There were two rain interruptions, but the pulse of the match was unrelenting. It might have gone either way in the fifth, but Rafael Nadal finally triumphed to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back, writes Steve Bierley.
As Rafael Nadal came out for the start of what was to be the most dramatic and tense men’s Wimbledon final, he shook hands with Manuel Santana, who in 1966 had become the first Spaniard to win the men’s title here. After two sets it appeared that Nadal, the runner-up to Roger Federer for the past two years, had done enough to earn his own place in tennis history. That was to ignore the brilliance and resolve of Federer, the champion since 2003 and a man who gat hers a cloak of invincibility around his shoulders once he passes through the gates of the All England Club.
He looked down and out, a man haunted by the memories of his straight-sets thrashing by Nadal in last month’s French Open final when the Swiss world No. 1 managed only four games against the world No. 2, the King of Clay. He had never been in this situation before on Centre Court since he became champion five years ago. Federer stared into the abyss and then, as champions do, went about turning the match his way. He clawed one set back, then another, saving three match points out of four in total in the process.
There were two rain interruptions, one of more than an hour, the second of less than half an hour, but the pulse of the match was unrelenting. It might have gone either way in the fifth. Finally, in what remained of the light at quarter past nine, Nadal triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7, the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back.
Nadal had looked by far the more composed at the start of the game, breaking his opponent’s serve in the third game and closing out the opening set in 47 minutes. Federer’s backhand, his weaker side, looked especially vulnerable; however, his response was immediate and incisive.
Perhaps his mind flashed back to his previous five victories, two of them against Nadal, and he drew strength from these memories. In the second game of the second set he forced the Spaniard into an unaccustomed forehand error and then swept over a forehand cross-court winner of his own. At 4-1 to the Swiss it seemed that not even Nadal would be able to prevent him drawing level. That was to underestimate this bull of a youngster.
The switch of momentum was as quick as it was unexpected: 4-1 became 4-4, although not for the last time Federer had chances. He simply could not convert the break points — in all he managed just one out of 13. Nadal is a difficult enough opponent at the best of times and Federer was making it doubly difficult for himself. Having broken his serve once, Nadal did it again and served out the set for what appeared to be an unassailable lead, given the Spaniard’s unbending will. But then that was to underestimate Federer.
The champion was hurt, and hurt badly. He had only one alternative and that was to attack. Twice he had Nadal at 15-40 in the fourth and sixth games of the third set. Twice Nadal held him off, although for one horrible minute in the third game it seemed the Spaniard’s final might be over there and then. He slipped, his right knee thumping into the turf. He lay on his back and grimaced.
Michael Novotny, an ATP trainer who speaks Spanish, scurried to Nadal’s chair but after a little gentle poking and prodding there was no medical time-out called. He had a similar scare in his fourth-round match against Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny but, as then, all was well. It was extraordinarily tense tennis and at 3-3, all finally seemed lost for the five-time champion. Nadal had three break points for a 4-3 lead. Somehow Federer clung on and then with him 5-4 ahead the rain came, holding up play for nearly an hour and a quarter.
On the resumption the set went into a tie-break, with Federer in the ascendancy. Yet even then Nadal saved two set points before a final Federer ace sealed the beginning of his comeback.
The 15,000 Centre Court crowd now wanted this match to go on for ever, such was the amazing quality of shot-making coupled with the highest of tension. Another set, another tie-break and this time it was the Spaniard who jumped to a 5-2 lead, as Federer had done in the third-set decider.
Nadal was two points away from victory, only for the realisation to grip him by the throat. He choked, as he had never choked before, double faulting with an 83mph second serve. Federer had no need to sense that his opponent was in trouble, it was obvious to everybody and Centre Court fell eerily quiet. The Swiss levelled at 5-5. It was unbearable. Federer was hanging on by the nail of his smallest fingers.
Somehow he managed to stave off two championship points, the second with a stunning backhand down the line that no other player would have made.
The fourth set was his. The tension in the final set was intolerable, with a second rain delay at 2-2. Federer saved another match point but not, at the next, the match. It had been a final of finals.
© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
Comments
SHARE