Revue de presse de la finale de Wimbledon 2008 Nadal-Federer

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Nadal outlasts Federer in epic final to halt streak at five

WIMBLEDON, England -- Rafael Nadal, grass stains on his white shirt and a Spanish flag tucked under his arm,
scampered through the Centre Court stands to celebrate his first Wimbledon title with hugs and handshakes.

Roger Federer sat in his changeover chair, protected from the night's chill by his custom-made cream cardigan with the gold "RF" on the chest. Alone with his thoughts, alone with the knowledge that he had come so close to becoming the first man since the 1880s to win a sixth consecutive championship at the All England Club.

Two points from victory, the No. 1-ranked Federer couldn't pull it out, instead succumbing to No. 2 Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 Sunday night in a 4-hour, 48-minute test of wills that was the longest men's final in Wimbledon history -- and quite possibly the greatest.

Even Nadal felt sympathy for Federer.

"I am very happy for me," Nadal said, "but sorry for him, because he deserved this title, too."

Rafael Nadal prevailed 6-4, 6-4,
6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 in the longest final in Wimbledon history.

Through rain, wind and descending darkness, the two greatest players of their generation swapped spectacular shots, until, against a slate sky, Nadal earned the right to fling his racket aside and collapse on his back, champion of the All England Club at last.

"Is impossible to explain what I felt in that moment, no?" Nadal said after accepting the golden trophy that has belonged to Federer since 2003.

The first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year, Nadal stopped Federer's streaks of 40 victories in a row at the All England Club, and a record 65 in a row on grass, thereby stamping his supremacy in their rivalry, no matter what the rankings say.

"Probably my hardest loss, by far," Federer said. "I mean, it's not much harder than this right now."

No man since 1927 had come back to win a Wimbledon final after losing the first two sets, and none had overcome a match point to seize victory since 1948. If anyone could, it figured to be Federer, especially on this particular lawn.

He hadn't lost a match on grass since 2002, and he hadn't lost a set during this tournament before Sunday. He also hadn't faced anyone nearly as talented and indefatigable as Nadal.

"Look, Rafa's a deserving champion," Federer said. "He just played fantastically."

Indeed he did, earning Spain its first Wimbledon men's title since Manolo Santana won in 1966.

Nadal managed to regroup after blowing a two-set lead, managed to recover after wasting two match points in the fourth-set tiebreaker, managed to hold steady when Federer needed only two points to end the match while ahead 5-4 in the fifth.

Fast Facts

• Rafael Nadal became the first man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

• Roger Federer failed to become the first man to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles since William Renshaw (1881-86).

• Federer fell one match short of tying Borg's record 41-match win streak at Wimbledon and saw his Open Era-record grass court winning streak end at 65 matches.

• Federer has now gone three majors without winning a Grand Slam title, his longest drought since he won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003.

He earned his fifth Grand Slam title, but first away from the French Open, by showing fortitude on his serve, saving 12 of 13 break points. He did it by breaking serve four times -- twice as many times as Federer lost serve in his previous six matches combined. And Nadal did it by being better from the baseline, winning 24 of 38 points that lasted 10 or more strokes, according to an unofficial AP tally.

"He was rock-solid, the way we know him," said Federer, who hit 25 aces. "He's definitely improved his game."

Borg and Santana watched from the front row of the Royal Box at Centre Court, which next year will have a retractable roof. Perhaps Mother Nature wanted one last chance to leave her mark, delaying Sunday's start by 35 minutes with rain. Showers again caused a delay of 1 hour, 21 minutes late in the third set, then another of 30 minutes at 2-2, deuce, in the fifth set.

When action resumed at 8:23 p.m., it already was tough to see, and the players traded service holds until 7-7. That's where Nadal finally broke through, as Federer's forehand really began to break down. A forehand into the net gave Nadal his fourth break point, and a forehand long conceded the game -- the first break of serve by either man since the second set.

Nadal still had to serve out the match, though, and he still had to avoid the sort of nerves Federer noticed when his opponent led 5-2 in the fourth-set tiebreaker.

"I played terrible there," said Nadal, who double-faulted to 5-3.

Down 6-5 in that tiebreaker, Federer erased a match point with a 127 mph service winner. Down 8-7 -- again, one point from losing -- Federer hit a backhand passing winner.

A forehand winner put Federer ahead 9-8, and when Nadal missed a backhand return, the match was even. Federer jumped and screamed, and the crowd of about 15,000 joined him.

"Rafa keeps you thinking, and that's what the best players do to each other in the end," Federer said. "That's what we both do to each other."

It was their sixth Grand Slam final, already more than between any other pair of men in the 40-year Open era, and there could be several to follow. Federer is only 26, after all, and Nadal is 22. Federer has led the rankings for a record 231 consecutive weeks, and Nadal has been second for a record 154.

Nadal defeated Federer at the French Open en route to each of his championships there, in the 2005 semifinals and the past three finals, including a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 rout last month that was Federer's most lopsided loss in 180 career Grand Slam matches.

But the Swiss star kept reminding everyone this week that he has had the upper hand on surfaces other than clay.

Not this time.

Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon final in four sets, and the 2007 final in five. Although the latter was certainly suspenseful, it featured neither the drama nor the all-around excellence of Sunday's encounter, which ended at 9:15 p.m., when Federer pushed a forehand into the net on Nadal's fourth match point.

Federer made clear afterward he was not pleased that play continued despite the low visibility at the end.

"It's rough on me now, obviously, you know, to lose the biggest tournament in the world over maybe a bit of light," he said.

Said Nadal: "In the last game, I didn't see nothing."

Both players figured that if Federer had broken back to 8-8 in the fifth, play would have been suspended until Monday because of darkness.

"It would have been brutal," Federer said.

It didn't happen. Nadal came through.

Afterward, the new champion was asked if it was the greatest match he'd ever played. Plenty of others around the grounds, including John McEnroe -- whose five-set loss to Borg in 1980 gets many votes -- already were calling it the greatest match they'd ever seen.

"I don't know if it's the best," Nadal said.

Then he thought about it for a moment.

"Probably," he continued. "Probably the best, yes."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press





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Prematch
Before Wimbledon began, it seemed like the experts were 50-50 on who'd win the men's final, five-time defending champion Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. Nadal thrashed the Swiss in the French Open final a month ago and followed it up by claiming his first title on grass at the Artois Championships.

As the current fortnight progressed, Federer appears to have gained in popularity.

He hasn't lost a set in six matches -- yes, he hasn't faced anyone in the top 25 -- to seemingly put the Roland Garros debacle behind him. Nadal looked sharp in routing the dangerous trio of Nicolas Kiefer, Mikhail Youzhny and Andy Murray, yet wasn't as convincing in a straight-sets semifinal victory over German veteran Rainer Schuettler who was coming off a five-hour quarterfinal spread over two days.

Nadal, while leading the overall series 11-6, has failed to top Federer on a surface other than clay since early 2006, including the past two Wimbledon finals. The first set figures to be vital. In their last 10 meetings, the first-set winner has prevailed nine times. Check these stats out, too: Nadal is 66-1 in Grand Slam play when taking the first set; Federer is 141-4. Both are undefeated at Wimbledon when doing so.

A reminder of what's at stake -- Federer is trying to become the first man in more than a century to win six straight Wimbledon titles, while Nadal is seeking to become the first man to win the French and Wimbledon in the same season since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

First set
After two weeks of mostly fine weather, intermittent rain hit London early Sunday, accompanied by blustery winds. Somewhat fortunately, though, the players appear on Centre Court only 23 minutes late, at 2:23 p.m. local time.

Federer looks relaxed, letting out a smile, as he makes his way to what's coming to be known as his backyard. Manolo Santana, the last Spaniard to win the Wimbledon men's crown in 1966, shakes Nadal's hand.

Federer wins the toss, and, as usual, elects to serve first.

Federer has blitzed five of his six opponents in the first set at Wimbledon this year, so Nadal needs to hang in there; Federer took the opening set in each of the two previous two finals.

And we're off. And a what a good way to start, too.

A 14-stroke rally ending with Nadal unleashing a forehand winner that clips the back of the line. Nadal gets a second serve to look at on the second point again, but delivers a forehand wide to get Federer on the board. Federer takes advantage of short balls in the next two rallies to go up 40-15 and delivers his first ace to hold comfortably. 1-0 Federer.

"If Nadal wins this match, I feel it's almost inevitable he will be the No. 1 in the coming months,'' Tim Henman, calling the match for the BBC, said.

At 15-0 in the second game, Nadal has Federer pinned back following a cross-court forehand to the Federer backhand. Instead of coming in, though, like he has throughout the tournament, he stays back and pays the price, Federer later putting away a routine volley for 15-all. The first double fault -- into the net -- later makes it 40-30, although Federer sends a routine forehand wide. All five serves in play that game went to Federer's backhand, similar to the French Open final. 1-1.

The first real opportunity to break. At 15-all, Nadal sends back a good return off a first serve, forcing an error. Back to 30-all following a good second serve.

The first break chance arises when Federer nets a routine backhand -- and Nadal takes his chance. Nadal sends back a deep backhand return which Federer mishits.

Federer's first serve isn't working so far, and he's broken for the third time this tournament. 2-1 Nadal.

Great first point of the third game.

Nadal keeps Federer doing sprints along the baseline -- a la Roland Garros -- and eventually claims the point with a cross-court forehand winner from a low backhand slice. Nadal is looking sharp, subsequently uncorking a forehand down the line, and forehand cross court to go up 40-0.

First Hawk-Eye challenge, and successful, from Nadal, when a forehand is called long. Federer claims the next point and pulls back to 40-30, running around to hit a forehand on the return of serve for the first time. Back to deuce, Federer attacking.

Now the first break point for Federer, which could be crucial, even though it's early.

Saved. Federer is on the run and has a decent look on a running forehand, but it goes long. On game point, Nadal serves to Federer's forehand for the first time and pays the price, a solid return the catalyst to getting it back to deuce.

Nadal holds for 3-1, a Federer second-serve return going into the middle of the net.

The first love game ensues, Federer holding comfortably. 3-2 Nadal.

Federer crunches a forehand on the first point of the sixth game, only for it to come back down the line off a Nadal forehand. Nadal later sets up the point with a backhand down the line, forcing an error. At 15-all, Federer misses a good chance. With Nadal on the backfoot, he approaches on a short ball, only to send a cross-court backhand into the net. Lo and behold, the sun comes out.

A rosy shot for Nadal to go up 40-15 -- a forehand pass, the first passing winner of the final. Nadal holds for 4-2.

Like yesterday's women's final between Venus and Serena Williams, high-quality stuff so far. Nadal with six winners and one unforced error; Federer with seven and four, respectively.

The first serve-volley comes from Federer at 30-15 in the next game, and on a second delivery. He picks off a low return and hits a cross-court forehand volley winner. 4-3 Nadal.

Nadal will take the first set with two more holds, and we know how vital that is. Serving with new balls.

"He's got new balls to serve to the backhand," Henman says.

The wind picks up just prior to Nadal's serve at 15-0, when he intended to serve and volley. It's now 30-0, Federer sending a makeable forehand volley into the middle of the net.

An entertaining point at 40-0. Federer lures Nadal in with a drop shot, the Spaniard replies with a drop, Federer gets it and throws up a lob. Nadal scrambles and goes for the shot between the legs as a reply, the ball going out. Nadal holds for 5-3.

Federer cruises, holding at love, to put the pressure on Nadal. 5-4.

"It's the moment of truth in this set,'' Henman says.

Nadal takes a little bit of extra time preparing to serve, and he gets the result he wants. A Federer return goes wide for 15-0. Nadal has Federer on the defensive in the next point, though, once more, stays back. He later coughs up a forehand into the net for 15-all. A return that pins Nadal back allows Federer to onrush and put away a short ball for 15-30. Nadal goes back to old faithful, sending a forehand to the Federer backhand, forcing an errant stroke. Federer challenges the call long, to no avail.

And the first set point arrives: Again a forehand up high to Federer's backhand prompts a short reply -- Nadal crunches a clean forehand winner down the line.

First set point saved. Federer hangs with Nadal during a rally and sends a backhand winner cross-court off a let.

Federer earns his second break point of the set when Nadal sends a very makeable pass straight at Federer, who puts it away easily. Uh oh.

Federer squanders a huge chance. Again working Nadal around the baseline, he eventually comes in and pops up a volley long.

Nadal gets to his second set point with an ace -- pumping his fist -- though it's saved when a Federer forehand forces an error. Back to deuce.

A crucial game, no doubt, and Federer sets up a break chance, again a forehand cross court doing the damage. A first serve down the middle goes into the net, and a short second serve is sent back even tamer -- a backhand slice into the bottom of the net.

"That was painful to watch,'' Henman says.

Set point No. 3 arrives when a backhand sails long. And there it is.

Nadal claims the opener when a Federer backhand goes into the net.

Nadal has never lost a match at Wimbledon when winning the opener, 17-0.

Nadal wins the first set, 6-4.

Second set
Federer needs a good start in the second, and has the perfect one, holding to love. In fact, he hasn't been threatened on serve since getting broken. 1-0 Federer.

Nadal can't afford, then, to suffer a letdown, and he falls behind 0-15. Federer lures him in with a drop shot, Nadal offers a weak reply, and Federer taps away the volley. Now 0-30, Federer letting out a yell after sending a forehand winner down the line.

A good chance goes by the wayside on the next point -- Federer hits a second-serve return, off his forehand, into the net. Nadal gets the next point, chasing a short volley and depositing a backhand down the line.

Now the fourth break point for Federer. He picks on a second serve, the forehand this time doing the job and setting up the point.

Federer finally converts. Nadal hits a good first serve, a short reply follows, and Nadal comes in behind a forehand that's too short. Federer let rips on a forehand cross-court pass for 2-0.

Federer is rolling now. He's up 40-15. A Nadal backhand return thwarts Federer's serve and volley, albeit only momentarily. 3-0 Federer.

Nadal can kiss the set goodbye if he drops serve again, but he rushes ahead 30-0.

Could this be a crucial moment? Nadal, with an open court, hits a cross-court forehand wide. Maybe not. He recovers to win the next point, coming to the net and forcing an error, and closes it out thanks to an errant Federer forehand. 3-1 Federer.

Federer hits back-to-back aces to race out to a 40-0 lead and holds for 4-1. Nadal has claimed two points on Federer's serve in a quick second set -- 17 minutes thus far.

Anything short now and Federer is pouncing. Nadal gets on the defensive with a solid return and hits a backhand slice that stays high. Federer rips it cross-court for a winner. At 30-15, a cross-court Federer forehand has Nadal on the defensive, too. He's fortunate in that his reply stays into the corner, and breathes easier for 40-15.

Nadal peppers Federer's backhand with the forehand and holds. 4-2 Federer.

New balls now for Federer.

Nadal wins the first point on Federer's serve for the first time since the first set, although a fine serve out wide helps the Swiss make it 15-all.

Here's a chance for Nadal, who gets to 15-30 with a breathtaking forehand pass.

"Just don't think there's anyone better at turning defense into attack,'' Henman says.

From 30-all it's 30-40 when Federer sprays an easy forehand wide.

His first break point of the second and Nadal converts. Federer chooses to come in behind a backhand, although the approach is short. Nadal's backhand forces Federer to send the volley long. 4-3 and back on serve.

Needless to say, a key game upcoming, and Nadal takes a 15-0 lead when a forehand return balloons long.

What a point at 30-0. Great retrieving by both players, earning a standing ovation.

Nadal clubs a forehand cross-court during the 14-shot rally and Federer, seemingly out of position, lunges to get it back in play, which he goes. Nadal races to get to it, actually running around it, and succeeds in his reply. Later, though, he tries a drop shot that goes into the net. Now 30-all, a running forehand by Nadal from a few yards behind the baseline going just wide.

A key point next, and Nadal sends a serve down the middle. There's no call, and Federer challenges, unsuccessfully. A forehand error, however, takes it to deuce.

Federer earns a break chance when a Nadal forehand cross-court, a shot he'd make nine times out of 10, sails narrowly wide. A Hawk-Eye challenge fails.

The break point is saved when Nadal actually goes to the forehand, which breaks down, the ball hitting the net.

"Nice little change up there,'' Henman says.

Amazing miss by Federer, who sends a drive volley way long. Federer appears agitated by the crowd, prompting chair umpire Pascal Maria to ask the crowd for silence during the point. Might it be a turning point?

Nadal holds for 4-4.

Trouble for Federer, who sprays a forehand wide for 0-15. On the next rally, 20 strokes, Nadal consistently peppers Federer's backhand, and eventually crunches a forehand winner. Federer is frustrated and is even more so when he nets a forehand.

Three break points, the second converted with a punishing forehand winner cross court.

"Pure power,'' Henman says.

5-4 for Nadal.

A virtual must game for Federer, and he gets off to a good start, again the forehand cross court doing the job. Nadal gets to it, but is out of position on Federer's touch volley. 0-15. A serve into the body sends it to 15-all, and it's now 30-15, Nadal pummelling a clean forehand winner down the line. Getting close to the second set.

Not so fast.

Federer comes to the net and delivers a crisp volley, to which Nadal has no chance.

The first code violation time warning for Nadal from Maria -- and unlike when it happened in the Paris final, Nadal actually takes notice.

The crowd gasps, however, on the next point, when Nadal sets up a set point with an outlandish backhand slice winner.

Federer shows he can hit the slice, too, his backhand slice forcing an error to save the first set point. Deuce.

Federer gets a break point when Nadal, somewhat surprisingly, goes for a drop shot. The wind takes it and goes well wide.

What a point to save it. Federer seemingly has Nadal out of position as he approaches, though Nadal rips a backhand pass that Federer gets to. Nadal keeps the ball in play and eventually claims the point on an unforced error into the net.

A long forehand sets up a second set point. This time, he converts, a backhand going into the net.

Nadal wins the second set 6-4, and a mountain to climb for Federer.

Third set
How many times have we seen a stat like this for Federer: 1-for-8 on break points?

Federer tallied 15 winners, with just seven unforced errors, although he's getting outplayed on the big points.

As in the second set, Federer gets off to a good start in the third, holding at love for 1-0.

Nadal was broken in the first service game of the second and won't want to give Federer any hope early in the third. Yet that's what he does, and it's 0-15.

A quick recovery follows, mind you, and we're at 40-15. Federer has to try to do something different and goes for it, running around to hit a forehand off a second serve at 40-30. Unfortunately for him, it's wide. 1-1. The crowd is subdued.

We have trouble!

Nadal goes down as he scampers along the baseline, his right knee taking the brunt; remember against Mikhail Youzhny he went down in the second game and called for the trainer. He calls for the trainer again, Federer holding for 2-1.

Nadal is appearing to show no ill-effects from the fall, although he falls behind for 15-30, a backhand slice approach on the second shot going wide, aided by the wind.

Federer makes a good challenge off a Nadal first serve that would have been a service winner and claims the point, sending a drive volley forehand winner. Now 15-40 and two more break chances.

The first one saved with a wicked forehand winner cross court, a first serve helping. Nadal takes a chance on the next point, stopping play when there's no call on a Federer shot that wasn't called out. The Hawk-Eye challenge by Nadal confirms he was right, but not by much.

Nadal holds for 2-2, Federer squandering two more chances.

Federer, coachless, doesn't let it bother him, holding to love for 3-2. The clouds look ominous.

"If there is an interruption, who is Federer going to have a chat with?'' Henman asks.

Nadal's backhand has improved immensely in the last year, and he hits one cross court just inside the line to pass Federer, the crowd stunned. Later, though, two more break points arise for Federer when a backhand sails wide, Federer yelling, "come on.''

It's 1-for-9 now as a backhand return off a second serve goes well wide. Make that 1-for-10. Another second serve, and an even lamer return, sinking into the middle of the net.

Back to deuce. And yet another break point opportunity, thanks to a rifled forehand inside out.

Do we have to tell you what happens? Another chance missed, a backhand pass forcing Federer to miss a volley. Déjà vu, as Federer hits an inside out forehand.

Federer blows it again, missing a backhand that was sent deep by Nadal.

Federer challenges in desperation, Hawk-Eye confirming the ball was good.

Finally a game point for Nadal, which he converts by forcing an errant backhand.

Want some good news Federer fans? The last time he came back from two sets down, Nadal was on the other side of the net, in Miami in 2005. 3-3.

How will Federer respond?

Not good. Nadal rips a backhand pass for 0-15, and goes up 0-40 by winning a net exchange. An initial reprieve for Federer, as a Nadal backhand goes into the net.

A service winner makes it 30-40, and Federer is almost out of it.

Dare we say Nadal is getting tight as he sees the finish line? Nadal gets a meek second serve to the forehand and puts it into the net.

Federer holds for 4-3 and lets out a "come on.''

"Who knows whether in an hour and a half we look back and say that was the turning point,'' Henman says.

Now we'll see how Nadal responds following those three break points missed.

He takes a 30-0 lead with a drop volley, although Federer pulls it back to 30-15 when Nadal sends a backhand pass wide. A forehand mishit seals the eighth game, and it's 4-4. At two hours, 11 minutes it's the longest match Federer has played at Wimbledon this year.

A Federer double fault -- his first since the fourth round -- allows Nadal to pull back to 30-all, although two first serves help Federer escape. 5-4 Federer.

The predicted rain finally arrives and the players are sent to the locker room without a point being played in the 10th game. Perhaps a welcome respite for Federer.

We're back.

The players, forced off at 4:51 p.m., return to Centre Court just past 6 p.m. and take a five-minute warm-up. A few rays of sunshine pop up, which is a good sign.

Will Federer be able to turn it around?

Nadal is in a tricky spot, needing to hold serve to stay in the third set: Serving for the first and second sets, he faced break points.

Play resumes at 6:12 p.m. Nadal hits a serve into the Federer body, prompting a backhand error, then sends an ace down the middle.

Up 40-0, Nadal sends a backhand long, and Federer pulls to 40-30, a good return forcing a mistake. Some hope for Federer -- Nadal uncorks a double fault to send it to deuce.

Another mini-chance for Federer, but he can't take advantage. A serve into his backhand allows Nadal to dominate with the forehand, and a winner gets him to advantage. Back to deuce, another good return, followed by a stinging forehand.

Nadal holds for 5-5, a forehand cross court setting up a backhand error.

Federer, serving at 65 percent, gets a rare free point when a serve out wide is too hot to handle. Federer successfully challenges a fault call, which would have been a double, and succeeds. He eventually holds for 6-5.

Some crucial points ahead.

Nadal gets off to a good start, bullying Federer at the back of the court and forcing an error, doing the same on the second point for 30-0. A first serve catches Federer going the wrong way, although he sticks out his racket and gets it back, Nadal easily sending a winner cross court. An ace comes next, and it's 6-6 and a tiebreaker.

Neither player has lost a tiebreak this year at Wimbledon.

Federer begins with an ace down the middle. 1-0 Federer.

Federer has a chance on the next point, but sends a routine backhand long early in the rally. 1-1.

Federer guesses right when Nadal rifles a forehand cross court and comes in behind it, though a backhand pass finds the net. 2-1 Nadal.

Federer sends an approach deep, which is called long. He challenges and is successful, necessitating the point to be replayed. An ace. 2-2.

Federer serving big in the breaker, hitting a third straight ace. 3-2 Federer.

Awaiting a second serve, Federer runs around a second serve and goes for it on the forehand, crushing it and giving his opponent no chance. 4-2 Federer.

Federer upping his game, picking on a first serve -- that went to the forehand -- and later pummeling a forehand cross court. 5-2.

A wide Federer forehand -- unsuccessfully challenged -- makes it 5-3, although a good serve out wide makes it 6-3 and sets up three set points. The fans are firmly behind him, wanting more tennis.

Nadal saves the first, working around Federer and putting away a volley for 6-4.

A good first serve out wide catches Federer out of position for 6-5.

Federer continues his big serving, hitting another ace to win it 7-5 and take the set 7-6. Great serving. The fans are pumped.

Fourth set
Not a good start for Nadal in the fourth. He falls behind 0-15 by looping an easy looking forehand long. He lets out a little yelp upon winning the next point for 15-all.

Federer again runs around to rip a backhand on a second serve, this time finding the net. A serve into the body seals the game at 15. 1-0 Nadal.

Yet another ace for Federer to begin the second game, and a service winner gives Nadal no chance to take it to 30-0. Federer is sizzling, another forehand winner flowing off his racket. Missing a routine volley is a temporary blip, and Federer makes it 1-1 on a cross-court forehand, which Nadal has to find a way to nullify.

A fantastic point to open the third game -- Nadal rifling a cross-court backhand for 15-0.

"Federer unleashing shots from side-to-side, and it's still not good enough,'' Henman says.

On the next point, a wicket backhand slice brings Nadal in, and later a forehand pass makes it 15-all. Now 15-30, Nadal netting a forehand. Federer is heating up.

Federer, perhaps, will question his shot selection on the ensuing point, a poor drop shot getting the treatment it deserves for 30-all. Nadal holds when a backhand slice return sails long. 2-1 Nadal.

Federer's first serve percentage has climbed in the previous set, now up to 70 percent. Points won behind it: 78 percent.

Federer's variety is surfacing -- he catches Nadal off guard by serving and volleying on a second serve, punching away an easy volley for 15-0.

His 16th ace takes it to 40-0, and it's 2-2. Federer changes rackets.

A good body serve has Nadal in front at 15-0, although he hands the initiative back with a drop shot that finds the net. Federer benefited from a mishit earlier in the rally.

Nadal is now mixing up his serve, not allowing Federer to run around and hit the forehand. He holds for 3-2 with a curled backhand pass.

A reminder that Federer is serving second in the set for the first time. Let's see how he responds now that we're in the middle of the fourth.

A rare early point for Nadal on Federer's serve, but three unreturnable serves make it 40-15. A Nadal forehand winner and a Federer forehand into the net, from a short reply, takes it to deuce. Nadal has a chance.

A good second serve pulls Nadal wide, Federer approaches on a cross-court forehand, and Nadal can't come up with the pass. Another unreturnable serve and it's 3-3.

Federer needs to start making some passes, also -- a makeable one on his backhand sails into the net and it's 15-0. Make that 30-0. Nadal uses the pace from a fierce return to hit a backhand low to Federer's feet as he rushes the net. He holds at love for 4-3, the pressure back on Federer.

No nerves on the first point. Nadal seems to have the upper hand in the rally, but it ends with a Federer forehand down the line. A 14-stroke rally on the next point sees Federer, worked around the baseline, deliver a backhand into the net.

A great second serve out wide by Federer gives Nadal little chance, and his backhand sails long. "Come on,'' Federer yells.

Federer serves and volleys on a second serve, his makeable volley going into the net. He reasserts himself for 40-30 with the serve and forehand punch, and holds for 4-4.

Now getting to crunch time.

A Nadal backhand slice sails wide, the wind once again kicking up.

Wow. What a shot from Nadal at a key time. He goes up 30-15 with a spectacular backhand pass from well behind the baseline -- something we've become accustomed to. It spurs him on, and he holds for 5-4.

Nadal is one game away from ending Federer's reign at the All England Club.

A great start by Nadal. This time he deals with that short backhand slice, coming up with a drop of his own. Federer gets there but nets his shot.

Danger now. 0-30, as Federer comes in behind nothing, really, and Nadal sends a cross-court backhand pass. Two points from the title.

Federer's serve got him out of trouble in the 2007 final, and it saves him here: One down the middle is unreturnable, and it's 15-30.

Nadal blows a chance at 30-all. Federer hits a short second serve, and he manages only a midcourt weak reply. Federer punishes it and then takes a 40-30 lead, Nadal sending a backhand long.

Is he tight?

Federer cranks a cross-court forehand to hold for 5-5.

"Got to take your hat off to Federer there,'' Henman says. "Two points away from relinquishing his title.''

Federer misses a chance at 30-15 in the 11th game. With a good look at a forehand down the line, he goes it but misses wide. Nadal holds for 6-5.

Federer serving to stay in it for a second time.

And again he loses the first point. Nadal manages to get his ball on the first serve, sending it into the corner. Federer misses wide. Nadal blows an opportunity to take a 0-30 lead, a forehand of his own wide.

Federer goes up 30-15 with an unreturnable serve, and the tiebreak looms. Federer gets a point closer with a stunning cross-court forehand, and eventually holds for 6-6 when a Nadal backhand goes long. Tiebreak.

"Come on,'' Federer yells again.

Federer wins the first point, chasing down a overhead-backhand smash and sending a forehand down the line. Federer did well to react to a popped up Nadal volley that hit the back of the line. 1-0 Federer.

A great return off a second serve sets up an easy forehand winner at the net for Nadal. 1-1.

Federer seems in control of the ensuing point, Nadal hanging in there. But Federer sends a forehand wide to trail 2-1.

An ace out wide for Nadal makes it 3-1.

Will he go to the backhand again? He doesn't, and goes to the forehand. The ball hits the back of the line and is unreturnable. 4-1 Nadal.

A must win point for Federer and he delivers. A good first serve again forces a short ball, Federer sending it to the corner. 4-2 Nadal as they change sides.

Uh oh for Federer. He continually runs around his backhand to hit a forehand, but Nadal eventually makes him hit from his weaker wing. A backhand error results. 5-2 Nadal.

Nadal is looking tight and delivers a double fault, the serve at 83 mph. 5-3 Nadal.

"That was one tight looking serve,'' Henman says.

Nadal is indeed feeling it, and hits a routine backhand into the net. Wow. 5-4.

A great Federer serve out wide sets up an easy forehand, and it's 5-5.

An unreturnable serve makes it 6-5 Federer. Unbelievable turn of events.

Federer has a good shot at a forehand pass and goes for it, rather than wait for an error from a clearly frazzled Nadal. It doesn't work -- a forehand goes wide and it's 6-6. One set point saved.

First match point for Nadal after Federer hits a forehand long. An unsuccessful challenge. 7-6 Nadal.

A service winner out wide saves it, and it's 7-7.

The shot of the match! Nadal sends a forehand pass down the line to make it 8-7, Federer with no chance. Second match point, first on Nadal's serve.

The shot of the match, part two. Nadal comes in behind a short forehand, forcing Federer to come up with a backhand pass, which he does down the line. 8-8.

Federer has his second point, and the first one on his own serve with a great forehand. 9-8.

And that's the set. Unbelievable. Nadal hits a second serve long and we're going to a fifth set. 10-8. That has to go down as one of the top tiebreakers in Wimbledon history.

Fifth set
For the first time since 1979 and 1980, we have back-to-back Wimbledon finals that go to a fifth set.

How will, or can, Nadal rebound from squandering two match points?

Seemingly crucially, Federer gets to serve first and somewhat fortunately takes a 15-0 lead, Nadal misfiring on a backhand smash. At 30-15, Federer has the entire court open, but a drop shot finds the net. Now 40-30 with another good serve, and he holds for 1-0.

Early danger for Nadal, who falls behind 0-15 when a forehand sails wide.

Pivotal for Nadal to hold here.

At 15-all, a Nadal forehand that seemed destined to go long stays in. Federer challenges, without success. Nadal holds at 30, Federer letting him off the hook by sending a forehand long. 1-1.

Federer races out to a 15-0 lead, whiffs on a forehand, gets to 30-15, sends a drive volley long, then gets to 40-30 with a service winner. A double fault, his second, sends it to deuce.

No break points since the second set and Nadal blows a chance to set up one, hitting a forehand long. Deuce No. 2 when Nadal hits a drop winner.

Maybe he could have used that shot on his second match point.

Federer regains the advantage and then holds for 2-1, both times Nadal unable to cope with second serves to his backhand.

"I can only imagine how hard it is for Nadal not to think about those (match points),'' Henman says.

Nadal loses the first point on his serve yet again, a routine backhand going wide. Nadal is living dangerously -- his cross-court forehand finds the back of the line for 15-all.

A missed chance for Federer. A poor drop shot gives Federer ample time to line up a forehand, but he mishits it, and it's driven way long. Nadal showing some guts, and holds for 2-2.

Federer quickly races out to a 30-0 lead, let off the hook when a makeable backhand pass is hit long. Nadal pulls back to 30-all with a cross-court forehand -- an unsuccessful challenge ensues.

Federer getting the breaks now, too. Nadal hits a shot plum on the line, which is called out. Federer was in an awkward position. He then hits an ace to make it 40-30.

Nadal wins a net exchange to take it to deuce.

Guess what happens next?

The rain falls and the players are off the court at 7:54 p.m.

After a third rain delay, we're back yet again, at 8:23 p.m.

And we have about an hour of light remaining, assuming no more rain.

Federer shows no sign of nerves -- hitting two aces to take a 3-2 lead. Now up to 20 aces.

Every point is vital now, and Federer has a good chance on the opening point of the sixth game, a short forehand waiting to be hit. He directs it straight at Nadal, however, and a forehand pass follows. That settles Nadal, and he's up 40-0 after a forehand wide. A good first serve forces a forehand wide at 40-15, and it's 3-3.

We've hit the four-hour mark.

Federer now serving with new balls.

Federer is continuing to have success with second serves to Nadal's backhand, another one prompting a short reply that Federer takes advantage of. Two points later, a first serve to the backhand does the job, and an ace makes it 4-3.

Now only two more games needed for Federer. And it's 0-15, a routine cross-court forehand going just wide. He challenges, but Hawk-Eye confirms the call. A good first serve -- to the forehand -- leads to an error, and it's 15-all.

Nadal works his way up to 30-15 by pounding the Federer backhand, but Federer claws back to 30-all, after he angles a backhand, getting Nadal to hit into the net.

Danger now for Nadal, and a forehand down the line from a tentative Nadal allows Federer to unleash a forehand down the line. The first break chance since the second set ensues -- and Nadal saves it. He shows no fear, going for a forehand down the line, and forcing a pop up reply. Nadal puts away the smash for deuce.

That's 1-for-13 on break points.

Nadal gets to ad on a wide forehand and closes out the game, a serve out wide followed by a forehand into the corner doing the job. 4-4.

Federer elects to serve and volley on a second serve to start the game, and it pays off: Nadal nets another backhand. Now to 15-all when Federer sends a forehand long, though he rises to 30-15 thanks in large part to another serve to the backhand, and clubs his 22nd ace for 40-15.

Nadal clearly has no answer to the Federer's serve with his backhand, as he sends back a mishit. Federer, though, hits a forehand long, making amends on the next point with a cross-court backhand that puts Nadal out of position. He holds for 5-4. One game away.

A wonderful serve by Nadal -- an ace on the second delivery as Federer was leaning the wrong way. It's No. 6.

A gust of wind helps Federer on the next point, a backhand dying and forcing Nadal to hit long. Now 15-all, and three points to a sixth straight title for Federer.

A Federer return sails long for 30-15, but Federer pummels a forehand cross court for 30-all. Two points to win.

A huge point, obviously, won by Nadal, and set up by a good first serve. A Federer lob goes long, and Nadal yells, "come on.'' He holds, the serve helping again, and it's 5-5.

Nadal wins the opening point of the next game on an error, though Federer pulls back to 15-all. A great return by Nadal keeps him in the next point, and he eventually unfurls a pass that falls to Federer's feet. It's 15-30, and now 15-40, a tremendous running forehand pass doing the job. First one saved with ace No. 23.

The second one saved, another good serve forcing a short reply. Federer, though, hits a short ball straight to Nadal, but, hit with pace, Nadal has little chance.

Deuce, and Federer holds on, a backhand hitting the net.

Federer's serve doing the business. 6-5.

How important is it for Nadal to win the first point? Huge.

He bosses Federer around for 15-0, a forehand down the line forcing an error. A forehand long makes it 30-0, though it's 30-15 when a forehand down the line misses.

Nadal earns a little breathing space by forcing an error, then hits a great second serve to make it 6-6. No tiebreaks, just to remind, and both players now get three challenges each.

Nadal hits a venomous backhand cross-court return on the first point, forcing Federer to misfire on a forehand, and he works Federer around on the second one, pummeling a forehand into the corner for 0-30.

Federer, though, gets just what he needs, an ace, and another good serve sets up the point to make it 30-all. An ace makes it 40-30.

But we get to deuce. Nadal scrambles as per usual and makes Federer hit that extra shot, and he misses an easy volley for deuce.

Another miss for Nadal from his backhand, and again, on a second serve, gives Federer the advantage, which he squanders when a forehand, with Nadal out of position, sails wide.

Federer gets to the advantage once more, the serve coming to his aid, and Nadal nets a backhand. Federer leads 7-6.

We're approaching 9 p.m. local time, and light must be running out. The match has just passed the four hour, 30-minute mark.

Federer takes the initiative, taking advantage of a short backhand to send a forehand into the corner -- 0-15 and three points away. Nadal scrambles back to 15-all when a forehand this time goes along, and a great serve into the body makes it 30-15.

Again, Nadal staying alive, working his way to 40-15 when a Federer forehand finds the net.

Federer getting some luck to pull back to 40-30, a second serve return clipping the top of the net. Nadal scampers to chase it, but Federer is waiting.

Some unbelievable tennis we're seeing.

Nadal holds for 7-7. He thunders down a smash at the net, but Federer sticks out his racket and the ball lands near the back of the court. Nadal has to hit another smash, does so, and later gets the point.

For the third straight game on Federer's serve, Nadal has a chance, at 0-30.

And this time there's no ace. But Nadal is far too tentative on a couple of backhands, and Federer eventually takes advantage.

Here we go again. Two more break points after a backhand fizzed.

First saved with an ace out wide. Another chance goes begging and we're at deuce.

Nadal slips during the rally, and it seems to unfazed him, a backhand long.

The third break chance comes when a forehand sails long, and we'll call it an ace to get it to deuce, but Nadal earns a fourth break chance when a forehand finds the net.

Nadal finally breaks for 8-7, a forehand goes way long.

Can he do it this time?

Nadal slowly walks back to his service line, towels off, and takes his time.

New balls, which should help.

Maybe too much. A forehand flows long from Nadal, and it's 0-15 -- again.

Nadal with a great serve out wide, and he comes in behind it -- the first time the whole match. He puts away an easy volley for 15-all.

Nadal goes up 30-15, another good serve setting up the point. He ventures forward and puts away another easy volley.

Two points away.

Uh oh. Nadal makes a big blunder.

At the net, he elects to stick his racket out when a Federer pass looks for all the world like it's going out. The volley is long and it's 30-all. Another blown chance.

A framed Federer backhand gives Nadal match point No. 3.

Nadal elects to serve out wide, and Federer is waiting for it, unleashing a spectacular backhand return that's untouchable. Wow. Deuce.

Match point No. 4 after a serve out wide to the forehand forces an error. Toni Nadal is out of his chair, willing his nephew on.

It's over! Federer sends a short forehand into the net.

9-7 after four hours, 48 minutes.

What an epic. Federer loses for the first time on grass since 2002.

Rafael Nadal wins the Wimbledon championship 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7.

Nadal is in tears as he climbs into the players box, then walks on a roof that takes him to the Royal Box, exchanging hand shakes with the prince and princess of Spain, a Spanish flag draped around his neck.

How strange does this sound: "To the runner-up, Roger Federer,'' the runner-up trophy? That's how the postmatch ceremony presentation starts.

"Rafa is a deserving champion,'' Federer said.

Nadal reiterates that Wimbledon is his favorite tournament and salutes the fallen Federer, calling him the greatest of all time.

Maybe not at this precise moment. It's the first time since 2002 Federer hasn't won one of the first three majors of the campaign and Nadal appears closer than ever to taking over the No. 1 spot.

"It's a dream to play in this court,'' Nadal said. "But to win, I never imagined this.''

Year of destiny turns into doom and gloom for Federer



For the first time in his last 66 matches on grass courts, Roger Federer was on the losing end.

WIMBLEDON, England -- A fall to the ground, camera flashes, a Spanish flag draped around his shoulders, a visit to the player's box to hug his family followed by a trot across the roof of the commentary boxes to greet Spain's Prince Felipe of Asturias and Princess Letizia of Asturias.

Rafael Nadal was a Wimbledon champion. The first Spanish man since Manuel Santana in 1966 to win Wimbledon, universally considered the most prestigious prize in tennis.

But despite becoming only the third man in Open era history, behind Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg, to win back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon trophies, Nadal virtually bowed to the man he just beat 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7: Roger Federer.

"He's still the No. 1," Nadal told Sue Barker, the on-court emcee. "He's still the best. He's still five-time champion here. Right now I have one, so for me it's very, very important day."

Those comments by Nadal show him to be the kind of guy whose picture could easily be pasted next to the word "classy" in the dictionary.

But was he really speaking the truth?

The computer rankings might show Federer at the top of the tennis chart, but how can a player who hasn't won one of the three Grand Slam titles this year be considered better than a guy who has already won two?

Federer knew the answer: If the rankings solely relied on performance within a particular season, he would not make the grade in 2008, even taking into account that he suffered from mononucleosis at the beginning of the year. Sure, he won two titles at Estoril and Halle. But no offense to those tournaments, for a guy of Federer's caliber, they come across as the booby prizes. This is especially true considering his closest rival, Nadal, has beaten him in the French Open and Wimbledon finals and also won his first grass-court title at Queen's Club sandwiched in between those two giants.

Wimbledon's Centre Court was Federer's house, and grass has been his mainstay. But with the five-set loss to Nadal, Federer's winning streak on grass ended at 64.

Nadal's victory also rubbed into Federer's already sore wound that the Spaniard continues to have his number, and has now proven he can be in control on whatever surface they play on. Nadal holds a 12-6 record against Federer -- he's beaten him nine times on clay, including the past three years in the French Open final, twice on hard courts and now on grass.

After a fortnight of picture-perfect conditions, the weather backdrop for the Wimbledon final on Sunday matched the pending scenario for Federer: dreary, dank, wet and eventually dark.

This was supposed to be Federer's occasion, a big moment in the history of the game. He was going to further substantiate his already sterling résumé by successfully surpassing the record he shares with Borg by capturing his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title.

The battle barely came to a close as the longest match in the history of Wimbledon finals -- 4 hours, 48 minutes to be exact -- and everyone was raving. Fans offered continuous applause of the standing ovation kind for both competitors. The media room was abuzz about the instant classic they just witnessed. The venerable journalist Bud Collins stated, rather emphatically, that in his 41 years at Wimbledon, there hadn't been a better show he's seen.

And through it all, Federer did his best to keep up a brave front, but in small ways he let his disappointment seep through. How could it not?

"Probably later on in life, you know, I'll go, 'That was a great match,'" Federer said. "But right now it's not much of a -- how do you say -- a feel-good thing, or a positive thing to end this match. … I'm happy we lived up to the expectations. I'm happy the way I fought. That's all I could really do."

Federer understood that Nadal on the day was the better competitor. He took Federer out of his own game, forcing the world No. 1 into continuous brutal battles off the ground. Federer needed to dictate the points and keep them shorter, but that was impossible when Nadal kept him pinned to the baseline. When Federer can only take advantage of one of 13 break-point opportunities in a match, something is not going right.

At the start of the year, many believed it was going to be Federer's year with destiny -- the season he would equal or even surpass Pete Sampras' 14 Grand Slam titles. But that will not be his fate now, at least not in 2008 -- winning Wimbledon was a necessity along with taking a fifth consecutive U.S. Open title to make that magic happen.

Now as the year begins to fade away, there are still three desirable prizes remaining: the Olympics, U.S. Open and year-end Tennis Masters Cup.

Certainly winning one or all of those three could help salvage Federer's year. But even if that would come to pass, Federer knows this year will not be one for the record books. Instead, it's likely to be a year he'll prefer to forget. And the loss to Nadal at Wimbledon will always hurt, even once he can step back and see that he was an important ingredient in what is likely to always be remembered as one of the greatest matches ever played.

"Probably, my hardest loss, by far. I mean, it's not much harder than right now," were Federer's parting words as he walked away disappointed from the place that used to be his place.

Sandra Harwitt is a freelance tennis writer for http://www.espn.com.

Nadal-Federer epic the most thrilling of all the Wimbledon finals

Sunday's Wimbledon final was one of those times when you call a buddy immediately after the match ends and say, "Did you see that?"

Hope so.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer battled for nearly five hours, braving the conditions and each other, before the Spaniard finally ended the Swiss's reign at the All England Club. John McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champ, proclaimed it was the best tennis tussle he had ever seen.

Fitting, then, that we unveil the top five most memorable Wimbledon finals in the Open era. The most recent one leads the way.

1. Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer, 2008. Nadal wins 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7

He needed four match points, but Rafael Nadal finally ended the longest men's final in Wimbledon history.
Before we talk about the actual tennis, let's throw some intangibles in there. The match began 20 minutes late due to rain and two more interruptions ensued -- one arguably helping Federer and the other favoring Nadal. Had they been on court much longer, surely bad light would have sent a third interruption for Monday.

In any case, at 4 hours, 48 minutes, it turned out to be the longest men's singles final in Wimbledon history.

The two gladiators delivered a combined 149 winners, almost double the unforced error tally, and Federer served huge when he needed to, especially in the third and fourth sets, and early in the fifth.

Nadal, though, proved how tough he is mentally. Blowing two match points in the fourth-set tiebreaker surely would have sent others downhill, but the Spaniard persevered and was impregnable on his own serve in the fifth, facing just one break point.

He held serve from early in the second set onward.

Nadal ended Federer's five-year hold on the trophy and his 65-match winning streak on grass. He probably silenced detractors, too, finally claiming a major on a surface other than clay.

"Probably later on in life, I'll go, 'That was a great match,' '' Federer said.

And he would be right.

2. Bjorn Borg versus John McEnroe, 1980. Borg wins 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (16), 8-6

Getting over two match points is one thing, but recovering to win after squandering five in a tiebreaker -- perhaps the greatest in Wimbledon history -- is quite another.

Bjorg Borg, the stoic and super-fit Swede, achieved the feat in 1980, downing brash upstart John McEnroe. Chasing a fifth consecutive Wimbledon crown, Borg held set points on five separate occasions in the fourth-set 'breaker before McEnroe converted on his eighth set point to make it 18-16 and send the tussle to a fifth. To make matters worse, Borg held two match points earlier in the fourth.

The tiebreaker lasted 22 minutes and Borg would later admit he thought he had no chance of taking the fifth set.

"I have never been so disappointed on a tennis court as when I lost that fourth set,'' Borg said afterwards. "Seven match points and I failed to do it. Every time I had another match point, John came up with a great shot.''

Borg kept it together in the fifth, only dropping one point in his final six service games. McEnroe gained his revenge by beating Borg in 1981, bringing to an end his reign at the All England Club.

3. Goran Ivanisevic versus Patrick Rafter, 2001. Ivanisevic wins 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7

Rain played havoc with Wimbledon seven years ago -- should we say, more so than usual? -- and it ultimately led to one of the most memorable occasions in Grand Slam history. The men's final began on a Monday due to the precipitation, the first time that happened at Wimbledon since 1922. As a result, 10,000 tickets went on sale 2½ hours prior to the match, meaning a younger, more boisterous crowd was in attendance. And who to root for, the popular Ivanisevic, or, uh, popular Rafter?

Ivanisevic prevailed in what turned out to be the longest fifth set of a men's singles final at Wimbledon, in terms of games, at the time. In the process, he became the first men's wild card to capture a major.

Getting there was the fun part.

Ivanisevic, ranked outside the top 100 and a loser in three previous Wimbledon finals, cried, kissed the ball and jolted his left -- and serving -- arm as he tried to serve out the encounter. A service winner finally did the trick and Ivanisevic could hardly believe his Wimbledon misery was over.

"I think I'm dreaming,'' Ivanisevic said at the time. "Somebody is going to wake me up and tell me, 'Man, you didn't win.' ''

4. Venus Williams versus Lindsay Davenport, 2005. Williams wins 4-6, 7-6 (4), 9-7

Venus Williams has five Wimbledon trophies but is was her marathon final versus Lindsay Davenport that will go down as the most memorable.
The elder of the tennis playing sisters became the first ladies finalist at Wimbledon to save a match point, then go on to win, since Helen Wills Moody in 1935. Staring at defeat at 4-5, 30-40 in the third set, Venus Williams crunched a backhand that left Lindsay Davenport, who hasn't claimed a major since 2000, with no answer.

Williams had to rally once more in the third, trailing 2-4, and the two-hour, 45-minute thriller was the longest Wimbledon women's final in history.

Adding to the drama, Davenport carried on despite struggling with a back injury that surfaced in the deciding set.

"Every time the chips were down for Venus, she played unbelievably,'' Davenport said.

5. Steffi Graf versus Gabriela Sabatini, 1991. Graf wins 6-4, 3-6, 8-6

Graf had something to prove, coming off a humiliating 6-0, 6-2 loss to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the semifinal of the French Open weeks earlier and not winning a Grand Slam since the 1990 Australian Open, an age for her.

The final wasn't pretty -- Graf and fan favorite Sabatini were broken a combined 12 times in the second and third sets. However, there was plenty of drama.

Sabatini, who claimed her lone Grand Slam title by downing Graf at the U.S. Open 10 months earlier, turned things around by moving forward.

Twice she failed to serve out the encounter deep in the third set: At 6-5, 30-all, Sabatini hit a backhand volley that looked like a winner, but Graf chased it down and sent a winning reply, then broke and didn't lose another game.

It was the third of Graf's seven Wimbledon titles.

Ravi Ubha is a frequent contributor to http://www.espn.com.

Nadal shows courage

It was, conceivably, the most well-earned breakthrough tournament we've seen in the Open era, and the accolades and rewards were commensurate with the achievement. John McEnroe and Bud Collins both called it the best tennis match they'd ever seen at Wimbledon, and I feel much the same way. Rafael Nadal's five-set win over Roger Federer now heads the roll of the greatest matches of the Open era.

Wait, there's more. Saturday's women's final, in which Venus Williams took out her sister Serena was not the best Open era final, but it featured the best tennis I've ever seen women play. I can't remember two women -- not Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf or Monica Seles -- hitting the ball as hard, accurately and artfully as the Williams sisters did in the match that confirmed Venus as a grass-court player second only to Navratilova (a nine-time champ here).

Taken together, the matches elevated this Wimbledon to the very top of the Open era Grand Slam heap, and the unexpected, radical element in that, is the degree to which much of the heavy lifting was done by Nadal. Three years ago, pundits were just as likely to disparage his "bolo" forehand and seemingly one-trick, clay-court game as they were to acknowledge his strength and quickness. But in the interim, Nadal has shown that his game is less surface specific than surface independent.

That is, while his heavy topspin and counterpunching tendencies seem to be ideally suited to clay, he employs them in a way that has made them lethal on any surface, including grass. In the Open era, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Andre Agassi are the only French Open champions who also won at Wimbledon, with Laver and Borg the only ones who managed to win both titles in the same year. Now, 28 years after Borg, we have another "Channel Slam."

In the end, though, it wasn't Nadal's extraordinary ability to transition from defense to offense in the blink of an eye, the weight and zip of his topspin forehand or even the deceptive precision of his backhand passing shot that enabled him to unseat the five-time defending champion. It was his understanding that winning on any surface is less a matter of style and technique than it is of nerve and the willingness to play bold, confident tennis, even in desperate straits.

And Nadal certainly was in desperate straits on Sunday. In the fourth set, with Federer picking up momentum, Nadal failed to close out the tiebreaker while leading 5-2, with two serves to come. To almost any other player, that critical a failure, against such a great player at such a crucial stage in the match, would have been a death knell.

But Nadal weathered the storm without losing focus or confidence, and although the odds seemed badly stacked against him in the fifth set, he ultimately pulled it out. It was a testament to his amazing competitive drive and instincts, as much as to his shot-making. His reward was an epic win that has underscored something the computer rankings will not yet suggest:

Nadal is the best tennis player in the world. The race for the rest of the year will be between those who have designs on the No. 2 slot.

http://www.espn.com

Sea-change moment in Nadal's Wimbledon championship





Rafael Nadal is the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to pull off the French Open-Wimbledon double.

WIMBLEDON, England -- Salt tears flowed in the locker room after Rafael Nadal lost to Roger Federer in last year's Wimbledon final.

Sobbing, he told his scowling coach and uncle, Toni, that he might never be in that position again. He truly believed this, but Toni knew better. Rafa was only 21 years old.

"I told him his life does not change because he has not won this match," Toni said.

On Sunday, after a 4-hour, 48-minute marathon, Nadal approached the net to shake Federer's hand with tears in his eyes. This time, after myriad opportunities eluded him, Nadal was a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 winner.

It was the longest men's singles final on record at the All England Club, going back to 1877. And certainly, it was one of the finest. Sublime is the word that comes to mind.

Three rain delays, which took the match to the very edge of darkness (it ended in the gloaming on Centre Court at 9:16 p.m. local time) only heightened the almost unbearable tension.

It seemed somehow appropriate when Nadal, sweat-soaked and beaming, became the first player in Wimbledon history to climb into the Royal box.

"It is impossible to explain what I felt in that moment," Nadal said. "Very happy to win this title, my favorite tournament. It's a dream to play in this court."

NBC broadcaster and three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe called it the greatest match he's ever seen.

Afterward, Federer was understandably subdued.

Given the immediacy of the match, was it possible to appreciate being part of something that will endure in the sport's collective memory?

"Probably later in life, I'll go, 'That was a great match,'" Federer said. "Right now it's not much of a feel-good thing.

"Probably my hardest loss, by far. I mean, it's not much harder than this right now."

Nadal said it was the most emotional match of his career and "probably" the best.

The Spaniard won the first two sets, then lost back-to-back tiebreakers before winning the final set in extra time. Federer, who found himself in some horrific holes and kept managing to escape -- saving three match points -- finally hit the wall in the 16th game of the ultimate set. First, Nadal hit an unreturnable serve, then Federer hit a weak forehand into the net to end a spectacular era.

Because of Nadal's unrelenting tenacity, Federer failed to win his sixth consecutive title here, and so he will remain forever tied with Bjorn Borg at five. A 65-match winning streak on grass and a 40-match winning streak at Wimbledon also ended, one short of Borg's record.

Instead, it was Nadal joining Borg as the first man to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same summer in 28 years.

When Federer won the U.S. Open last year, it was his 12th Grand Slam singles title and it brought him within two of Pete Sampras, the all-time leader. At the time, it seemed possible Federer might equal or even break the record sometime in 2008.

After three Grand Slams, Federer, who turns 27 next month, is still looking for his 13th Grand Slam. Vastly younger players -- Novak Djokovic (21) and Nadal (22) -- hold the three major titles.

On clay, Nadal is a muscular machine who wears down opponents with a combination of sheer power and relentless defense. He humiliated Federer a month ago in the French Open final, giving him only four games.

Nadal has proved to be a remarkably quick study on grass. After reaching the last two finals here, he received his advanced degree in agronomy on Sunday. Nadal has mastered the nuances of grass, which calls for a more aggressive, more varied game than he is really comfortable with.

This victory, achieved on Federer's favored surface, on the court that means more to him than any other, appears to be a passing shot of sorts.

For these sea-change moments are inevitable in sport.

In 1990-91, after Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoffs three years running, they demolished Detroit in the conference final 4-0, and eventually won Chicago's first NBA title in 25 years.

Cassius Clay became the new heavyweight champion of the world in 1964 when he defeated heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. The man who would change his name to Muhammad Ali was, like Nadal, 22 years old.

In tennis, the most recent passing-the-torch moment came here at Wimbledon. Instructively, Federer was on the other side of the exchange. Sampras had won four straight championships at the All England Club (1997 to 2000), and seven of eight overall. Federer, only 19, beat Sampras 7-5 in the fifth set of a fourth-round match, ending the champion's 31-match winning streak.

Sampras never won here again.

Federer fans will argue that this was an aberration; that 2008, which started with mononucleosis in Melbourne, should be marked with an asterisk.

At the match's end, both players said it was difficult to see the ball. It was obvious Federer was unhappy about the conditions, but he did not complain to the chair umpire.

At 4 hours, 48 minutes, this was the longest Wimbledon final in history.
"I don't know … it's over," Federer said. "What's the point of arguing about it? It would have been brutal for fans, for media, for us, for everybody to come back tomorrow. What are you going to do?

"It's rough on me, obviously, to lose the biggest tournament in the world over maybe a bit of light."

Said Nadal, "In the last game I didn't see nothing. If I lost the last game, we have to stop."

This loss will be extremely unsettling for the Federer camp. While Nadal has won 11 of his 14 matches against Federer on clay and hard courts, he was 0-for-2 on grass. The genie is out of the bottle.

Federer had the guts and the guile to win the two tiebreakers, just as he did last year. But on the 13 occasions he had a break point on Nadal's ever-improving serve, he converted only one.

On Saturday afternoon, Nadal sat down in the ESPN studio for an interview with Chris Fowler. As he got up and issued some goodbyes, Nadal said, "See you tomorrow."

Maybe it was unconscious -- perhaps not. With Rafa, you never know. Only the winner at Wimbledon makes the rounds of the various international broadcast studios.

When the new ATP rankings are released Monday, Federer will be at No. 1 for the 232nd week in a row. But Nadal has crept markedly closer and could conceivably catch him by the end of the year.

This is his fifth Grand Slam title; when Federer was precisely Nadal's age, he had won only one.

Greg Garber is a senior writer for http://www.espn.com.

Revue de presse des journaux suisses

Rafael Nadal, nouveau souverain au royaume du tennis
Juste un plateau pour Federer. La coupe de Wimbledon va cette fois à Nadal.

La victoire de Rafael Nadal dans l'incroyable finale de Wimbledon marque la fin d'un chapitre: Roger Federer n'est plus le roi incontesté du tennis mondial, souligne la presse suisse. Il est néanmoins un peu tôt pour parler de crépuscule.

«Le champion est mort, vive le nouveau champion, écrit Le Matin. Roger Federer est passé du rôle de chasseur à celui de proie».

Pour le tabloïd romand, «il est dans l'ordre des choses que Nadal lui 'vole' cette place de numéro un qu'il occupe depuis largement plus de quatre ans. Mais peu importe, puisque Roger a définitivement marqué l'histoire du tennis. A l'encre indélébile».

Ce n'est pas pour autant la fin du règne, voire le déclin, estiment 24 heures et La Tribune de Genève, «mais plutôt une redistribution des rôles au sommet. Désormais, Federer n'est plus seul au monde. Il devra s'y habituer. Et nous tous avec».

Pour Le Temps également, Roger Federer, battu par «Nadal le conquérant», «n'est plus le meilleur joueur du monde».

«Il n'est pas question ici d'une infériorité technique, d'une incapacité physique ou d'un transfert de générations, écrit le quotidien romand. Roger est certes moins brillant, mais il est d'abord concurrencé en aptitudes, et dominé en intensité par un rival tant attendu».
The show will go on

Et le spectacle a tout à y gagner. Au vu du niveau de cette finale extraordinaire, «aucun des deux joueurs ne méritait de quitter le court en vaincu», estime la Berner Zeitung.

Et de saluer cette «fascinante rivalité» entre les deux adversaires. «Même si cette fabuleuse finale était peut-être le clou du spectacle, leur duel va continuer».

La Basler Zeitung également salue une finale historique, un véritable «thriller».

«Le tennis ne peut pas être meilleur, plus passionnant, plus fascinant», écrit le journal, pour qui «une ère se termine». Car même si la recette du succès sur gazon n'est pas la même que sur terre battue, Nadal possède désormais les deux.

Pour le Blick aussi, Nadal est bien «le meilleur du monde». Et ce n'est pas une surprise. Dans ce match, «peut-être le meilleur et le plus dramatique de l'histoire du tennis», Federer a livré, «une performance parfaite». Et pourtant, il a perdu.

Le tabloïd refuse pour autant d'enterrer celui qui est encore numéro un mondial. «Car Federer a la classe». Comme il l'a montré hier.
L'année n'est pas finie

Au Tessin également, La Regione estime que «Nadal a gagné parce que cette année, il est plus fort que Federer». Simplement. Et aussi «parce qu'une fois de plus, il s'est montré plus habile lorsqu'il s'agit de gérer les balles décisives».

«Pour rester numéro un, le Suisse est contraint de tout gagner jusqu'à la fin de l'année, notamment l'US Open et le Masters», rappelle le Corriere del Ticino.

Pour le journal, il sera certes impossible d'effacer cette défaite. «Mais les vrais sportifs regardent toujours devant. Et Roger pourrait peut-être songer à se rattraper avec un titre olympique à Pékin».

http://www.swissinfo.ch

Vamos !!!!!

C'est cool d'avoir lâcher un euro pour l'Equipe

Mc Enroe: « C'est le plus grand match que je n'ai jamais vu »

Le quotidien espagnol Marca a donné la parole à l'Américain qui commentait le match pour la NBC. Il réfute la comparaison avec sa victoire finale contre Borg.

En 1981, McEnroe bat Borg, prétendant à une sixième couronne d'affiliée, au terme d'une partie historique (et deux tie-break, dont celui légendaire 18 à 16). La comparaison avec la finale 2008 semble donc obligatoire. Pourtant le gaucher New Yorkais n'est pas de cet avis. La finale de ce 6 juillet 2008 est bien le « plus grand match » qu'il n'ai jamais vu. Il ajoute même qu'il était « impossible de pratiquer un tennis plus extraordinaire ».

http://www.welovetennis.fr

Pas excessif du tout Big Mac

6 juillet 2006 ?

Records d'audience pour Canal+ avec le tennis




Publié par Julien Lalande
Lundi 7 Juillet 2008 14h00

---

La finale homme du tournoi de tennis de Wimbledon a permis à Canal+ de
réaliser plusieurs records d'audience dimanche dernier. Interrompue à
de multiples reprises à cause de la pluie, la finale a été diffusée sur
Canal+ puis sur Canal+ Sport.


A 19h30, le duel Nadal/Federer a réuni 1,37 million de téléspectateurs
sur Canal+, pour 7% de part d'audience. A 20h50, lorsque la rencontre a
basculé en crypté, la retransmission a rassemblé 2,35 millions de
téléspectateurs, « plaçant Canal+ derrière TF1 et France 2 avant une
interruption due à la pluie ».


Lorsque le match a repris, vers 21h15, c'est Canal+ Sport qui s'est
chargé de la retransmission. Elle a rassemblé en moyenne 6,1% des
abonnés avec une pointe à 9,1% en fin de match.

Ils sont doublement cons d'avoir arrêté la retransmission sur C+

Vydev a écrit:

Ils sont doublement cons d'avoir arrêté la retransmission sur C+

C'est clair, curieux choix stratégique !!

Heureusement qu'on avait un bon lien-streaming

Le tennis a-t-il trouvé son nouveau maître?



Glyn Kirk AFP ¦ L'Espagnol Rafael Nadal au service lors du tournoi de Wimbledon, le 26 juin 2008

La finale de Wimbledon ouvre-t-elle une nouvelle ère du tennis? Après la
défaite de Federer, le DTN Patrice Dominguez analyse avec 20Minutes.fr
les conséquences qu’aura ce match sur le tennis.

A-t-on déjà atteint un tel niveau de jeu? En matière de qualité technique, les deux cadors du tennis ont poussé le jeu à des niveaux stratosphériques. «Il
faut avant tout les remercier, analyse le directeur technique national
de la FFT, Patrice Dominguez. A deux, ils font entrer le tennis dans
une autre dimension. Les coups de défense, les attaques, les volées,
tout va plus vite. Grâce à eux, nous avons franchi un nouveau cap dans
le tennis moderne.»


Votez pour la plus belle finale de l'ère open

http://www.20minutes-listes.fr/?do=show&id=454


Les cinq sets disputés par les deux joueurs sont dignes des plus grands duels du tennis moderne. Ceux de Borg et Mac Enroe en finale de Wimbledon en 1980 ou ceux de Sampras et Agassi comme en quart de finale de l’US Open en 2001.

Borg-Mac Enroe en finale de Wimbledon. Le Suédois a eu besoin de 8 balles de match pour sortir l’Américain. L’intensité dramatique de ce match atteignit des sommets :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6TzTdoucBo&eurl=http://www.20minutes.fr/article/241128/Sport-Le-tennis-a-t-il-trouve-son-nouveau-maitre.php






Quatre tie-breaks, des coups de génie, un public en fusion… Sampras vs Agassi en quart de finale de l’US Open 2001:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro5AEefUgbY&eurl=http://www.20minutes.fr/article/241128/Sport-Le-tennis-a-t-il-trouve-son-nouveau-maitre.php






Nadal est-il arrêtable?
Depuis l’année dernière et sa deuxième finale à Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal
a énormément progressé dans le jeu vers l’avant qui lui permet
d’agresser en permanence son adversaire sur les surfaces rapides. Fruit
de cette progression, il a gagné cette année ses deux premiers tournois
sur herbe, le Queen’s et, le plus prestigieux, Wimbledon.

«Il est devenu un véritable attaquant de fond de court en jouant
beaucoup moins derrière sa ligne. Il agrandit le terrain en prenant la
balle très tôt et en trouvant des angles incroyables. Son jeu lui ouvre
des perspectives sur toutes les surfaces», explique Patrice Dominguez.


Assiste-t-on à un tournant de la lutte entre Federer et Nadal?
En gagnant Roland-Garros puis Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal a
incontestablement pris l’ascendant sur Roger Federer à tel point qu’on
peut se demander si l’Espagnol ne va pas ravir la couronne de numéro 1
mondial au Suisse. Sur la saison en cours, Nadal est numéro 1 à la Race. Il a gagné 6 tournois, Federer n’en a gagné que 2 (aucun grand chelem).

Le numéro 2 mondial est le nouveau leader officieux du tennis mondial
et il peut espérer devenir numéro 1 mondial dès 2009. «Nadal va devoir
maintenant confirmer sur des surfaces encore différentes comme aux Jeux
olympiques et à l’US Open où il retrouvera Federer sur sa route»,
relativise Dominguez.


Quelles sont les solutions pour Roger Federer? Particulièrement accablé par la défaite dans son jardin londonien, Roger Federer a bien compris que l’éclosion de Rafael Nadal sur surface
rapide assombrit grandement sa marche en avant. Avec 12 tournois du
grand chelem à son palmarès, il est toujours à deux unités du record de
Sampras depuis son dernier succès à l'US Open en 2007. «Aujourd’hui,
c’est le 13e qui va être le plus dur à gagner car Federer peut avoir
beaucoup de mal à se remettre de cette défaite qui l’a ébranlé»,
constate le DTN.

L’erreur serait d’enterrer Federer trop vite, ce que n’a jamais fait
Nadal qui se considère -du moins dans ses déclarations- toujours en
outsider du maître. Le Suisse n’est pas mort. Sa réaction de champion
qui lui a permis de recoller après avoir été mené deux sets à rien est
là pour prouver la force de son mental. Les solutions existent. «Il
faut qu’il empêche Nadal de jouer en montant constamment à la volée. Un
peu comme Tsonga l’avait fait en demi en Australie. Et puis il devrait
embaucher un coach qui l’aide à progresser», explique Patrice
Dominguez. Dimanche soir, à la fin de la conférence de presse, après
avoir eu les larmes aux yeux, Federer a relevé la tête et regardé les
journalistes: «Ecrivez ce que vous voulez. Moi, je vais essayer de
recommencer à bien jouer, de gagner les Jeux olympiques et l'US Open.»


Matthieu Goar
20Minutes.fr,
éditions du 07/07/2008 - 17h21

Federer tombe comme un brave

Rafael Nadal a remporté son premier tournoi de Wimbledon. L'Espagnol a dépassé le maître même en son jardin.
• Mené deux sets à zéro, le Bâlois revient de nulle part et égalise, avant de perdre aux confins du cinquième set.
• Cette finale superbe, d'une grande intensité dramatique, marque l'intronisation de Rafael Nadal en patron du tennis masculin.



Un mauvais roman commence par il pleut et les histoires d'amour finissent mal, en général - sinon elles ne finiraient jamais. Dimanche, un règne a pris fin entre deux averses, mais en beauté, aux confins d'une finale légendaire. Roger Federer n'est plus le roi du gazon, ni celui du tennis masculin. Seul l'ordinateur n'a pas encore validé l'avènement de Rafael Nadal, premier joueur à réaliser le doublé Roland Garros-Wimbledon depuis près de trente ans.

«Something in the air», avait flairé Boris Becker. Le ciel était lourd, chargé de menaces dont chacun devinait la portée. Il y avait une sorte de fascination manichéenne à voir si la conviction de réussir, incarnée par un pirate, mettrait à sac la pureté conservatrice, élégante et feutrée, d'un esthète. Sous le vent mauvais qui balayait le cloître Wimbledon rôdait l'excitation de voir un génie assiégé, et la peur de voir un champion tomber.

Au final est une passe d'armes légendaire, par sa qualité et sa dramaturgie. Roger Federer avait déclaré: «Je sais que si je joue bien, je devrais gagner cette finale.» Il a bien joué, mais il a perdu. Il s'y est révélé adroit, bon et majoritairement tenace. Que dire, que maudire? A deux sets zéro, son seul tort était de défaillir là, ou dans un passé récent, il marquait sa différence et assommait la concurrence: les points importants. Rafael Nadal a obtenu trois balles de break et les a toutes transformées. Roger Federer s'en est procuré six et n'en a concrétisé qu'une.

Son autre tort, peut-être, fut de tempêter contre le vent, qu'il n'a jamais aimé - contrarié dans sa volonté de tout maîtriser... Mais les problèmes de Roger Federer ne sont pas tombés du ciel. Ils sont venus d'une faiblesse inavouable, la seule: Rafael Nadal. Ils sont venus d'un ascendant psychologique, induit par une habileté, une persévérance et une couverture de terrain hors du commun.

Cette force animale a encore renvoyé Roger Federer à des talents moins nobles, les seuls qui ne lui étaient pas acquis au départ, et délaissés dans la solitude d'un règne insolent. Persister. Guerroyer. Ailleurs, contre d'autres adversaires, son approche reste centrée sur lui-même et sur l'équation à résoudre. Même à Wimbledon, cette fois, Rafael Nadal fut constamment dans son champ de vision, et avec lui, en de subtiles volutes, le souvenir de quelques débâcles anciennes.

C'est quand tout semblait perdu, seulement, qu'un autre Roger Federer est réapparu, comme revenu des temps anciens. Le ciel lui a envoyé la pluie à 5-4 dans le troisième set. Ressuscité, le Bâlois a porté ses espoirs avec brio jusqu'au tie-break du quatrième set, un «tout ou rien» destiné à marquer durablement les esprits de ceux qui, tantôt y ont galvaudé deux balles de titre à Wimbledon (Nadal), tantôt remonté un handicap de 5-2 pour remporter le set (Federer)!

Les stratégies n'ont rien dévoilé d'inattendu. Rafael Nadal a choisi la verticalité et la profondeur, autant pour son confort personnel en fond de court que pour fermer les angles. L'Espagnol a poussé le raisonnement jusqu'à servir sur le corps, avec suffisamment de «spin». En face, Roger Federer a imprégné du rythme en rentrant dans le terrain, afin de ne pas laisser à son rival le temps de se décaler et d'armer son lift.

Le duel a atteint des hauteurs stratosphériques. Au final, restera la chute à la nuit tombée, la chute de Federer Ier, roi des types et de ce gazon que, depuis cinq ans, il arrosait de ses larmes. «Rafa a parfaitement mérité ce titre», rend hommage le vaincu. Restera aussi la promesse d'une rivalité légendaire.

http://www.letemps.ch