King on Grass - Wimbledon final review

Amazing ... Simply AMAZING .
I stayed up till 2am yesterday night watching Messrs Federer and Nadal slug it out in a most annoyingly rain interrupted final at Wimbledon. Well 'slug it out' is probably the wrong phrase to use when describing these masters at work. What transpired yesterday was a masterpiece of tennis composed by two of the most supremely gifted artists, yes i call them artists because thats what they are, of the present era.Who would win ? Will Federer, that supreme master of his art and the king of grass, be able to surpass Bjorn Borg and win six straight Wimbledon titles, or will it be Nadal, the young upstart with seemingly neverending reserves of energy, who becomes the first man since Borg (again) to win the French and Wimbledon in the same year ?? It had all the indications of a thrilling ride. Would Nadal again prove to be too good for Federer (remember how outclassed Federer was on the red clay of Paris ?) or will Federer finally overcome this man from Mallorca who has consistently been his only stumbling block ?? When the match started I was pro-Federer while my dad was all for Nadal. Well the greatest tribute I can pay them is probably the fact that by the end, it didn't matter to us who won... because it became clear that on the day there was only one clear winner :: TENNIS. It was a tale of three parts :: 1. Before the rain interval in the third set... 2. After the rain interval.. and 3. The Final Set .If anyone had doubts over Nadal's form going into this match, those were quickly put to rest as the Spaniard came out all guns blazing and immediately broke Federer's serve early in the first set. Federer seemed to have got his rhythm back as he raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set but the young Mallorcan came back strongly to win 5 games in a row as he took the second by a similar margin as the first, 6-4. Federer stepped up the ante but Nadal matched him stroke for stroke and it seemed that there was no way back in the match for Federer when the Heavens opened up and play had to be suspended. The break must have been just what federer needed as he came back revitalised and took the next two sets 7-6 each. To be perfectly fair to both the players, the tennis on display was of a very high calibre and any lesser mortal would have wilted in straight sets to either of them, but it was to these masters credit that they matched each other shot for breathtaking shot. Then came THE FINAL SET... Big serves, bigger groundstrokes, sublime volleys, dropshots and inhuman passing shots, the final set had it all and more. It was the tennis you get to see once in a lifetime. Every other shot had me gasping for breath as the players kept finding those angles and openings which seemed impossible to me and I daresay a million other inferior souls. It was 7-7 in the final set and most of my nails were already chewed off when the turning point came....We join the action at 7-7 final set, Federer serving, break point Nadal....what will happen ??? A breathtaking rally in which Federer seems to have the upper hand when.... Nadal breaks for 8-7 with one of the most unbelievable passing shots you will ever see!! Nadal now serves for the match. Will Federer be able to hold on? Match-point Nadal 40-30. AWESOME return of serve by the reigning champion !!!! Deuce... Federer not ready to throw in the towel yet. Big serve by Nadal, and Federer unalble to return it. Advantage to the Spaniard and yet another match-point. Nadal serves for the match, Federer returns, Nadal backhand and.... Federer hits it into the net !!!! NADAL WINS !!!!!! 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7 ....Is this the beginning of the Nadal era ??... Is this the end of Federer's dominance ?? Nadal had proven to the world that there is no one in professional tennis who can touch him on clay, and in his third final at Wimbledon.. he finally conquers the grass. But there is no shame for Federer as he did not at all play badly.. though he would do well to minimize his unforced errors.... and we hope he'll be back next year. Well looking back, it must be greatest Wimbledon final ever, well atleast the best game of tennis I have ever seen or probably ever will see, unfortunately there could be only one winner... and all credit to Nadal as he emulates the legendary Bjorn Borg. All in all it was one of those matches that remain with you long after all is reduced to just statistics...