"I do not know,if it was the best............Probably................Probably the best, yes!" -RAFAEL NADAL,winner,Wimbledon men's singles 2008.
RAFAEL NADAL with the Wimbledon title:
Tennis lovers can't ask for anything more.It was a spectacular event at the Wimbledon court with the two great tennis masters against each other at their best.The match is the longest ever running to about 4 hours and 48 minutes, a treat to all Tennis lovers indeed! Amidst the crowd cheers and showers, Rafael Nadal gained his first Wimbleton title ever, stopping the former champion, Roger Federer to become the first man since the 1880s to win a sixth consecutive championship at the All England Club.Nadal is the second Spaniard to win the Wimbledon men's singles title after Manolo Santana who won it in 1966.He also follows Bjorn Borg to win French Open and Wimbledon together in the same year.
Federer and Nadal before the commencement of the match:
It was indeed too close to Federer who could have won the title to add another feather to his cap.But it seemed that Nadal was quite more deserving than the Swiss, who beat him as 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7.Remind yourself, Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon final in four sets, and the 2007 final in five,he was persistent to win.This time, even though it was quite dark and rained, both the players did well and were in their form.Rain delayed the match by about 35 minutes after which the play resumed.Again in the third set slight showers caused a delay of 1 hour, 21 minutes, then another of 30 minutes at the fifth set when it was 2-2, deuce.May be it rained for the spectators to take some breath! When the points showed 7-7, Nadal started to reign as Federer did not do well using his forehand.In the fourth set there was a tie breaker.During the tie breaker at 6-5,Federer overpowered with his incredibly fast serve (127mph) which cancelled the match point.By this time there would have been low visibility for the players.At 8-7, he ruled by his backhand.His Forehand shot at 9-8 earned him a point.Nadal was also in his form, despite a few errors.He double faulted to his opponent at 5-3.He accidently tumbled on to the ground in the third set.The match was indeed a thriller (Federer hit 25 aces altogther) but one can see that it was not a great show of mastery or like that.It was, in short, suspensful,just the usual Federer-Nadal clash; but that's what all a spectator needs.Finally, after a long battle Federer hit a forehand on to the net during the fourth match point which made Nadal the champion.
Nadal fell on to the ground as the crowd cheered him up.
"I am very happy for me, but sorry for him, because he
deserved this title, too", said Nadal.
He gained and lifted the championship trophy which Federer congratulating Nadal after match
Federer had for the past 5 years.
"Look, Rafa’s a deserving champion, he just played fantastically.Probably my hardest loss, by far, I mean, it’s not much harder than this right now",said Federer as he congratulated his opponent, “He was rock-solid, the way we know him, he has definitely improved his game".
Critics compare this to the match where like John McEnroewas beaten by Bjorn Borgin five sets, in 1980s; it was a great game,indeed."It’s rough on me now, obviously, you know, to lose the biggest tournament in the
world over maybe a bit of light",Federer said.Of course, losing a grand slam title short of just two points is too hard,
especially if it is Federer,he even reminded before the finals
that he was good on grass.This is Federer's first loss on
grass in 66 matches.
Federer, as runner up with his Wimbledon trophy,2008:
Now the question remains.Will Nadal overtake Federer in his rankings?If so when?It's really tough for Federer if he has to get off his rank 1 which he has been holding for a for a record 231 consecutive weeks.(Nadal holds the rank 2 for a record consecutive 154 weeks).
Whatever the statistics may say, it was indeed a great match!
Watch out for the highlights of the match in the video below. (Thanks to www.wimbledon.org)
CONGRATULATIONS RAFA & ALL THE BEST TO FEDERER
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