It took 13 matches and more than three years to come alive but
on Sunday Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal finally produced a
riveting battle that proved a genuine rivalry in men's tennis was
now established.
Before Sunday's
Spain's Rafael Nadal (left) congratulates Switzerland's Roger
Federer after Federer wins the men's singles final at the Wimbledon
tennis championships in London on Sunday. Reuters
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Wimbledon final, the duo had locked horns 12 times, with Nadal
emerging the victor on eight of those occasions.
While two of their previous matches had gone to five sets, none
had been on the grand slam stage.
Sunday's three-hour 45 minute classic changed all that.
"I win my share. He wins his. It's a good rivalry, I think,"
world No 1 Federer said after he beat his Spanish bogeyman 7-6 4-6
7-6 2-6 6-2.
"We've been at the top for over a hundred weeks together. It is
like building up to one of the great rivalries.
"But we sometimes haven't lived up to the expectations in the
past, in our matches in majors especially. I think that was maybe a
bit of a problem.
"But you can't always play five set match thrillers. I'm happy
it happened today. I left as the winner. Was perfect."
Since Federer is only 25 and Nadal is four years younger, the
duo's rivalry could go on for years.
They have now contested four of the last six grand slam finals
and are split at 2-2. While Nadal has denied Federer the French
Open crown over the last two years, the Swiss has quelled the fire
and fury of Nadal on his favorite turf at Wimbledon over the same
period.
Fans would love to see more five-set thrillers between the two
but Federer was relieved that at least this time, he emerged
triumphant and joined Bjorn Borg as the only men to have won five
successive Wimbledon titles.
"It's my first grand slam final where I won in five sets.
"That obviously alone is going to get emotions out of you
because you're drained towards the end, you know, mentally and
physically."
Sights on Sampras's record
Federer has set his sights on equalling his hero Pete Sampras's
record of 14 grand slam titles after picking up his 11th at
Wimbledon on Sunday.
"I'd love to equal his record," he told a news conference.
"Pete Sampras is maybe the greatest player we've ever had. It
takes me five Wimbledons and three Australian Opens and three US
Opens to just get close to him. So it just shows you what a great
player he was."
Like Sampras, the only grand slam title to have eluded him so
far is the French Open - which Wimbledon runner-up Rafael Nadal has
won for the last three years.
A Roland Garros title is on Federer's 'to do' list and he said
that at 25 he still had several years in which to keep trying for
that one and a few others that he has his eye on.
"I haven't won Paris, Davis Cup, the Olympic Games, many other
tournaments I'd like to win again," the world No 1 said.
"But, you know, if I don't win them all, it's okay, too. I'm
having a great run."
That run included picking up his fifth successive Wimbledon
trophy on Sunday, equalling Bjorn Borg's record, which the Swiss
stopped Sampras also matching in 2001 when he defeated the American
in the fourth round.
But Sampras still has two more titles from the All England Club
to his name, winning seven in 1993-95 and 1997-2000.
"To be on the same level as Pete Sampras, my former hero in a
way, is already very nice, but I'm not there yet," acknowledged
Federer.
Red over Hawkeye
Federer questioned the success of Wimbledon's experiment with
the Hawkeye ball tracking system on Sunday after several
flashpoints at critical moments in the marathon final.
The normally serene Swiss was agitated by some of Nadal's
challenges and completely lost his cool in the fourth set when a
Nadal forehand that appeared to land beyond the baseline was shown
to have clipped the line on the Centre Court screens.
"What can I say?" Federer said, when asked about the call at 0-2
30-30 in the fourth set that led to him being broken for a second
time in the set.
"If I'm going to go against it, people will always say he
doesn't agree whatsoever. I don't know how they developed this
machine, if they took all possibilities into account: the way the
ball travels, the way it bounces, 3D, the whole thing.
"I told the umpire I was happy Nadal was going to challenge
because I knew the ball was out. Then to see that it was in on a
30-all point, which was such a huge point, I was shocked."
The Swiss, who has raised doubts about Hawkeye in the past, was
heard using an expletive during the changeover after saying the
system "is killing me".
"I was frustrated because already I got broken and then to be
broken this way was very irritating.
"The umpire told me, too, he saw the ball out. He couldn't
believe it was in. I was like, all of a sudden, anything you
challenge now is just going to go against me."
Nadal also criticized Hawkeye after his semifinal victory over
Novak Djokovic on Saturday. "I think the Hawkeye has mistakes
sometimes," he said.
Wimbledon used the Hawkeye system for the first time this year
on Center Court and Court One, joining the Australian Open and US
Opens that have already employed it.
(China Daily via Agencies July 10, 2007)