The Match- The Man

Let me clarify at the onset that I'm a Federer fan. For me he represents a lot more than 12 grand slams, record No.1 weeks, 5 consecutive Wimbledons etc etc. To me he is the man who can wield a tennis racquet almost as an extension of his free will, the angles that he creates on court are a mere reflection of the purity of the thought process in his mind.

So it was with great anticipation (and a little fear I admit) that I sat down to watch the Wimbledon finals 2008. Nadal had not just entered the finals beating the other players, he had demolished them. If you'd seen his quarter final match against Murray, you could have seen the sheer dent Murray's morale underwent. In his own words he later said "He was playing too well probably for me. His forehand was ridiculous. You know, he's hitting the ball so close to the line, so hard, that it was difficult for me to get into a rhythm. I felt rushed on every point. "

That's what Federer was against, a man who was hitting the ball harder, covering the court faster and doing both more consistently than was ever seen on the tennis court. But then it was the Wimbledon, a place where Federer elevates to a level next to the Almighty himself. A place where his strokes flow as freely as the Rhine down the Alps and more importantly the place where he has had the better of an otherwise constant thorn in flesh Nadal.

15 minutes into the match and Nadal broke Federer. The fear that was present at the start of the match became a knot in the stomach. Some booming serves and beautiful passes were not enough as Nadal held onto that break to wrap up the first set 6-4. Never mind,I thought, Federer has seen a 6-0 victory in the first set become a four set loss in the french open finals in 2006, he knows there is a lot of tennis left in the match.

15 minutes into the second set and all Federer fans were grinning ear to ear, 4-1 up the script was finally falling into place, except Nadal had some other plans. Refusing to buckle under the pressure he hurried the Swiss from one tight corner to another and broke back into the set. He then added to Fed's misery by breaking him once again to sew the set at 6-4. I sat open-mouthed, swinging from anger to irritation. Why the hell did he have to rush to the net so often? Why was he avoiding the slice when caught in a corner? The commentator added salt to the wounds by saying, "It's almost like Federer has an inferiority complex against Nadal". Not like this, I thought in my head, not like this.

Amidst rain delays and and concerns of light conditions the third set began. Federer did not commit the unforced errors at the same rate as the earlier sets and revved up the service games to take the set to a tie-break. Tie-breaks, a place where Federer would back himself to win, and win he did taking the match to a fourth set. Can he still...a voice asked in my head? nah.. he's left himself too much to do ... and no one should win a match after that horrendous 2nd set the mind said, half in anger rest in the inevitability of it all.

By now the game was becoming a boxing match without gloves, Nadal was hitting the ball with a laser like accuracy while the Swiss continued to crank up the magic with shots that only he could pull off. In such a setting where the level of tennis was reaching to unseen magnitude, Federer took the set to the tie-break again. Would you believe it?? Yes!! C'mon now take it easy.. finish the set. Wait.. what's that scoreline showing? Fed 2-5 down? Nadal serving for the match? NO...not yet. And of all miracles Nadal got nervous as if these thoughts were going through his head too. The double fault that Nadal did at this juncture eventually cost him the set. Though he got some C'ship points during the tie-break, that double fault gave Fedrer the foot in the door that Nadal was slamming on his face, and keeping his poise he took the tie-break 10-8.

Phew... Always knew Fed would do it, the mind said half guilty for doubting the man, half mad with joy.

The momentum was firmly with Federer and when he held his serve in the fifth set, for the first time in the match it was Nadal who had to do the catch-up act. At 2-2 deuce rain held up play, though many people saw it as interruption, it was almost like God taking some time off to calm his nerves, resettle in his seat and refocus on what his creations were creating on Centre Court. Divine tennis.

The set progressed but with that one thing kept becoming increasingly clear, Federer was not going to break Nadal (and this time there was no tie-break to bail him out). No matter how many glorious passes and deft volleys, Nadal was not cracking up under the pressure of the fifth set and the momentum factor. I think it had a lot to do with his previous experience at Grand Slam Finals and also with the fact that he has beaten Federer many times to know he is mortal.

And mortal he was, after exhibiting some of the most beautiful and gutsy tennis the King lost his serve in the 15th game and we had Nadal serving for the match. Soon enough it was 40-15 and with two C'ship points for Nadal, the show was all but over. Or was it? Serving for the match Nadal served big and wide tucking Fed in a corner, one could almost see the tame return thudding in the net or becoming fodder a for a forehand ripper from Nadal. Instead Fed's returned the serve with a scathing yet beautiful trademark cross court backhand (You could see for end number of times and not get tired) that left even the ever ready Nadal short of ground. 40-30!! 1 more point now Fed... Nadal will crack .... something will give in..!

There are contests and there are contests, but there was something about the setting at Centre Court, the level of tennis that we had witnessed, the legacy of this modern-day rivalry and the prize at stake that made the last scene of the battle so poignant. True, the champion lost, but not before delighting us all with a sublime show. Fall he did, to his own errors that were too many and at times unbecoming (How can he explain that second set ??!!) and to a man who was in prime shape, playing some of the most ruthless tennis coupled with a resolve that was as strong as those bulging biceps and more importantly a man who made the less mistakes.

As the evening turned into night an overjoyed Nadal celebrated a well deserved win, the King packed his bags. There was a frown on my face, will he do a Borg? Has he accepted in his heart that Nadal is too tricky an opponent and one who is learning faster for him to tame. Will he hang his shoes in the emotional aftermath of what was singularly the most draining match that he had contested? Luckily for all, he left the stadium with a warm congratulatory message for Nadal and a promise to return and reclaim something he holds very dear. Not many might have noticed, but the way he pointed at the trophy while mentioning it was almost akin to a kid who has just lent his favourite toy to another friend and is waiting for the day he gets the chance to snatch it back.

So is Nadal the new champion, the better tennis player, the deserving No.1 ? Well, ATP rankings show him only 585 points behind Federer which means he has a theoretic chance that of becoming No.1 before the US open. Many people think it is an unfair system wherein a performer like Nadal is lagging behind someone he is beating with amazing frequency. There is also talk that in his heart Fed knows he his not No.1 anymore.

Well despite all that I can say without any doubt that Federer is still the best player in the world today, heck he is the best we'll ever see probably. I'll even say he was the better player in the finals. Even in the loss he was only 5 points behind Nadal for the entire match. Keeping the points apart the kind of tennis he put on show was what was largely responsible for taking the match to those dizzying heights. Nadal fans will smile and nod their heads thinking it is the usual rant of a Fed fan. While I totally agree that Nadal made less mistakes during the course of the match, he also kept his head about when the match reached those tense final moments where he was serving after Federer to stay in the match. Some of the winners that he hit were the usually unthinkable and unplayable types, but that's about it. He is a damn good athlete who is in the prime of his game which is as effective as it is unconventional. But is'nt that true for guys like Uthappa, Yousuf Pathan, Gautam Gambhir? Then why is that amidst all these newcomers, it is a Rohit Sharma everyone is seeing as the new No.4 in tests, a position that we have given to a God of our own.

It might sound like trite and also harsh on Nadal, who does not have to prove anything to anyone. He is a deserving champion and very soon could be the official No.1. But just as Nadal does not have to prove anything neither does Federer need anyone's stamp of approval to certify him as the best player in the world. He was , is , and in all probability will remain the greatest man to take up the game. Believe that or take a walk.

'I lost the last two finals, close finals. But he's [Roger Federer] still the number one. He's still the best. He's still five time champion here. Right now I have one, so for me it's a very, very important day.'
Rafael Nadal after winning his first Wimbledon title.

'Rafa's a deserving champion. He just played fantastically... It's been a joy again to play here. A pity I couldn't win it under the circumstances but I'll be back next year.'
Five times Wimbledon champion and this year's losing finalist Federer.