Until the 4th set, the game was not very different from the '07 Finals, in which Federer won the 1st and 3rd sets in tie-breaks. Here, he won the 3rd and 4th sets in tie-breaks after losing the first two 4-6, 4-6. The tie-breaks were the highlight of this game, with both players producing some unbelievable winners. Thankfully for Nadal and me, 5th sets in Wimbledon don't have tie-breaks. ;)
Nadal had an excellent opportunity to wrap it up in the 4th when he served 5-2 in the tie-break. He served a double-fault at the wrong time and then went to net for a volley, only to see Federer whip an amazing backhand winner(passing shot) to bring the tie-break back on serve. Federer went on to win the tie-break 10-8.
At that point, it seemed like deja vu from last year's Finals. Federer annihilated Nadal in the final set last year and won the deciding set 6-2. This year he had to contend with a man who had gained a lot of experience over the past 52 weeks. Nadal was not going to give up. He was pretty much holding on to the game in the fifth when Federer fired some amazing aces. The eagerly awaited break came in the 15th game of the set. It was Nadal's golden chance to win the Championship, after failing to do so in three attempts earlier in the match(all on serve). He held his nerve and his serve and served it out like a champion, forcing an error from Federer, to win the set 9-7. Oh yes, Wimbledon's got a new champion!
This surely means the end of Federer era, atleast in my books. He has to lose the US Open later this year(a full year without winning a Grand Slam), and then it will take him a lot of time to understand what went wrong, by which time a lot more would have gone wrong! Well, it might sound like wishful thinking, but it has been my instinct for over a year now, that this was not far from happening. He will probably equal Pete's record of 14- maybe even better it by 1, but it will take a lot of self-confidence and a lot of luck to equal Pete's 7, let alone better it.
As far as Nadal is concerned, the future is looking absolutely bright! This was a worthy reward for his perseverance! He still has the goal of reaching the top spot. That will keep him motivated. He will also know that his serve needs to improve. He can't afford to lose crucial tie-breaks the way he does now. He is definitely not the classy type, like a Sampras or a Federer, but he is the type that is hard to beat and is always getting better. He has age on his side too. He will stay focused until he claims that coveted number one spot. How far beyond can he go depends on his focus "after" he becomes number 1. For now, it looks inevitable that he will be number 1 in about a year's time or sooner.
The Finals was absolutely worth spending over 7 hours on(rain delays and all)! Tennis rocks, thanks to contests like this!
Nadal had an excellent opportunity to wrap it up in the 4th when he served 5-2 in the tie-break. He served a double-fault at the wrong time and then went to net for a volley, only to see Federer whip an amazing backhand winner(passing shot) to bring the tie-break back on serve. Federer went on to win the tie-break 10-8.
At that point, it seemed like deja vu from last year's Finals. Federer annihilated Nadal in the final set last year and won the deciding set 6-2. This year he had to contend with a man who had gained a lot of experience over the past 52 weeks. Nadal was not going to give up. He was pretty much holding on to the game in the fifth when Federer fired some amazing aces. The eagerly awaited break came in the 15th game of the set. It was Nadal's golden chance to win the Championship, after failing to do so in three attempts earlier in the match(all on serve). He held his nerve and his serve and served it out like a champion, forcing an error from Federer, to win the set 9-7. Oh yes, Wimbledon's got a new champion!
This surely means the end of Federer era, atleast in my books. He has to lose the US Open later this year(a full year without winning a Grand Slam), and then it will take him a lot of time to understand what went wrong, by which time a lot more would have gone wrong! Well, it might sound like wishful thinking, but it has been my instinct for over a year now, that this was not far from happening. He will probably equal Pete's record of 14- maybe even better it by 1, but it will take a lot of self-confidence and a lot of luck to equal Pete's 7, let alone better it.
As far as Nadal is concerned, the future is looking absolutely bright! This was a worthy reward for his perseverance! He still has the goal of reaching the top spot. That will keep him motivated. He will also know that his serve needs to improve. He can't afford to lose crucial tie-breaks the way he does now. He is definitely not the classy type, like a Sampras or a Federer, but he is the type that is hard to beat and is always getting better. He has age on his side too. He will stay focused until he claims that coveted number one spot. How far beyond can he go depends on his focus "after" he becomes number 1. For now, it looks inevitable that he will be number 1 in about a year's time or sooner.
The Finals was absolutely worth spending over 7 hours on(rain delays and all)! Tennis rocks, thanks to contests like this!
