After prying MisterNiceGuy off the XBox I switched on the Wimbledon men’s singles finals between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It was already in the the fifth set, but there was so much more to see. Roger had come back from two sets down to fight back in two straight 7-6 sets to even the match up. The score stood at 2 games for Federer, 2 games for Nadal. It was epic to say the least.
Nadal finally broke Federer in the 15th game of the fifth set (there are no tie-breakers in the final set at Wimbledon). Though it was hard to see with the weather crapping out my reception, he proceeded to win, fall on his back and then climb up to the Royal box to thank the Spanish prince and princess for coming to watch his victory for Spain. What a year for Spain, winning big in soccer and tennis. Finally getting some revenge for losing all those boats in 1588. It was a stunning upset of the 5-time (and in a row no less) winner and class act of Federer. Was this the changing of the guard? Will Nadal now start winning all the tournaments and become the next great unbeatable that Federer has been (save the French Open)?
My prediction is actually quite different. This is a wake up call for Federer. In the last few tournaments I have seen him play, he has been rather demure. He seemed to be “going through the motions,” as commentators love to say. He had won for so long that it just seemed natural and very little emotion seemed to come out on the court. Now he has something to fight for. I expect that Nadal will win his fair share. He is in fact quite an impressive player with precision shots that are mind boggling and intensity that is unmatched. However, Roger is one month older than me. He is not past his prime and he should be able to win more than a few more Grand Slams. I suspect that with this new and capable challenge he will be back and better than ever. There is only one way that Federer can stake claim to the greatest tennis player of all-time and that is to win at Roland Garros. It may also be the only way he can prove he is deserving of his #1 rank after having lost two straight Grand Slams to the same, capable Nadal. Watch out for tennis. It’s back!
Filed under: Sports | Tagged: French Open, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Roland Garros, Wimbledon
this is a bittersweet topic for me. i really enjoy watching these guys play, but my ex taught me everything i know about the sport… i have to say that the most memorable matches i’ve seen involved nadal & federer…always a nailbiter. although i tend to favor federer, i really like them both as players. there are a lot of good young players out there, but i think we’ll see the power shift between these two a while longer.
What an epic five set match by the two titans of tennis. My eyes were glued to this marathon for 4 hours and 48 minutes! This was the greatest and perhaps the best quality tennis I have ever witnessed in any tournament. Congrats to Nadal for taking down the great Federer.
I think we need a comment from the Obscure One on this post.
Hello themircocosm,
Thank you for the invitation. I have only one tennis name in mind at the moment. I hope those who enjoy the game of tennis will look him up. The name that comes to mind is Rod “The Southhampton Rocket” Laver. A tennis genius.
Rodney George Laver was, without question, the greatest player I personally have seen play the game of tennis. He was a true master of the game. Fortunately, I had the honor to briefly speak with him and watch him play. Unbelievable!
There are many talented athletic players out there. Many capable of winning on a given day. So what makes a player a great player? “…it’s what they do under stress.” – (Laver) The truth of this statement, I believe, is what separates the champion from the rest of the field.
Who is the greatest player of all time? “The most one can say is, “I was the best in my era.”" – (Laver) And so it was with Rod “The Rocket” Laver. Winning the big four (The Australian Open, The French Open, Wimbledon, and The U.S. Open) twice in the 60s. Laver won all four in 1962, as an amateur and repeated this brilliant achievement in 1966, as a professional. This has never been accomplished before. Not even once. Unbelievable!
Enjoy,
The Obscure One
Rod Laver undoubtedly was the best in his era, as he himself said. But, to deny the evolution of the sport and discount the modern players is nonsense. The game that Rod Laver dominated at back in the sixties is non-existent today. The game is much faster, more physical, and technology allows for unbelievable racquet head speed and pace. Tennis players of todays modern era are by far better athletes than anyone who competed in Lavers area. What I’m getting at is that if Laver played Nadal, Nadal would chew his face off.
era* not area
I don’t know about that. Different rackets, different courts, but not necessarily a sure thing that Laver would be smashed. Put Nadal on a court with a small faced wooden racket against Laver and I think things might be different. Of course, start Laver off at an early age playing in the current style of tennis and who knows what might have been. I watched some of Laver v. Connors on Youtube and it was sick just how good Laver was, and he was really old by then.