Once In a Lifetime

Almost one year to the day and we're back. The Wimbledon final of yesterday has prompted me to return to share my thoughts on what many are calling the greatest tennis match to have ever been contested. This was certainly the greatest match I have ever personally watched and I cannot help feeling that it may be the greatest match I will ever see.
For those of you who do not follow tennis let me set the stage: Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player of our generation was going for his 6th consecutive Wimbledon title, something that had never been done. He had a 40 match win streak at Wimbledon and a 65 match win streak on grass. Federer's 4 year reign in tennis was being questioned by all as he has not won a major and has only a few minor titles to his name this year. Rafa Nadal, the man who has been number 2 for a record 155 consecutive weeks was gunning for his 1st Wimbledon title. The 4 time defending French Open champion, who lost to Federer in a classic at Wimbledon in the final last year was looking to continue his quest for #1 with a victory 2 weeks after his thrashing of Fed at Roland-Garros. Nadal was attempting to become the first man to win the French-Wimbledon double in 28 years.
So all of this history even before the match started. Many felt it would be a watershed moment in men's tennis if Nadal were to capture the title, and would signal a changing of the guard even though Fed would still retain his #1 ranking. The match itself would run 4 hrs 48 minutes long with 3 rain delays. The telecast was over 7 1/2 hours long. Simply put, it was the most tense, hotly contested sporting event I have ever witnessed [Carley can verify this, as in the 4th set tie-break I think my body was shutting down as blood rushed to support my vital organs, turning my hands and feet into ice blocks]. The level of play was simply absurd with a combined 31 aces to 5 double faults and 79 unforced errors in 413 points.
But the statistics can never convey the way these two men fought throughout the entire match. The perfect contrast of styles; Federer the Ali of tennis, dancing and seemingly gliding over the court, the flowing forehand and elegant one-handed backhand. Rafa the Joe Frazier, the muscled bruiser who ruthlessly pounds the ball every swing, every point, every game, every set-the guy just does not let up ever. Not only is he the most physical player in tennis, he is probably the best mover in the game-making Fed hit shots when he thought the point was over numerous times and hitting an absolutely ridiculous forehand winner from 6 ft behind the baseline off his back foot as Fed rushed the net at 7-7 in the 4th set tie-break. That tie-break will go down in history as one of the best, maybe #2 behind McEnroe-Borg in the 1980 Wimbledon final which also took place in the 4th set [Johnny Mac won 16-18!].
Over the first two sets I kept thinking to myself "Fed is playing well, if he can just get a break he can pick up a set here" and I guess that will be remembered as why Fed lost this final. As in the 2005 French Open final against Rafa, when he was 1-17 in break point opportunities, he was 1-13 yesterday. He broke Rafa 1 time during the entire match. Fed's inability to cash in when it mattered on Nadal's serve cost him the first 2 sets, and eventually the match.
I have loved Fed since 2004 when I saw him tear apart Lleyton Hewitt in the final of the US Open. Having watched him and studied him for so long I know that his game has perhaps fallen a level this year. Whether that is due to lingering effects from mono early in the season we will never know, but I don't think so as he reached both the final of the French and Wimbledon and nearly won the latter. It is more than clear that Nadal is simply improving at a phenomenal rate, quick enough to challenge Fed for #1 this year. Nadal's improved serve, the best 2-handed backhand in the game, the most vicious top-spin forehand and his quickness and unquestionable desire are all coming together right now and he looks poised to win the French and Wimbledon for at least another 5-6 years. Don't get me wrong, I think only a fool would think Fed was done at Wimbledon and I believe this loss might spark something in him to regain the title he values the most in all of tennis. I also believe he has to be the favorite for the US Open in September, as Nadal's game suffers most on hard courts because of his spin [the ball does not bite as much as on grass or clay] and the pounding his body takes. Fed is still #1 and with the hard court season now here I believe Nadal will not overtake him this year.
What I'm most interested in seeing is how Fed will respond to the first real challenge to his throne in 4+ years. We know how much the history of the game means to him and he desperately wants to surpass Pete's 14 majors, but we now know it will not happen until sometime around now next year, if not until the 2009 Open. Reading the transcript of Fed's post-match interview, one really gets the sense of how disappointed he is, but also of the anger-streak that he so rarely shows on the court. "When asked whether it was a consolation that it was a great player like Nadal who had put an end to his 65-match winning streak, Federer’s humour became even darker. "No. Zero consolation. I didn’t learn anything new from today – certainly not about how to play him on grass. This really hurts… Losing Paris for me was nothing, losing here is a disaster." No more, no less.", ""Write what you want," he glowered after a sigh, a pause and a shrug. "I’m going to try to win at the Olympics and the US Open and have a good end to the season. That’s it." Fed has been the darling of tennis for 4 years and now it will immensely entertaining to watch him try to regain his seemingly lost grip on the tennis world. I know I wouldn't want to play a pissed off Fed and I definitely believe he will win the US Open. He still has the game's greatest forehand, his serve is better than ever, and his variety is still unmatched in today's game. He will be back and he will win more majors. For now though, it seems he will be answering some tough questions.