An
aMAZing game, unreal, ridiculous, unbelievable, out-of-this-world tennis...
2 supreme champions head-to-head, the ultimate final!
I was on the edge of my seat (well, my couch
).
2-0 in sets to Nadal, 6-4, 6-4... who would have dreamed that!
Especially after Federer had been 4-1 ahead in the 2nd set...
But Federer, the champion that he is, wasn't gonna give it up just yet.
He takes the
3rd set on a tie-break, 7 points to 5.
4th set, another tie-break, and Federer has already saved one matchpoint with a brilliant ace. Then at 7-7, a tantalizing forehand passing shot out of nowhere by Nadal to create a 2nd matchpoint... what does Federer do next point? Incredible 100mph backhand-of-the-century passing shot down the line to save the match
and then goes on to take the 4th set tie-breaker 10 points to 8 to force a decider!
Probably the most memorable tie-break since the 1980 Final Borg-McEnroe 18-16 tiebreak (also 4th set btw!), even tho it wasn't anywhere near as long.
5th set: a determined Nadal forces 0-30, 15-30 and 15-40 on 3 separate Federer service games, only to see Federer punch in aces & forehand winners to gracefully hold his serves each time as if it were nothing.
Having been 5-2 up in the 4th set tiebreak and having seen 2 championship points come and go already, mere mortals would have crumbled under the frustration and the pressure, but Nadal...
the Spanish phenomenon simply would not lie down; nor would the Swiss machine for that matter. It was a case of an unstoppable projectile trying to knock over an immovable object!
But at last, the inevitable happened after Federer's continuous struggle on the first few points of his service games in the 5th set, Nadal again forced a breakpoint and this time took advantage and broke to lead 8-7, somewhat aided by Federer's rare mistakes! On his 3rd matchpoint, Nadal serves a solid lefty slice out wide on the ad-court, Federer almost beyond the court hits an insane backhand crosscourt return which even Nadal cannot cope with. But Nadal held his nerve, never for a moment relinquishing the pressure of his powerful topspin strokes; advantage Nadal, and this time, on his 4th Championship point, Nadal takes the match with a rather anti-climactic Federer forehand error into the net, for his very first Wimbledom title!
6-4 6-4 6-7(5) 6-7(8) 9-7
W-h-a-t - a - M-a-t-c-h ! ! !
"
Little wonder the Spanish national motto is Plus Ultra – literally, further beyond. If the translation is clumsily ungrammatical, then the legend itself spells out in neon what Nadal achieved. Four weeks to the day since he permitted the Swiss a confidence-mincing total of four games in his clay court kingdom of Roland Garros, Nadal robbed Federer of his most treasured possession, the title that defined him: his Wimbledon crown." (Wimbledon site)
Federer still remains the World #1, and Rafa respectingly seems to agree with that even tho he has now beaten The Master in the last 2 Grand Slam finals!
I think they're both #1s, in their own right. They are so mentally and physically tough, head and shoulders above the rest, even Djokovic (for now).
Well done Rafael Nadal !!
Incredible job & so very well-deserved ! Congrats !