Today was the dream final for any tennis enthusiast. Yes, today was the final for the most coveted trophy in men's tennis, the Wimbledon. The participants were the great Roger Federer, world no. 1, defending champion and 4 times champion, and world No. 2 Rafael Nadal.This was the world no. 2's least preferred surface. He survived couple of 5-setters, one of those was with his toughest competitors, Mikhail Youzhny. In this game, Rafa, came from 2 sets behind and defeated Youzhny. My friend was willing to bet on this match. He believed Youzhny will easily win the match. Our group exchanged loads and loads of mails on this. But on the match day when Youzhny was leading 2 sets to 0, his belief almost became true. Even a colleague (He is a Federer fan) in my office came to me and asked me to see the scores. I asked him dude lets meet after the 5th set. And the rest you all know, Rafa demolished his opponent in the last 3 sets hitting winners and winners and winners.
One day ago, he had completed the longest match in the tennis history, this match took 5 days due to the rains. His opponent tried everything, even tried to imitate Rafa to disrupt his game. But, Rafa stood true to his name, the bull fighter from Spain.
Rafa played some of his best tennis throughout this whole tournament. And his opponent, guess he was having a holiday, 1 match got cancelled and others got postponed due to rain. And everyone was favoring everyone. And as obvious, on our group we exchanged a lot of mails. Everyone believed Federer will easily win in 3 sets with one bagel set. But Rafa had other ideas.
So, finally the day arrived. The great Byon Borg was there to witness the match. The court was full of tennis enthusiasts, even when the British Grand Prix was there and the local rookie, Lewis Hamilton took the pole position. I even heard that the ticket prices were around 5000 pounds for a pair.
Finally the match began. Roger won the toss and chose to serve. After some little bit of warming up, Roger began to serve. Roger won the first game easily. Scores read 1-0. Rafa, under enormous pressure could not save his serve and got broken. Federer won the next game comfortably. Scores read 3-0. Everyone sensed this was another Federer day. Following game Rafa came to serve and hold his serve. Then in the next game he broke Federer's serve. And in the next game he hold his serve. Scores read 3-3. All was even. The surface was favoring Federer, but Rafa showed all his variety of shots, pass through volleys. First set went into the tie break. Federer eventually won the tie break and the first set.
Next set belonged to Nadal, his great forehand, his ripping backhand. Federer was helpless. Rafa won this set 6-4. Third set was the same story. Nadal was the one ruling the court. Federer only survived due to the number of aces. This set also went to tie breaks which Federer eventually won.
Scores read 7-6, 4-6, 7-6. Started fourth set, and Rafa showed his class, showed why he is being the considered the heir to the world No. 1's thrown. He broke Federer twice and the score read 4-1. And the inveitable happened, Rafa landed badly on his right foot and he got injured his knee. Even in pain and loss of movement, he won the fourth set 6-2.
But that was enough, the pain was growing and his mobility reducing. The most mobile player in the game got stuck to the baseline. Even then hitting winners and great passing shots. But, eventually he got broken. He was committing lots of errors. And Federer won 6-2. Federer won his straight 5th wimbledon title. But, he was the second fiddle to the great champion and the future of Men's tennis, Rafael Nadal.
Rafael Nadal deserved to win the title, not the Roger Federer. One of my friends and a very big Roger Federer fan commented, "Rafa can play so much better than Federer, and today he is showing that. In my eyes Rafa is the champion." I share the same views with my friend.
It was disappointing to see Rafa limping in the final set, but he never gave up. He is mentally so strong and his game is marvelous. His forehand, his ripping backhand, his movement, his passing shots, his returns. But, I felt proud of being a fan of such a great tennis great. Hats off to the phenomenon, Rafael Nadal.
To finish this, in Spanish. Vamos Nadal.
17 comments:
A few things were missed out about Federer Nadal showdown
1. The game was won by Federer purely due to his mental strength which Nadal lacked when it mattered most
2. Physical injuries can happen to anyone - it needs to be planned well. Unlike Nadal, Federer rested well before Wimbledon. So Tennis is not all muscle. It is very shameful if someone is injured/fatigued in Centre Court during Wimbledon finals - dream of every tennis player.
3. Nadal with his physical game, might retire early or injure himself to retire - He is not super human afterall. A glimpse of this was seen in the Wimbledon finals
4. Nadal came so close to victory, but Federer defeated him by showing him his style of play. To beat an opponent with his style of play - Incredible
5. Federer is not at his peak (he's almost 27 and in Tennis its not the best of age, especially against Nadal) - still he displayed amazing athletic skills. At his current fitness level, he might match Sampras's record very soon.
6. About Nadal, he is the player to be watched out for - He is the next successor to Federer's era. I am awed by his improvement in the game, his aggressiveness, his accuracy of shots and his physical/mental toughness. Now, its only a matter of when he overtakes Federer. But till then, he's second best and FEDERER is the KING.
Vikas, thanks for the comments..
Here are my replies..
1. I totally agree, Federer won the match purely because of his mental strength, his aces and nadal's injury. In today's game, i believe that Nadal has got a lot of mental strength, much more than any other player. Thats the main reason he is able to beat federer and can give a fight even when he is not evn close to the best of his game and the opponent is firing all cylinders.
2. I agree, physical injuries can happen to anyone, and unfortunately we missed some good players due to injury like Super Mario Ancic, Myskina, etc. and of course some players have to retire/ give the games to the opponent due to injury. You can say Djokovic, Sharapova is also not fully fit. Bartoli also couldn't give her best in the finals.
3. Thats true, he got physically and mentally exhausted last year after the wimbledon. And every player has to deal with injuries. And you must have seen that Nadal in his early days just ran ran ran. Now he has improved his game and he can now volley, hit good serves, hit the best forehand, and even his backhand is improved and don't forget his drops. He played two shots in the final.
4. Every player has got his style of play. Federer tried to do vollleying but couldn't do. So, he thought just one thing playing from baseline. And i regret to differ on this point that beating a player with his own style. In a game, the best thing is if you stamp your authority on the opponent. And Nadal was able to do so. In the last final, there was only Federer.
5. I beg to differ on this point also. If you said this about Nadal i totally agree, but as Federer's fans say,"Federer's game is all about class." He doesnot need fitness for that. Sampras was dominating on the grass when he was there. No one came close to him. And i think no one can match Sampras' achievments. And i think, at 35 (or 36 i don'n know his exact age). He can atleast reach the semis with his game or probably semis.
6. I agree, Nadal is the next player to stamp his authority on the tennis. And by watching the wimbledon's final, i think Federer's aura has ended or if not will end soon. And for me he is the present and Federer is past.
And just one more comment, Sampras is the best tennis player in the open era, as he dominated everyone even when he was approaching 30. He couldn't perform because of his injuries and his disease. At his time there was so much of competition. The no. 2 player kept on changing.
Thanks for the replies.. But lets do an analysis of your replies, one by one
1. The record of fed-nadal reads 8-5 on all courts. On clay it reads as 6-1 in favor of Nadal, which means 2-4 on all other courts. So what does that mean
i) He still needs a handful to say he can beat Federer on all surfaces - he is very close though
ii) Look at the scores, Federer has given two bagels to Nadal on his favorite surface - CLAY and on Grass. Are we still talking about mental strength or physical?
2. I think Nadal needs to have a relaxed schedule and less physical game to beat this. Well if he does this, will he remain the same Nadal. I dont think so.
3. I agree that Nadal has changed his game a lot but what's his strong point in the game. His physical strength for chasing each and every point. No matter how much he improves on the game in any aspect, if he stops chasing ball - he might just be someone who hit to fame once
4. I agree here. But can Nadal ever change his game style and win matches? It requires a master to adapt to any environment, any style of game and still win matches.
5. Without fitness, Tennis should just be played on play stations. Nadal has changed the definition of the game from elegant to physical. One needs fitness to survive now. And we have seen a sample of that in Agassi Vs Nadal in Wimbledon 06. And the way the game has evolved, Sampras of 90s will barely manage to reach quarters of today.
6. Well, we have 4 more masters, a masters cup and a Grand Slam event for the year. Nadal has to excel in all to show his dominance. But the rivalry is to be watched for - it has some amazing tennis for the fans in store.
Vikas, thanks for the analysis. I agree to most of your points, and following are my disagreements.
1. Let us first talk about other surfaces. Record is 4-2 in the favor of Federer. And 3 out of the 4 were very tough matches. No other player in today's game has these credentials. And as people say Nadal is a clay courter and Federer is inhuman on other surfaces, these credentials can not be ignored. And no other player has these credentials. There are good players like Blake, Youzhny but they can't beat Federer because they are not mentally tough enough. And of course Nadal is the physically strongest player.
2. That is not possible for a player like Nadal or if you take any other player. If they are not fully fit even then they will like to play. And i think Nadal is the most committed player to his game.
3. He has many strong points that people ignore because he started his game by running a lot. His forehand is the best forehand with a lot of top spin and a lot of power at the same time. He can hit his forehand as well as his backhand from any tight angle. His wrists are so powerful that even if he just touches the ball it goes flying. His drop shot is very good. These are his main strngths. And his anticipation, his movement (not running) are good. And yes he can run to chase any ball. That is why many of the players can not hit winners against him.
4. I think Nadal has changed his style of play. Earlier he focussed on hitting winners from baseline. Now-a-days he is doing serve and volley, though very rare. And he has adapted very well on grass. And he can adapt on hard courts also. And thanks for calling Nadal, the master.
5. By fitness, i mean running like Canas, Nadal, Hewitt, etc. And i still believe that Sampras can easily serve and volley and win the matches. He can not beat Nadal, but he can still beat a handful of good players even at this age. I can't think that Federer @ 31/32 will be able to good players.
6. What? only 6 good tournaments. Yup last Nadal failed miserably in each of those tournaments. Let us watch the remaining tournaments this year and see what "The phenomenon" can do this year. And i am sure of one thing atleast. His points will increase. If you ignore the points earned in previous year, he has earned 4460 points this year and Federer has earned 4005 points. So, Nadal just has to get 800 points to surpass his current points tally and Federer needs around 3k points. Let us see what your King of Grass can do.
Hmm..good article, and interesting discussion going on..just adding my thoughts to it (sorry cannot do a point-to-point reply)
1. It would be unfair to say nadal has changed the character of the game. The game had started turning into a physical affair since the time hewitt arrived and won the wimbledon. In the 2002 wimbledon final between hewitt and nalbandian, there was not even a single volley. Nadal has just exemplified the fact that power game is there to stay. Mind you, chasing balls as he does is not an easy thing to do and he is inspiring other players like baghdatis, djokovic etc to do it.
2. If it was just a matter of chasing down balls, i think other players like baghdatis, djokovic etc also do that very well..but what puts nadal well ahead in the race is his forehands on the run (he can hit winners while running full throttle), and his awesome passing shots..i don't think federer fears anybody else's passing shots more than his.
3. That said, there is no denying the fact that federer is the true king in this era. I know Sampras-federer is a never ending discussion, but the very fact that Federer is being compared to all the greats of the tennis says a lot about him. Even if Nadal captures 8-9 grand slams, he can never be the same level as Federer/Sampras. Agassi could never become another Sampras.
4. As for Sampras-Federer discussion, I think overall game of Federer is better than Sampras (which is again debatable). Look at the half volleys which Federer picks, and with so much elegance..I have never seen Sampras do that, but the volleys played by Sampras were better than those played by Federer. Although, Fedex doesn't get much of a chance to volley even on the grass courts. Sampras could not have adapted his game to slower grass courts (well he has to be around to prove against it), which Federer has been able to do so beautifully.
5. As for the wimbledon final, I know Nadal's game had put Federer constantly under pressure. But, Federer kept his cool and served consistently and performed in the final set when it mattered the most . I don't think nadal's injury had anything to do with it, because after the time out he even won a set, and did not ask for another time out in the final set (shakun has tried to glorify his injury beautifully though :) ). The thing is there are a lot of expectations from Federer, and unless he performs in the supreme form, as we are so used to seeing him (2003 wimbledon semi final, 2007 australian semi final...both against andy roddick..i think roddick's game quite suits federer display of brilliance :) ), we just write him off saying that he did not play well, and he does not deserve the title.
My impulsive reaction after the match was that Nadal deserved to win more than Federer, but I think Federer matched him shot for shot, if not for every shot, he made it up with his serve and performed at the critical moments.
The proof : he has the trophy now!
Nadal is surely improving, but I doubt that he would anytime be considered a great player. We need a better player to whom Federer can pass on the baton of supreme tennis. In men's tournament it has always happened that on the decline of one champion, there was another champion in the making and Nadal does not fit the bill there.
Nadal is to Federer what Agassi used to be for Sampras.
It would be interesting to watch the rivalry though. I think now it just makes sense to watch the finals, since nobody else in the men's circuit is performing so well, though djokovic holds some promise
Boss, this has been a long post, let me get back to work now :)
Kapil
P.S : Btw, Federer is just 25, and with his style of play, i think he can survive a little longer
hmm..u r forcing me to comment again..reply to shakun's post:
1. Nadal's power of wrist helps him create angles, the power is generated from the shoulders
2. Drop shots, serve/volley..i have not seen him doing that often..I think drop shot is baghdatis's favourite shot, and he employs it so beautifully. You missed out his passing shots. That is where Nadal beat him during the dual surface match also, though the bounce was also uneven
3. Nadal still hits winners from baseline, he earns most of the points from there only, but he has improved his accuracy, and somehow manages to hit winners while on the run, instead of just putting the ball in play again, which most players do in that position.
Well its getting lengthier, so I will be brief
1. So your point of reference or benchmark is Federer - how good one plays against Federer is his measure for the tennis talent he has. I am impressed.
2. I agree he is the most committed but the point is, with his schedule and kind of play, how long will be his career free from injuries - another 5 years?
3. But chasing balls is so crucial that he is nothing without it - half or maybe more of his winners come from shots while he is running. So if continues like that, how long can he do it physically? if not, will be be the greatest ever?
4. This one you just manipulated to think of Nadal as master. He is yet to prove it on different surfaces. How many titles does he have besides clay? one masters!!
5. Fitness and running are two different things. Unfortunately both are important at court equally. Federer is not growing young so he has a disadvantage on both in coming years. But its not a weakness now. When it becomes a weakness, we will see Nadal on top.
6. That shows the standards Federer sets for himself. Absolutely no margin for error. Lets see if Nadal can maintain this year after year, with opponents like Nadal.
Interesting discussion, let me reply one more time...
1. Though the definition changes from the time of Hewitt, but was it ever so successfully done by anyone else. I cant think of a player other than Nadal who will run for a point even when the ball is clearly outside.
2. Its the Federer Nadal showdown in recent times (Federer loosing constantly to Nadal) that has made Federer fear Nadal's passing shots more than anything else. This victory would certainly boost Fedex to maybe a 11-8 edge over Nadal (if Nadal manages to reach the finals ;)
Lastly, in the final, Federer did not have a convincing win, but all he needed was a win. He did it. If you look at it the other way, Nadal did his best and still did not win. It was a game where both of them looked equals - Lets see how Nadal takes this defeat and Federer takes this win. I am definitely, we will see more of them in finals.
makhi..
by stating that nadal's power of wrist, i am talking about the balls which nadal can hit even when his racket can barely touch the ball. No other player can hit the ball as hard as he.
i think i am single in discussion with two Fedex's die hard fans.
and makhi ragarding baghdatis, he used to do so but when he met nadal in some consecutive tournaments and nadal killed his drop shots, he has stopped hitting drops..
and makhi nadal's drop shots are also good though he doesnot hit them often..
vikas..
as you said, "Its the Federer Nadal showdown in recent times (Federer loosing constantly to Nadal) that has made Federer fear Nadal's passing shots more than anything else." this proves the point in a Federer Nadal showdown, Nadal has higher mental strength.. :D
and frankly speaking i would not have even dreamt of the wimbledon final going into 5 sets. may be because i also thought like you that Federer is far ahead than others on grass. But, in the final i saw the truth..
and one more point.. you are saying that Federer was not at his best and Nadal was at his best. I totally disagree to this point. Because Federer hit 24 aces and these aces were against Nadal. I have not seen Federer serving so well and Nadal could manage only 1 ace but he was consistently hitting atleast 7-8 aces, now you will say that Federer was not hitting backhand winners that he usually hits, thats only because Nadal was able to reach to them..
The matches against Roddick that you are refering were totally one sided because Roddick can not match Federer.. and his positioning, his anticipation and his mental strength are so weak.. that he will pee if you take the name of Federer in front of him..
Novice Wrote:
"this proves the point in a Federer Nadal showdown, Nadal has higher mental strength"
Reply: Most of them were on Clay if you are forgetting, so what we are talking about is not mental but physical strength. And we know Nadal has lots - still Federer managed to bite the wimbledon trophy.
Btw, forgot the point about Aces...
Nobody reads the game better or has better anticipation than Federer - that is the reason you might find Federer at the end of every shot for most of the opponents without noticing much movement. The biggest server Andy Roddick against Federer just proves the point. What this means is, Nadal's serves were well read so just one ace (and not because he was unfit or whatsoever reason you may state). There were many winners on it but it was well read by Federer. Whereas for Nadal - He cannot anticipate the serve well. Soderling had 20+ aces and so do many big servers in the game. Federer just adds to that list.
Baghdatis still plays his drop shots..did you not see baghdatis-djokovic match?
btw don't feel so lonely against two die-hard federer fans..i had asked gopi to visit ur blog..he is also a die-hard fan of nadal..and may be u can ask prankie to join in :P
hehehehe...jo jeeta wohi sikandar!
its easy playing with the attitude of "nothing to lose" i.e. till first 4 sets than when you know, you are competing with history.
5th set, nadal could see the victory and we could see the nerves not just physically..
rafa is going to create an unbeatable record for staying at number 2 for longest period of time (may be in any kind of sport).
"haath ko aaya, mooh na laga" types kuch....
no?
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