Tennis: Who Will Be #2?

[mauiguy90]

Federer Eyes Wimbledon 2018

Among Roger Federer's many attributes, one of the more subtle and less frequently mentioned is the almost total lack of false modesty. Somehow, the Swiss superstar manages to mix genuine self-effacement with a supreme self-confidence that never quite tips into distasteful arrogance.

With 12 Grand Slam titles to his name, including five Wimbledon crowns on the trot, Federer has an ego, to be sure. But vainglorious he is not.

And so when the 26-year-old says in a matter-of-fact way he believes he could keep winning Wimbledon for some time to come, people listen — whatever the talk that he is past his peak.

"I'll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or 10 years, you know," he said after defeating Croatia's Mario Ancic in straight sets in their quarter-final. "I think my game's made for grass. There will always be tough opponents, dangerous opponents. That has been the case for the last few years as well but I always found a way to win always.

"If it doesn't happen [this year], I'll try to win the next one again."

If that's a daunting proposition for his current crop of rivals, it also serves notice to the next generation — some of whom are possibly battling it out in the boys' event at SW19 this week.

In defeating Ancic, the man who famously dished out Federer's last Wimbledon loss, in the first round in 2002, Federer has now reached 18 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals, stretching back to Wimbledon, 2004. It's just one of his many gently percolating records, but he's not done yet.

"I think I played smart today. I served really the right way against him, because he's a dangerous player, and he tends to take net away. I've had some better draws, some tougher draws over the years here at Wimbledon.

"I was able to come through, you know, all of them the last five years, so I'm happy that this time it's worked out again as good. I really feel like I'm playing as good as the last few years.

"I feel so comfortable here on this Centre Court that my confidence level is obviously very high."

It will need to be in Friday's semi-finals, against an opponent he certainly won't take lightly: Resurgent 28-year-old Russian, Marat Safin.

"I've never looked at Marat as if he's like No.75 in the world. I mean, that's ridiculous," Federer said. "He knows that himself. He's finally showing again what he can do. It's just quite surprising he does it here at Wimbledon in some ways, because he used to dislike playing on this surface.

"It should be interesting, because last year I wasn't happy to see Safin in my draw. I'm never happy. He probably knows that. Hopefully he's got a second thing going here in his career. I'm looking forward to playing him in case he wins this."

When you're Roger Federer, you can afford to be magnanimous. After all, if you don't win it this year, you'll have plenty of other chances, right?

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Federer, Nadal Close to Wimbledon Final Showdown

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Roger Federer is back to his old self on the Wimbledon grass, and Rafael Nadal is moving ever closer to a new level of success at the All England Club.

The top two players in men’s tennis are on course to meet in their third straight Wimbledon final, but both have to get through the semifinals first.

“I don’t want to think about the final,” said Nadal, who lost to Federer in the last two Wimbledon finals but stretched the five-time defending champion to five sets last year. “Not yet.”

Both players dominated their quarterfinal opponents, with neither facing a break point in straight-set wins. Federer hasn’t been broken once through five matches at this year’s tournament.

“I feel so comfortable on this Centre Court that my confidence level is obviously very high,” Federer said after beating Mario Ancic to set up a semifinal match against two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin.

Federer’s comfort in Wimbledon has been obvious. Despite struggling at the start of the season with mononucleosis and coming into the third major of the year with only two titles, the 12-time Grand Slam champion has stretched his grass-court winning streak to 64 matches and his Wimbledon streak to 39.

“Very confident,” added Federer, who has reached the semifinals for the 17th consecutive time at a Grand Slam event.

“It’s something fantastic, no doubt. Because I know the streak before that was way lower,” Federer said of Ivan Lendl’s previous record of 10 straight major semifinal appearances. “Getting so far in every Grand Slam I’ve played for so many times in a row, it’s something that means a lot to me.”

Nadal isn’t exactly shaking at the prospect of facing Federer again, however. Last year, he wasted four break points in the fifth set, coming as close as anyone to beating Federer at the All England Club for the first time since 2002.

“Only one more point and probably I have the trophy in my home,” said Nadal, a four-time French Open champion who beat Federer in the last three finals at Roland Garros. “I don’t know if this year I’m going to have more chances (to) win the title, because last year I played the final and this year I am in semifinals only.”

In Friday’s semis, Nadal will face Rainer Schuettler, who beat Arnaud Clement 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (7), 8-6 in a match that started Wednesday but was suspended because of darkness at one set apiece. They split the next two sets Thursday, and Clement had a match point on Schuettler’s serve at 5-4, but the German hit a forehand winner before holding and eventually setting up the match against Nadal.

“Obviously a tough one,” Schuettler said of his semifinal match. “He plays unbelievable.”

In the quarterfinals, Nadal had a relatively easy win over Andy Murray, and he said it might have been his best performance at Wimbledon.

“The second half of the first and the second set especially probably was my best match here,” said Nadal, who is again trying to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

“I have to play very well if I want to win this tournament,” Nadal added. “I am playing well, but I don’t know if is enough. I hope.”

Federer has a more difficult semifinal opponent in Safin, who has put away his distaste for grass to become the first Russian man to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon in the 40-year history of the Open era.

“He’s beaten me on big occasions in the past, so I will not underestimate him, especially not in the semifinals of a Slam,” Federer said Thursday. “I have to be very careful tomorrow.”

At the 2005 Australian Open, Safin beat Federer in the semifinals on the way to winning his second Grand Slam title.

“Once he’s on a roll, he’s quite unstoppable,” Federer said.

Safin, however, is 2-8 against Federer and doesn’t think he has much of a chance against someone trying to become the first man since Willie Renshaw in 1886 to win Wimbledon six years in a row.

“I’m playing semifinals, but that doesn’t mean that I have a chance there, because the guy has won how many times already here?” Safin said. “To beat Federer you need to be Nadal and run around like a rabbit and hit winners from all over the place. … It’s just a little bit too difficult.”

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One more time Fed vs. Nadal

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Add up all of Roger Federer’s greatness on grass courts, and the numbers are striking: 40 wins in a row at Wimbledon, 65 overall on the surface.

Now he seeks an additional victory, a victory that would make him the first man since the 1880s to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles, a victory that would give him a 13th Grand Slam championship, one shy of Pete Sampras’ career record.

And a victory that would have to come against his only real rival in today’s game, Rafael Nadal.

No. 1 Federer and No. 2 Nadal set up their third straight showdown in the Wimbledon final, and sixth meeting in a major title match, by handily beating unseeded opponents Friday. Federer eliminated Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the first semifinal, and Nadal defeated Rainer Schuettler 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

“There’s one more left,” Federer said. “I don’t think it matters really a lot if I’m the favorite or not. I’m on an incredible winning streak on grass. First somebody has to be able to break that before we start talking differently.”

He reached his 16th Grand Slam final, tying him with Bjorn Borg for fourth most in history. Borg was the last man to win Wimbledon five years in a row. The only man with six successive titles was Willie Renshaw from 1881-86, but he merely needed to win one match in each of his five title defenses because back then the reigning champion got a bye directly into the final.

“A little different,” Federer noted.

On the other hand, the ease with which Federer dominates the All England Club these days sort of makes it seem as though he’s getting a pass to the second Sunday. For the second time in three years, he’s reached the final without losing a set.

“He didn’t even give me a chance,” said Safin, a former No. 1 with two major titles.

Federer walked out in his custom-designed cream cardigan, the one with the gold “RF” on the chest. Safin, in contrast, looked as though he might have just rolled out of bed, emerging from the locker room with his T-shirt wrinkled, his sneakers untied, his hair mussed. During the third set, a woman in the crowd yelled, “Come on, Safin, wake up!”

Federer did plenty well, but he served impeccably.

He smacked 14 aces, took 70 of 90 points in his service games and faced only two break points. Both came with Safin leading 2-1 in the second set, and Federer erased them in similar fashion: a second serve delivered right at Safin’s body, setting up short returns that led to forehand winners.

Federer’s return game was working, too, and he broke Safin in the match’s second game and its last one. Asked if it was easy out there, Federer said, “Easy in terms of being able to control a really dangerous player who’s got the potential to upset anyone—in this aspect, yes.”

One example: Safin beat No. 3 Novak Djokovic last week. It was Djokovic who ended Federer’s record run of reaching 10 consecutive major finals by stopping him at this year’s Australian Open, then wondered aloud before Wimbledon whether the Swiss star was slipping. Djokovic thought Federer’s 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 loss to Nadal in last month’s French Open final—his worst loss in 179 career Grand Slam matches—might have left him “a little bit shaken.”

Federer has scoffed at such suggestions and did so again Friday.

“For me, anyway, that final is out of the picture. I hardly remember anything of it. It went so quickly,” he said, without a trace of irony. “Yeah, for me it’s not really that big of a problem.”

He also alluded to the fact that while he is only 6-11 against Nadal—0-3 in French Open finals—over their careers, Federer does lead 5-2 in matches played on surfaces other than clay. That includes victories in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals, the latter a taut, five-set thriller.

That is why, Nadal acknowledged, “I believe I can win, but I also know he’s the favorite.”

Like Federer, Nadal faced only two break points Friday, and while the Spaniard did get broken once, he never was in true trouble. Thanks to that break, the 94th-ranked Schuettler went ahead 2-1 in the second set, then served for it at 5-4.

But Nadal broke the 2003 Australian Open runner-up there to pull even, and that was pretty much that. The only thing that really bothered Nadal on this day was the condition of his shoes, which he said were worn out from too much running around on the bare earth where the grass has disappeared near the Centre Court baselines. A member of Nadal’s entourage tossed a fresh pair onto the court from the stands, and Nadal was back to his usual perpetual motion.

Afterward, Nadal spoke of how a Wimbledon championship would change his career. He’ll try again, just as he did each of the past two years, to beat Federer to become the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.

“It doesn’t matter at any tournament who you beat. It matters that you get to take the trophy home,” Nadal said. “But beating Federer would be special.”

Borg showed up at the All England Club in 2007, and watched Federer match his modern mark of five consecutive titles. Borg returned this year and sat in the second row of the Royal Box on Friday, rising to clap when Federer finished off Safin to close in on breaking that tie.

“He is still hungry to win. He is still the No. 1 player in the world, and he wants to win more Grand Slam tournaments. He still has motivation to win. I think he will play many more years to come,” said Borg, who walked away from the game in his 20s. “Sooner or later someone will beat him here at Wimbledon on Centre Court, but that might not happen this year.”

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Roger and Rafa: Take Three

It is the final that most people wanted and almost everyone expected. On Sunday afternoon, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will fight it out for supremacy in SW19 for the third consecutive year.

Neither player had been overly stretched in the tournament so far, Nadal dropping just one set (to Ernests Gulbis in the second round) and Federer brandishing an unblemished record. Both cruised through their semi-finals against unseeded opposition.

On paper, Federer was facing the tougher task in the form of a resurgent Marat Safin, but the two-time Grand Slam winner made a slow start, losing his opening service game and swishing his first racquet in frustration at 4-1 down. Federer then seemed to slip into stand-by mode, content to hold serve – which was enough to secure the first set and get him through to a second set tie-break, duly dominated. The third set also went with serve until the 12th game, when the energy-conserving five-time champion upped the ante to break and win the match 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.

Nadal’s match was similarly low-key, at least as far as the No. 2 seed was concerned. Schuettler was slow out of the blocks and when Nadal took the first set 6-1, a rout looked on the cards.

The German played out of his skin in the second, however, breaking and then holding serve with grim determination. He took it as far as 5-4, but the world No. 94 could not serve out for the set. The ensuing tie-break was dominated by the Spaniard, who went on to break Schuettler’s second service game of the third set. Though the German had the consolation of saving three match points on his own serve at 5-3, Nadal served out to win by a scoreline – 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 – that bore a remarkable resemblance to Federer’s.

In a men’s doubles semi-final carried over from Thursday, No. 2 seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic made it to their second consecutive Grand Slam final by overcoming No. 9 seeds Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes 8-6 in the final set. They face No. 8 seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Kevin Ullyett, who ousted the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, a day earlier.

The doubles specialist-brothers will, however, contest the mixed doubles final – obviously on opposite sides of the net. Bob and Samantha Stosur defeated defending champion Jamie Murray and Liezel Huber, while Mike and Katarina Srebotnik beat Igor Andreev and Maria Kirilenko.

Another sibling pair – the Williams sisters – took the penultimate step towards a clean sweep of the ladies’ silverware by winning through to the doubles finals, defeating Nathalie Dechy and Casey Dellacqua in straight sets. They will face Sam Stosur and Lisa Raymond on Saturday evening – by which time one of the sisters will already have hoisted the Venus Rosewater Dish aloft.

[Heng]

Probably going to be Nadal's year. Just a few advantages here and there is all it takes at this level.... the main one being Federer's Nadal complex.

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Finalists Federer and Nadal Know Each Other Well

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—After moving within a victory of his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title, Roger Federer found time to catch only a few games of Rafael Nadal's semifinal.

Federer does have a DVD of Nadal's match, but he wasn't exactly rushing to use it for scouting purposes before they meet for the Wimbledon championship Sunday.

"I know plenty already," Federer said. "I'll watch more if I think I have to, but at the moment, I think I know everything that I need to."

He certainly should. After all, Sunday's encounter will be the sixth Grand Slam title match between the No. 1-ranked Federer and No. 2 Nadal, more than for any other pair of men in the 40-year Open era.

"I think it's quite incredible, myself," Federer said, "that we've played each other so many times on so many big occasions."

While he isn't exactly sure where their rivalry stands in tennis annals, when discussing it Saturday, Federer did toss around names such as Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Lendl, Becker, Edberg, Agassi and Sampras.

"I don't know how it will be looked at in many years' time, because at the moment, you are right in it, and you try to win the matches that come along against your main rival. It's hard," Federer said. "I know it's something special what we're going through at the moment."

They met in the past three French Open finals, with Nadal winning each time.

And now they will meet in their third consecutive Wimbledon final, with Federer holding a 2-0 edge, part of his record-tying streak of five titles in a row at the All England Club.

Some significant milestones are at stake Sunday.

Federer, who tied Bjorn Borg's modern mark of five Wimbledon titles last year, is trying to become the first man since the 1880s to win six consecutive Wimbledon championships. When Willie Renshaw collected six successive titles from 1881-86, though, he had to play only one match during each of his defenses because the reigning champion was given a bye to the final then.

Nadal, for his part, is aiming to become the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.

"Both Federer and Nadal are hungry. Nadal for the last two years has lost in the final and I know he wants to win this one very badly. Roger wants to win it six in a row, but he is not satisfied. He wants to win more Wimbledons, more grand slams," Borg said. "They push each other, each time they play … to the limits."

Nadal leads the head-to-head series 11-6, though away from clay, Federer leads 5-2. It will be the 14th Federer-Nadal matchup in a tournament final, putting the pair fourth in Open era history, behind only Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe (20); Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras (16); Boris Becker vs. Stefan Edberg (16); and Jimmy Connors vs. McEnroe (15).

Given that Federer is only 26 years old, and Nadal 22, they could be adding to their total for some time.

Consider, also, just how much better Federer and Nadal have been than their contemporaries. Federer is in his record 231st straight week atop the rankings, while Nadal is in his record 154th straight week right behind him.

"Sure, it is a nice rivalry because we are No. 1 and No. 2. That's the main rivalry because if someone is No. 1 and the other one is No. 5 doesn't matter, no?" Nadal said. "But for the last years we did well, and I hope (it continues) like this for a lot of years."

They might not be the best of pals, but they do have a good relationship. Last year, when Nadal was having trouble arranging a commercial flight from a tournament in Montreal to another in Ohio, Federer gave him a lift on a private jet.

When they run into each other in the locker room, they'll chat, often about soccer. Nadal once asked Federer, years ago, to play doubles with him, although it hasn't happened.

And there clearly is mutual respect.

Both speak in glowing terms about the other's game, even if Federer is not a huge fan of how much time Nadal takes between points.

Said Federer about Nadal: "He's definitely made me more tough."

Said Nadal about Federer: "He plays specially, very nice all the time, very easy. Sometimes you (get distracted) watching his game."

In the 2006 Wimbledon final, Federer beat Nadal in four sets. Last year, they went five sets, and Nadal came close to breaking through, earning four break points in the fifth set—two apiece at 1-1 and 2-2—but failing to convert any.

If Nadal appears to be getting closer to Federer on grass, the gap seems to be widening on clay. In last month's French Open final, Nadal dropped only four games while handing Federer his worst loss in a Grand Slam match.

"Beating me or beating Rafa in a Grand Slam final, you can really say the guy deserved to win," Federer said. "Beating your main rival is always a big thrill."

Edited July 6, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Probably going to be Nadal's year. Just a few advantages here and there is all it takes at this level.... the main one being Federer's Nadal complex.

Although Nadal may pull this one out, I'm inclined to think that Fed will maintain the #1 position till the end of the year. He is too consistent especially in the major tournaments (18 straight semis in majors) to lose his points lead. Djokovic is still more show than action; Nadal is not a great hard court player.

On the other hand, although Federer apparently thinks he can play forever, it won't be at the top of the pack. I do think next year someone else will edge him out for #1. If he drops below #2, he will lose his seeding advantage and may take a shocking drop in his ranking.

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Thailand has new budding champion

Noppawan loses final at Wimbledon

Thai junior tennis player Noppawan Lertcheewakarn failed to win the final of the girls’ singles at Wimbledon in England late last night.

Noppawan, 16, lost to Briton Laura Robson, 14, 3-6, 6-3, 1-6. It was a fine showing for the Chiang Mai girl who is known as ‘‘Nok’’. In the first set Robson needed just one break of serve to take the set. Despite having a much slower serve, Noppawan held serve throughout the second set, breaking Robson at 2-all and again at 5-2 to send the match into a final deciding set.

Using her big serve and forehand and with the partisan crowd behind her, Robson blitzed the Thai in the final set for a well-deserved victory.

‘‘Tammy [Tanasugarn] gave me some tactics playing on grass. I really want to win a trophy and be in the Champions’ Ball with Federer,’’ Noppawan had reportedly said before the match.

Wimbledon marks a stellar rise for the young Thai who won her first senior event, on the Challenger’s Tour in Indonesia, in May. She is currently the top ranked junior girl with the Asian Tennis Federation and 4th ranked in the world.

From starting to play tennis as a fiveyear-old, her first big opportunity came when she was discovered by Ric Fowler, an American living in Chiang Mai.

Mr Fowler created a non-profit foundation (www.ricofoundation.org) that among other objectives was to provide long-term funding for a youth tennis programme.

He spotted her playing tennis on the hospital courts where her mother worked as a nurse and after observing her rapid progress, he contacted a coach from Germany and the foundation began sponsoring Noppawan to train seriously and travel abroad. She is now sponsored by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand and is coached by Rung-rit Takong.

[Heng]

Probably going to be Nadal's year. Just a few advantages here and there is all it takes at this level.... the main one being Federer's Nadal complex.

Although Nadal may pull this one out, I'm inclined to think that Fed will maintain the #1 position till the end of the year. He is too consistent especially in the major tournaments (18 straight semis in majors) to lose his points lead. Djokovic is still more show than action; Nadal is not a great hard court player.

On the other hand, although Federer apparently thinks he can play forever, it won't be at the top of the pack. I do think next year someone else will edge him out for #1. If he drops below #2, he will lose his seeding advantage and may take a shocking drop in his ranking.

I actually thought Nadal would win in 3-4 sets, not a 5 setter. Watching it yesterday, I really thought Fed might have pulled it out in the end. Oh well. All good things must come to an end.

Still hoping for another good year or two out of Federer. Two things he has going for him (or rather against Nadal) -at least as of now- is that there are actually more players that have a 'chance' of taking out Nadal in any particular non-clay match than there are that can have the same chance of taking out Federer. Also, Nadal is way too strapped up health wise for a 22 year old pro. Even odds that he won't even make it to 26 as a top 10 pro, like Fed has.

[mauiguy90]

Probably going to be Nadal's year. Just a few advantages here and there is all it takes at this level.... the main one being Federer's Nadal complex.

Although Nadal may pull this one out, I'm inclined to think that Fed will maintain the #1 position till the end of the year. He is too consistent especially in the major tournaments (18 straight semis in majors) to lose his points lead. Djokovic is still more show than action; Nadal is not a great hard court player.

On the other hand, although Federer apparently thinks he can play forever, it won't be at the top of the pack. I do think next year someone else will edge him out for #1. If he drops below #2, he will lose his seeding advantage and may take a shocking drop in his ranking.

I actually thought Nadal would win in 3-4 sets, not a 5 setter. Watching it yesterday, I really thought Fed might have pulled it out in the end. Oh well. All good things must come to an end.

Still hoping for another good year or two out of Federer. Two things he has going for him (or rather against Nadal) -at least as of now- is that there are actually more players that have a 'chance' of taking out Nadal in any particular non-clay match than there are that can have the same chance of taking out Federer. Also, Nadal is way too strapped up health wise for a 22 year old pro. Even odds that he won't even make it to 26 as a top 10 pro, like Fed has.

Great final! I thought at the end of the 2nd set, Federer was finished but then Nadal fell, it rained and two tiebreakers later, it was all square. I'm sure a lot of people thought that Nadal was done then as well but he is a great fighter. Just an outstanding match that really had no losers, especially all of us that were lucky enough to watch!

[mauiguy90]

Nadal Dethrones Federer in 5 Set Thriller

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—With darkness enveloping Centre Court and the clock showing 9:15 p.m., Rafael Nadal watched as Roger Federer’s errant forehand settled into the net, ending what might have been the greatest men’s final on the greatest stage in tennis.

With that, Nadal flopped onto his back on the worn-out lawn as champion of Wimbledon for the first time and conqueror of the five-time winner and grass-court master.

After five riveting sets and 4 hours, 48 minutes of play, there was a changing of the guard at Wimbledon on Sunday when Nadal held off Federer’s stirring comeback to win 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7.

“It’s impossible to explain what I felt in that moment,” Nadal said after receiving the winner’s trophy from the Duke of Kent. “Just very, very happy to win this title. For me, (it) is a dream to play in this tournament. But to win, I never imagined something like this.”

Nadal, winner of four straight French Open championships, is no longer just the King of Clay.

He’s the first Spanish man to win at the All England Club since Manolo Santana in 1966 and, more significantly, the first player to sweep the French Open and Wimbledon men’s titles in the same year since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

Federer, who converted only one of 13 break points but saved two match points in the fourth set tiebreaker, fell short in his bid to set two landmarks: He failed to surpass Borg by winning a sixth consecutive title or equal Willie Renshaw’s record of six in a row from 1881-86.

Both Borg and Santana were in the Royal Box for the occasion, the longest singles final in Wimbledon history and one that many rated as an epic for the ages.

“This is the greatest match I’ve ever seen,” said John McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion and a television commentator at the tournament.

Nadal, who snapped Federer’s Wimbledon winning streak at 40 matches and overall grass-court run at 65, climbed into the players’ guest box to embrace his entourage. He grabbed a Spanish flag and walked across the television commentators’ booth to the edge of the Royal Box to shake hands with Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain.

Was this Nadal’s greatest match?

“Probably the best, yes,” said the 22-year-old Spaniard from Mallorca. “When I won for the first time the French Open (it) was unbelievable, too. I don’t want to compare Grand Slams, but Wimbledon is special for everybody. Tradition, everything. For me, it’s more surprise to win here than the French.”

As for Federer, he called it “probably my hardest loss, by far.”

Federer said he thought the match, which started late due to rain and was interrupted twice by showers, should have been suspended and carried over to Monday because of the fading light.

“It’s rough on me now, obviously, to lose the biggest tournament in the world over maybe a bit of light,” he said.

Nadal, too, wasn’t sure the match could go on any longer.

“In the last game, I didn’t see nothing, it’s true,” he said. “It was unbelievable. I thought we have to stop. If I lose that game, we have to stop.”

Nadal won his fifth Grand Slam title, adding to his four consecutive French Open championships. Federer, meanwhile, remains two shy of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam wins.

“He’s still No. 1,” Nadal said. “He’s still the best. He’s still five-time champion here and I only have one, so for me it is very, very important.”

Nadal, who has won 24 straight matches, extended his career record against Federer to 12-6, but it was only his third win in six against him on a surface other than clay. Nadal had lost in the last two Wimbledon finals to Federer.

Sunday’s victory was Nadal’s second straight over Federer in a Grand Slam final—and this time on the champion’s favorite court and surface. Nadal crushed Federer in last month’s French Open final, losing only four games.

As Nadal and Federer battled through the fifth set in the fading light, they were like two heavyweight prize fighters going toe-to-toe in the late rounds of a title fight. The overall intensity and quality of the match recalled the 1980 final between Borg and McEnroe, which the Swede won in the fifth set after losing an 18-16 tiebreaker.

Federer had mixed feelings about being part of a classic.

“It’s sort of always nice to be part of them,” he said. “Probably later in life, I’ll go, ‘That was a great match.’ But right now, it’s not much of a feel-good thing. It’s not up to us to judge if it was the best ever.”

Federer lost despite serving 25 aces and smacking 89 winners, 29 more than Nadal. But he was more erratic than his opponent, committing 52 unforced errors, compared to 27 for Nadal.

Federer came close to becoming the first player to overcome a two-set deficit in a Wimbledon men’s final since 1927, when Henri Cochet beat Jean Borotra.

The fourth-set tiebreaker featured brilliant winners by both players, sudden changes of momentum—and two missed match points for Nadal.

The Spaniard was serving at 5-2 in the tiebreaker, two points from victory, when he let Federer off the hook with a double-fault and a backhand error. After saving a set point at 6-5, Nadal earned match points at 7-6 and 8-7 but couldn’t convert. Federer erased the first with a 127 mph service winner and the second with a backhand pass down the line.

“I was hoping with the momentum going into the fifth set, that it was going to be enough, that I would play a little bit better,” Federer said. “But I couldn’t play my best when I really had to.”

[mauiguy90]

Defeat Plunges Federer Into Gloom

Roger Federer described his Wimbledon final defeat by Rafael Nadal as the most painful loss of his career, but vowed that he is not about to give up his world number one status to his great rival.

"It is probably my hardest loss by far, there is not much harder than this right now," the despondent Swiss star admitted after losing one of the greatest Grand Slam finals 9-7 in the fifth set after four hours and 48 minutes of extraordinary drama on the All England club's Centre Court.

Having been part of a final that will rank alongside the great Bjorn Borg–John McEnroe classic of 1980 provided little in the way of solace for Federer, who was denied the opportunity to surpass Borg's run of five consecutive titles.

"It is always nice to be part of great matches. Later on in life I will look back on it as a great match but right now there is not much of a feel-good factor or anything positive about it," he said ruefully.

Federer, 26, was gracious in his praise for the performance of Nadal, who had threatened to repeat his straight sets win in last month's French Open final after claiming the first two sets here.

But his bitterness at losing his Wimbledon crown was reflected in a gripe about the fact that the match, which was twice interrupted for rain, was finished in rapidly fading light.

"I almost could not see who I was playing at the end, it was not funny," Federer said, revealing that he would have asked for play to be suspended for the night if he had broken back to level the match at 8-8 in the final set.

"It would have been brutal for the fans, for the media and for us to come back tomorrow but it is also tough on me to lose the biggest tournament in the world because of a loss of light."

Federer could console himself with the fact that he played, in patches at least, as well as he had done in any of the five previous finals here.

But the relentless quality of Nadal's resistance was underlined by the fact that the world number one was able to convert just one of the 13 breakpoints he generated over the course of the five sets, and was hustled into a total of 52 unforced errors, almost twice his opponent's tally.

"I thought I played well overall but I missed too many chances in the first couple of sets," he confessed. "I was struggling with the wind a little bit.

"On some of the break points Rafa played great, on others I played poorly. I should have decided much more what I really wanted to do but Rafa keeps you thinking and that is what great players do.

"I was not able to break him in last three sets but I pushed him right to the end."

Despite Nadal's triumphs here and at Roland Garros, Federer will remain world number one for now – and he did not take kindly to a suggestion that he should be preparing to hand that position over to his Spanish rival.

"You write what you want," he snapped. "I'm going to try and win the Olympics and the US Open and then we can talk again."

Federer did not let his reign at Wimbledon end without an almighty scrap.

After holding his nerve to win a third set tie-break, he then saved two match points at the end of the fourth and, for much of the fifth he looked the more likely winner.

"It was a great feeling to turn it around in the fourth set tiebreak and to push it to the fifth set was awesome," he said. "I really thought that with the momentum and having won in five sets last year that I was going to do it again.

"I saw he was getting very nervous in the fourth set tiebreak. He could not make the returns he usually does. I really felt he was feeling it and the momentum was with me."

[mauiguy90]

Darkest Hour for Federer

After his epic five-set battle, Roger Federer was due in the press interview room at 9.55pm, with the newly minted champion Rafael Nadal next up at 10.20pm. Perhaps to make sure that he would only have to do the 10-minute minimum as the world waited for him to dissect his defeat, the beaten finalist eventually appeared, red-eyed and disconsolate, at 10.10pm on the dot. What followed was as much of a roller-coaster as the match itself.

"I thought we both played well," he said, before beginning a litany of lethargically raised eyebrows and shrugged shoulders. "The rain didn’t help me that much – I didn’t win the match, did I? I was struggling with the wind a little bit and the light was tough but that was not an excuse. This is probably the hardest loss of my career so far."

Once the conference moved into French, Federer suddenly became decidedly more blunt and to the point. "I couldn’t see who I was playing against by the end," he said with another shrug which he used as punctuation to make it quite clear that he had no intention of giving a more detailed answer.

When asked whether it was a consolation that it was a great player like Nadal who had put an end to his 65-match winning streak, Federer’s humour became even darker. "No. Zero consolation. I didn’t learn anything new from today – certainly not about how to play him on grass. This really hurts… Losing Paris for me was nothing, losing here is a disaster." No more, no less.

The straw that broke the camel’s back came when he was quizzed about the vast haul of points he will have to defend in the coming tournaments – far more than Nadal – if he is to remain number one in the rankings. "Write what you want," he glowered after a sigh, a pause and a shrug. "I’m going to try to win at the Olympics and the US Open and have a good end to the season. That’s it."

Though the Swiss German media tried to perk his spirits up by asking him whether he would take some holidays prior to beginning the second half of the hard-court season, there was no consoling Roger. The bigger they come, the harder they fall, and there had been none bigger than Federer here at Wimbledon.

[mauiguy90]

Becker: Nadal is the New King

Boris Becker says the newest king of tennis was crowned at Wimbledon as Rafael Nadal ended the glory run of Roger Federer.

Germany's own tennis icon said that after watching the pair play possibly the greatest Wimbledon final ever a fortnight ago, he thinks the guard at the top has been changed – even if the rankings continue to show Federer as number one.

"Obviously in the world rankings, there is still a number one called Federer," said the 40-year-old Becker on Monday prior to his induction into a local Canadian Hall of fame at the Toronto Masters.

"But if you talk to anybody in the world of tennis, the number one is the winner of French Open and Wimbledon.

"I think there's a change in position at the moment," he said of his opinion that Nadal must now be considered the best player in the world ahead of the Swiss.

"The winner is known now so you have to give credit."

Becker said that Nadal's fast rise is due to his own improvement, not a fall in Federer's lethal form.

"Nadal has just improved to a level that nobody expected him to play," Becker said.

"We all knew that he's great on clay, but nobody expected him to play that well on grass."

And Becker thinks it bodes well this summer on hard courts for the Spaniard.

"Even now on the hard courts, he's going to have big improvements. It's because of the serve. He has a much better serve and much better positioning on the court on a hard surface. That's the reason why he's at the position right now."

Becker said that Federer "is playing as good as always. He didn't drop a set at Wimbledon into the finals.

"You cannot really blame him for playing badly," Becker said.

"You can only give credit of Nadal really raising his game to another level and winning."

[mauiguy90]

What a shocking defeat by Fed against the Frenchman Simon! I thought he had it all wrapped up when he broke early in the 3rd set but he kept giving away points, especially in the final game. Maybe Fed will lose his #1 position very soon!

[Heng]

Yeah, rough first round loss to a no-namer.

Probably hasn't recovered from Wimbledon. Part of the issue IMO (yeah, we're all experts), is that he started focusing on topping Pete's record instead of taking it tournament by tournament.

[mauiguy90]

Yeah, rough first round loss to a no-namer.

Probably hasn't recovered from Wimbledon. Part of the issue IMO (yeah, we're all experts), is that he started focusing on topping Pete's record instead of taking it tournament by tournament.

Another early round loss by Federer! He has apparently lost some confidence and is now losing to guys that he used to be able to beat by winning the big points. Although I've read accounts that Fed is in a freefall, I think he still has time to pull himself together in time for the US Open.

However, it looks quite likely that there will be a new #1 next week assuming Nadal wins the next couple matches. Even if Fed falls to #2, his seeding will give him a decent draw in most tournaments. If he falls to #3, then he will have to beat either Nadal or Djokovic in the semis of the majors and/or Master's series tournaments, just to make a final. Then he will probably take a significant tumble in the rankings in a very short period of time.

[Heng]

Loved the Empire Strikes Back theme after his USO win.

Go Fed.

[Kadafi]

In couple years time Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray will be 1 and 2...

[Heng]

No need to wait a couple years. Rafa's #1 now. Murray has peaked at 4 IMO (despite the wishful thinking/writing in the Brit press). Fed is an elder statesman at 27, but he has that low injury risk style of play.

I bet it'll be completely new field battling at the top in two years (Gulbis, DelPotro, etc.). Nadal, Djokovic, AND Murray all have injury prone playing styles at a rather young age: 21-22.

[lazeeboy]

federer no1 very soon

[Kadafi]

No need to wait a couple years. Rafa's #1 now. Murray has peaked at 4 IMO (despite the wishful thinking/writing in the Brit press). Fed is an elder statesman at 27, but he has that low injury risk style of play.

I bet it'll be completely new field battling at the top in two years (Gulbis, DelPotro, etc.). Nadal, Djokovic, AND Murray all have injury prone playing styles at a rather young age: 21-22.

lol how can you say Murray has peaked at 4, he is only just starting out and is only 21..Fed was 23 before he won a grand slam. This year Murray has improved in all area's and seemed to of grown out of his negative attitude in regards to dropping his head when things weren't going too well and moaning about little injuries.

Fed in a couple years at 29 will start to decline, Rafa is No.1 and even though Fed might win US open for next couple years i can't see him ever beating Rafa at the French, Fed might possibly win in Austrlia but Winbledon with Nadal and Murray at home will be very difficult.

2 years from now it will be:

1. Nadal

2. Murray

3. Djokovic

4. Fed

[Heng]

No need to wait a couple years. Rafa's #1 now. Murray has peaked at 4 IMO (despite the wishful thinking/writing in the Brit press). Fed is an elder statesman at 27, but he has that low injury risk style of play.

I bet it'll be completely new field battling at the top in two years (Gulbis, DelPotro, etc.). Nadal, Djokovic, AND Murray all have injury prone playing styles at a rather young age: 21-22.

lol how can you say Murray has peaked at 4, he is only just starting out and is only 21..Fed was 23 before he won a grand slam. This year Murray has improved in all area's and seemed to of grown out of his negative attitude in regards to dropping his head when things weren't going too well and moaning about little injuries.

Fed in a couple years at 29 will start to decline, Rafa is No.1 and even though Fed might win US open for next couple years i can't see him ever beating Rafa at the French, Fed might possibly win in Austrlia but Winbledon with Nadal and Murray at home will be very difficult.

2 years from now it will be:

1. Nadal

2. Murray

3. Djokovic

4. Fed

We're all experts is how I can say it.

You'll see an example at the Master's Cup when Murray tanks Gaudio style. He beat a tired and worn down (from the season) Nadal. His win over Del Potro was IMO a better indicator of his progress.

2 years from now I think we'll see a considerably different field entirely, maybe even without Nadal and Fed in the top 8.

Just making a prediction for next year's slams is way in the future.

Edited September 12, 2008 by Heng

[mauiguy90]

Fed in a couple years at 29 will start to decline, Rafa is No.1 and even though Fed might win US open for next couple years i can't see him ever beating Rafa at the French, Fed might possibly win in Austrlia but Winbledon with Nadal and Murray at home will be very difficult.

2 years from now it will be:

1. Nadal

2. Murray

3. Djokovic

4. Fed

See Murray as definitely on the rise but agree that all of these guys are either injury prone or will be past their prime in a couple years. Nadal is so mentally tough that he will be on the top in a couple years but the others will be either in the lower part of the top ten or even as low as the top twenty. In two years, Fed will be retired.

1. Nadal

2. Del Potro

3. Almagro

4. Querry

5. Tsonga

[Heng]

Yeah, that's a more realistic list, but I think you can add Nadal to the injury prone list. No big injury so far, but those knee wraps don't give a lot of confidence. His game is too rough and tumble to last more than a couple of more years. (and I'll go out on a limb and say that it won't even last another year)

[junki3korean]

Djokovic !!!!!!!!

[Jimjim]

The OP of the thread is hilarious. To assume makes an ass out of u and in this case u again. Federer had to be knocked down sometime.

Edited September 19, 2008 by Jimjim

[mauiguy90]

The OP of the thread is hilarious. To assume makes an ass out of u and in this case u again. Federer had to be knocked down sometime.

Funny how opinionated people get after the fact. Never heard a peep from this cr--p earlier and now he's a know it all!

Jimjim, you have amazing 20-20 hindsight!!!! LOL

The OP

Edited September 19, 2008 by mauiguy90