Wimbeldon Finals

[ChrisM]

Did anyone else watch it? Nadal eventually won 9-7 in the 5th set.

Hands down the best tennis match I've ever seen. Unreal what those two guys are capable of.

edit: I have to admit that I almost cried. More than once.

[TheLastMohican]

I saw it: truly epic.
I was rooting for Federer, just because I like to see records broken. But I am not upset that Nadal one. He deserved it.
I am glad it went five sets, because I think that kind of matchup warrants a long, close match. Both played about as well as they ever have, and overall it was a very satisfying finale.

I am hesitant to call it one of the greatest matches ever, due to the numerous matches before my time. The level of play was the highest, but with better rackets and amenities like Gatorade. I wonder how those two would do if they were playing back in the 80's. It was a notable match in tennis history, however, no doubt about it.

[Synamon]

Sniff, I was reduced to listening to it on streaming radio since I have no TV. Those two certainly battled and both make each other better. It is a great thing when two evenly matched athletes both want the win so much that the audience can taste it.

[sam988]

I watched it. Amazing! I found myself clapping to them after many points (mind you i was at home watching it).

They are clearly a few levels above any tennis player of our time. And Nadal is in such a great phase, now the question is if he will be able to keep such a great level of tennis. Federer is clearly not as good this year as he has been in the last ones, but it must be really hard to keep a top level game for much long.

But i still bet that Federer will recover now that the pressure of always winning is off his shoulders, he will be able to rest and soon be back at his full game. At least it's what i hope, so i can watch many more epic matches between them both.

[TheLastMohican]

Sniff, I was reduced to listening to it on streaming radio since I have no TV.

Radio? :wreck: Oh, what you were missing!

They are clearly a few levels above any tennis player of our time. And Nadal is in such a great phase, now the question is if he will be able to keep such a great level of tennis. Federer is clearly not as good this year as he has been in the last ones, but it must be really hard to keep a top level game for much long.

I think Federer was playing just as well as before, but Nadal has been improving rapidly. That's really not much of surprise, since he's only 22, and has plenty of time to polish his play. Federer is getting older now, though (26, I believe) so he might not be at the top of his game for more than another two years or so. He isn't really showing his age much, so I hope he can keep it up into his 30's, like some of the greats before him.

But i still bet that Federer will recover now that the pressure of always winning is off his shoulders, he will be able to rest and soon be back at his full game. At least it's what i hope, so i can watch many more epic matches between them both.

Definitely! I hope they meet again frequently. I think Nadal will have a psychological edge, but they both are quite mentally tough, so that probably will not be as great a factor. Nadal is significantly stronger, but Federer can keep up pretty well with his good control and fast serve. Already they have faced off in more major finals than any other pair. It's a plus that they get along well, too.

[Kris3]

I think Federer was playing just as well as before, but Nadal has been improving rapidly. That's really not much of surprise, since he's only 22, and has plenty of time to polish his play. Federer is getting older now, though (26, I believe) so he might not be at the top of his game for more than another two years or so. He isn't really showing his age much, so I hope he can keep it up into his 30's, like some of the greats before him.

Yeah, I've been a big fan of Fed's for the last few years, but Rafa's progress impresses me more with each tournament. His serve is light years better and his backhand is now a shot to fear.

Most of all, though, is something more intangible. Federer's talent and ability is sublime, no doubt about it. But Nadal has something else....the eye of the tiger for lack of a better phrase. He seriously plays every single point as if it's his last. The prospect of facing that for five sets or four-plus hours has to be incredibly unnerving for his opponent, to say the least. Even Fed's incredible mental fortitude shows signs of cracking every time he plays Rafa, it seems.

Definitely! I hope they meet again frequently. I think Nadal will have a psychological edge, but they both are quite mentally tough, so that probably will not be as great a factor. Nadal is significantly stronger, but Federer can keep up pretty well with his good control and fast serve. Already they have faced off in more major finals than any other pair. It's a plus that they get along well, too.

They might have a few more times, but it's just so tenuous in tennis. Top talents generally burn out quickly, rather than fading away. It's tough to see Rafa's body standing up physically to his style of play for several years. I think he needs to begin scheduling much more tactically with this in mind....in particular a couple fewer clay tournaments each year.

[Mozzes]

I was thinking about making a thread about this but I didn't think there'd be much interest.

Definitely an epic match. Nadal finally bested him on grass but I don't think Federer has lost a step this year. True he got crushed at the French Open but that was somewhat expected and he didn't drop a set at Wimbledon until the final match I think. Nadal's made huge improvements in his game, especially his serve, and now he's got the psychological edge in their rivalry so it'll definitely be interesting to see what'll happen if they're matched up at the US Open.

Federer will probably be just fine in terms of his late career. He's a smart player with a complete game and he'll find ways to compensate for loss of athletic ability as he ages unlike somebody like Andy Roddick who will probably fade away once he starts losing power on his serve and forehands.

[TheLastMohican]

Even Fed's incredible mental fortitude shows signs of cracking every time he plays Rafa, it seems.

I noticed that Federer did a lot more muttering to himself in that match than I had seen him do before. Nadal did nothing of the sort.

They might have a few more times, but it's just so tenuous in tennis. Top talents generally burn out quickly, rather than fading away. It's tough to see Rafa's body standing up physically to his style of play for several years. I think he needs to begin scheduling much more tactically with this in mind....in particular a couple fewer clay tournaments each year.

Nadal will probably have to adapt his style as he ages. He still has plenty of time left in his prime, though, and currently he is physically more powerful than anyone else in the game. He has a lot of room for physical decline before he runs into trouble. Now he just needs to fine-tune his tactics. He has a lot of power in his serve, and if he hit more to the edges like Federer does, I think he would get a lot of aces.

[sam988]

Federer will probably be just fine in terms of his late career. He's a smart player with a complete game and he'll find ways to compensate for loss of athletic ability as he ages


I agree. I think that Federer will keep at his game until he hit his 30s. If you see he isn't very muscular at all, as his game doesn't rely much on his stronght and endurance (but of course this factor can never be ignored). Nadal on the other hand, as someone mentioned above, has a very demanding style, running after every single goddamn ball until the end. I'll be surprised if he can keep it up for many more years without changing.



edit: ah damn the just-created post above just said the same as mine.