness and awe of a great like McEnroe when he talked about this game being the best he has ever seen, and the humbleness that Nadal exhibited on winning are a sheer testament to the quality of this game.
Does it get any better than this?
Regardless of who won, we were guaranteed that history would be made. And as the game went on longer the other records that were shattered just became a subtext to the plot. Will Federer do what no one has done before... make Wimbledon his backyard (not that he hasnt already) in a way no one has, or will Nadal win consecutive Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in his 3rd attempt and enter the hallowed space occupied by the likes of Borg.
In the end Nadal won, but Federer showed us how much he didnt want to let go. In the end it was a battle of sheer will. Who wants it more? In the end the gentle sparring turned to sustained jousting, and it did become a mental fight. By making the finals the two players demonstrated that they obviously had the game to do well and that they belonged on Center Court on Sunday: Federer with his serve, insane forehand and all round excellent grass game... Nadal with his physical power, his curling forehand, curving lefty serves and much improved backhand.
I believe in the end Nadal won because this time he knew he could win. Even though he saw the finish line in sight as early as the 3rd set, where he had 3 breakpoints on the Federer serve... it took till the 5th set for Nadal to return to the plot. He knew he could win and as much as Federer wanted to continue his reign, Nadal did upstage him. I believe this was the difference between Nadal at Wimbledon and Federer at the French... one challenger knew he could win having come so close last year, while the other didnt truly believe.
At the same time, kudos to Federer for digging deep into the reserve tank and making t so difficult for Nadal.
At the start of the game, Federer said that he hoped he would have that extra gear to beat Nadal. I believe he did, but Nadal simply was a hill to steep to climb and scripted an insane win through sheer power of will and belief.
Best game ever... Im going to go out and hit myself.. release some of this pent up energy and emotion that has accumulated by sitting on my couch... I look forward to your comments. A more detailed analysis will follow later.
7 comments:
I'm so happy Nadal won! He deserves it. Among the best matches I've ever seen, if not THE best. They are both classy guys and it was obvious in their comments after the match. Can't imagine what Federer is going through right now - thoughts of being #2 etc. Hope he continues to fight and keeps the rivalry going.
Good for tennis though!!
It was a damn sweet game, if only I got to see past 2-2 in the fifth when my DVR recording ran out...
Tennis was the winner there. I dont think I have seen a match with a higher quality of tennis. Nadal won 209 points, Fed won 205..there was virtually no difference between the two. Nadal is the deserving champion this time around. His game was top notch and his big point play was fantastic. Both had 13 break points, and Fed only converted once. That to me was the difference. In any case, it was a great 5 hours of tennis. Couldnt have asked for more.
Yes, agree with all of you. Sachin, I feel really happy for Nadal as well because he has come so agonizingly close to winning Wimbledon. Its also amazing to hear him say that it has always been a dream of his to win Wimbledon as a kid... I know he wont pick between the French and this one, but the Spaniards have always taken winning on clay for granted! So this must be special for the whole nation
Boris, you can swing by to my place to watch the last set. Im wondering if anyone has an external USB DVD recorder...
Saaid, it is amazing how well in control Nadal was on his serve games. If you noticed, he lost the first point quite a few times and got to 0-15. I dont remember a single time when he lost the second point though and got to 0-30... whereas that happened a few times on Federer's serve... he was down 0-40 at 3-3 in the 3rd and also down 15-40 I think at 7-7 in the 5th.
Great match yeah, I was at Nordstrom and saw the last set there... Didn't see the first few sets though...
Happy for Nadal as well, he did everything and deserved to win the match. Well, both of them did I guess. It was such high quality tennis, I cannot believe the type of winners both of them were hitting...
I found this really cool article on tennis.com on the rivalry between Fed and Nadal and what people like Safin had to say.
http://tennis.com/tournaments/2008/wimbledon/wimbledon.aspx?id=138992
Here is what Safin said (copied from the article)
Marat Safin, Federer's victim in the semifinals, doesn't feel the need for that kind of detached historical assessment. "Definitely I think it's more fun than Sampras-Agassi," he asserted. "Because I'm living in this generation. Sampras-Agassi was great, but we were too young to understand that. We are living [Federer-Nadal] right now. We know how Nadal is in the locker room. I can speak to both of them. You know, for us it's a little bit closer.
"I think they're just also two great guys, to be honest, really down-to-earth. Federer is quite funny. Nadal is also there. No, very interesting. It's good to be with them in the same locker room."
Not even Safin could be coaxed into picking a winner, though he did suggest that he's leaning towards Nadal. "It's a tough one. A tough one," he said. "Nadal is playing just too good. Let's see how Roger is going start the match.
"It's just interesting to see, because everything depends on the tactics. Clay court is just too tough for Federer because Nadal, for example, is playing an open-stance backhand and forehand, so [Federer] can't really make him stretch. He cannot do anything. He cannot go to the volley because Nadal is just too fast.
Great post. Love the site.
Beyond the quality of the tennis, what made this Wimbledon great was each player's refusal to quit. Nadal's win was impressive, but Federer's comeback was no less historic. Both players showed what incredible will and mental toughness it takes to be a champion.
I am still coming to grips with the implications of Nadal's victory. What is incredible to me, even more than his strength and skill, is the fact that he is still improving. At this moment Nadal is nearly as good as Federer, one of the best who ever played, and he still on an upward trajectory. How much better can this guy get? Can Federer raise his game and challenge Nadal again, or are these two ships passing in the night? How long will it be until Nadal dominates on hardcourt?
Regarding match DVDs: are they available in the US yet? The only one I've found is on Wimbledon.org, and it ends up being a little pricey when you include shipping to the US.
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