If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Image by aldinegirl12 via Flickr

Both men are seeking history in their right. Roger Federer is bidding to be the first man since Bjorn Borg to win sixth consecutive Wimbledon titles, and Rafael Nadal will want to be the first man since Bjorn Borg to win the demanding French Open and Wimbledon in the same calender year.

1st set
Both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were displaying amazing forehand that were impossibly placed. The difference was that Roger Federer made at least three back hand unforced errors. His languid style almost seems to suggest that he was more concerned with fine tuning his back hand than whether the ball was in or not.

Federer serve and volley was working to perfection. He won almost every point that he came to the net. However Federer still trailed 5-4 due to a break in serve by Nadal in the third game.

He had three break points in this game but he seemed almost too eager to convert them. His anxiety got the better of him, and he couldn’t convert the break points, handing the set to Nadal.

2nd Set
Federer broke Nadal in the 2nd game with an emphatic forehand. And he displayed the kind of emotion that was missing from his games. The number of forehand winners and Aces were accumulating as the 2nd set progresses, with another brilliant forehand, he lead 3-0.

Things began to turn around when the game was at 4-1. Roger Federer began showing the signs of inferiority complex which has been present in his previous few meetings with Nadal. It almost seems unthinkable for Federer to behave this way after his near flawless performance against Marat Safin in the Semis. Suddenly the brilliant service that he had began to dessert him. It used to be unthinkable that Federer would make backhand errors consistently. However in this set, it seems likely that he would make an unforced error with every backhand he delivers. Nadal capped an amazing comeback by winning the next 5 games to win the set. Federer is now in a very unfamiliar position of being 2 sets down.

3rd set
Federer started confidently, showing no signs of being 2 sets down. Perhaps he has come to terms that if he were to win, he has to stop being bothered by inferior mindset. In this set, even though it was a tight game, Federer almost played as if he has nothing to lose. Nadal was showing his entire repertoire of skills and fitness by returning impossibly placed balls.

Rain started pouring when the game is tied at 5-4, in Federer’s favor. The match has to be suspended. This could be more advantageous to Federer.

When played resumed about 1 hour later, the game went into a tiebreak, won 7-5 by Federer.

4th Set
The fourth set was pretty much the same as the 3rd. Both players held serve, but Federer had his chances of breaking Nadal. He just couldn’t convert them. Coming into the 4th set, he is 1-10 in break point conversion.

There was one notable difference. The no of forehand winners from Federer were mounting. Federer’s body language was visibly different from the first two sets. With every point, he looked more and more at ease with himself, much like the old Federer we know. Despite facing several championship points in the tie breaker, Federer was able to dodge them and force a fifth set with a 10-8 win.

5th Set

The fifth set went to the wire. Federer has staged an improbable comeback. There will only be one winner at the end of the game. Will it be Federer making history as the only man since Bjorn Borg to win sixth consecutive Wimbledon or will Nadal rewrite the books as the only man since Bjorn to win the Wimbledon and French Open?

This was tennis at its highest level. As if last year fifth set classic wasn’t endearing enough, this was one for the ages.

In the end, unforced errors undid Federer as he finally lost 7-9 in the deciding set.

Nadal deserved to win because he was more consistent. His extraordinary speed and fitness ensured that his opponent forehand smashes would never be a definite winner. He must rank amongst the best retrievers of the ball, if not the best.

Federer really had himself to blame. He had 25 aces and probably as many winners as compared to Nadal who had only 6 aces. Yet he could only convert a meagre 1 of 13 break points. Nadal was more clinical in converting 4 of 13 break points. Indeed, in many of his net approaches, Federer was either not ruthless enough, or he made unforced errors. The game was lost due to Nadal’s brilliance as much as his own inability.

Lets look at the last point played for Wimbledon 2008 and the subsequent prize presentation

The future at least shows promise for Federer though, as for the first time since the start of the year, he looked as if he has finally conquered the inner demon in him. It would be exciting to watch the next match between these two great tennis players.