Cheryl Murray

• Rafael Nadal the grass court god - who would have guessed

  2008-07-08 17:43:00
  

  Apparently Wimbledon changes everything. I should rephrase that – Wimbledon changes everything when the final is a Shakespearean drama played out over five of the most intense sets of tennis the sport has ever seen. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the two warriors in a battle of attrition; a ballet of retreat and attack, culminating in a breathtaking coup that left both men and many of the viewers in tears.
  
  There was something of the inevitable about Sunday. Rafael Nadal had gotten so close in 2007. Those four break point chances in the fifth set that he failed to convert sealed his fate and Federer added a fifth trophy to his burgeoning collection. But the Spaniard had pressed Federer – hard. And I personally think that deep down in a place "humble little Rafa" doesn't talk about, he believed he was the better player that day. As Roger found to his bitter disappointment, when Rafael Nadal has that kind of belief, it's fatal for his opponents.
  
  It had to be this way. If Roger Federer was going to lose the crown it had to be to Nadal in an epic match in the final. No George Bastl this time. If I had the words of Keats I might be able to do this match justice. I'm no poet, but I'll do my best.
  
  I am a long time tennis fan and I have seen many memorable matches – but nothing even comes close to what I saw on Sunday. Those two men left everything out on the court. We witnessed elation and crushing disappointment, iron will versus single minded resolve. There were more fantastic shots at the four hour mark than most matches enjoy in the first set. This final featured a series of unexpected twists and turns that would have made Sherlock Holmes proud.
  
  How many momentum shifts were there? I almost lost track. Except the first, each individual set played like a mini-match. I'll never know how Nadal managed to win that second set. When does Federer ever get broken twice in a row on grass? I can't begin to explain how Federer came back in the third set after being down two sets and three break points. It is amazing that Federer faced two championship points in the tiebreaker in the fourth, but pulled out the set anyway. And we can't forget the big one. Rafael Nadal managed to ignore the fact that he had been up two sets. That he messed up two Championship points. That he missed numerous opportunities early in the fifth to get the break. He ignored all of that and played brilliant tennis game after game after game until finally – FINALLY he got the win.
  
  Credit must be given to Roger Federer for fighting like a demon to hold onto a title that was once considered his property. He has been accused more than once for lacking a fighting spirit. He proved yesterday that he has that in spades. He fought that entire match from behind and never gave up belief that he could win it. Roger Federer went down, but he went down kicking and screaming the whole way. Unlike the French Open, he never displayed resignation.
  
  In the end though, it is Rafael Nadal who proved the stronger. He has long been touted as the most mentally tough player on the tour, but even his most diehard fans had to have given up hope after the fourth set. NOBODY can recover from that kind of "could have been". He did though. Against all odds, he ploughed through the fifth set every bit as confident as he'd been in the first. The impossibility of it all just makes the result that much more wonderful.
  
  I'll admit it. I cried when the match was over - in appreciation for having just witnessed history being made and for what those two shared with us. I shed tears for Federer's heartbreak and Nadal's triumph. I gaped when Toni Nadal lost his composure for the first time ever as he jumped into the aisle on match point. I smiled at Roger's father Robert giving Rafa a standing ovation when he hopped in the friends and family box, and cried again when Mirka patted his leg in congratulations, even though she was visibly crushed. I doubt highly if this experience will ever be duplicated. Actually, right at this moment, while I'm savoring the best match I've ever seen, I don't want it to be. I want this to be tucked in the annals of history as the best ever. Viva la tennis.

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