It is being touted as the greatest Final ever in Wimbledon history. When all the dust had settled after 4 hours and 48 minutes, not withstanding 2 rain delays sandwiched in the middle, the rivalry of ages between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had again ended with Nadal holding up the trophy. The final stat line for the match, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7, in favor of the Spaniard, who played an unbelievable 5 sets to trounce the King of Grass.
When the first two sets went by to Nadal, Federer seemed tired and weary, and ready to give it up again in 3 sets. But when the 1st rain delay came, it was a blessing for Federer as he came roaring back with a renewed vigor about him and took the set on a tie-breaker. The 4th set, was no different, as it went to another tie-breaker, packed with one of the best array of ice-cold pressure-packed winners I have seen.
Federer had taken the set and pushed the Final to a 5th set. The match was of such superior quality from start to finish, with every single person watching in awe as to how great these two athletes were. At times, Nadal and Federer could only shake their heads marveling at each other’s shots. But in the end, it was Nadal who closed out the 5th set to the tune of 9-7, beating the World’s Number One, yet again.
Roger Federer is going to be the greatest tennis player ever to walk on this planet. The only problem he has, given the fact that no one in the world can beat him, except ONE man, who has almost permamently solidified his stature as Federer’s kryptonite. That one man, irregardless of what surface, Roger Federer would almost never be able to beat.
The above head-to head record is taken from Wikipedia. The last time Federer won against Nadal was back in 2007 in the semifinals in Shanghai on a hardcourt, and he has only beaten Nadal one time on his favorite surface. As it stands right now, Nadal is 12-6 lifetime against Federer, with the last 4 matches being all Final wins in 2008 (Monte Carlo, Hamburg, the French, and now Wimbledon). When will Federer win against Nadal again? That is going to be a big question mark. And when they do meet again, no matter what surface it is going to be played on, Rafa will always be the favorite after this classic Wimbledon Final, as he stamped his dominance against Federer without any shred of doubt.
