Wimbledon 2008 Final

I follow tennis closely. Even though I have'nt played tennis ,I'm passionate about it and I'm seriously considering joining a tennis academy.

I've been following tennis right from my school days. I used to like boris becker,andre agassi,pete sampras,michael chang,goran ivanisevic,tim henman, gustavo kuerton,arnatxa sanchez vicario,steffi graf,anna kournikova(for reasons other than tennis) and many more.

But Roger Federer is one,with whom all my loyalties lie.He is my icon.A person who has dominated professional tennis( in the open era) like never before.The four grand slams are a must watch for me every year.

Though I watched many great matches, the wimbledon 2008 final is a class apart.Its the best tennis match I've watched till now.Specially because it was a clash of the titans,the two players whom I admire the most.

What a match it was …dream final…wimbledon -08. Rafael nadal versus Roger federer.It will go down the memory lanes as one of the best tennis matches ever played.The power of Nadal….countered by the class of Federer…all made it a spectacle to watch.

The sheer determination with which fedex came back in the match was truly inspiring. It showed that no matter how difficult the situation might be, if you believe in yourself and your talent, you can easily overcome them. Fedex displayed this rare trait of his by winning two straight sets, surviving two championship points and making nadal sweat and work hard to earn a victory from what could have ended as a humiliating 3-0 defeat for the defending champion.

This match stands testimony to the fact why Nadal is an able successor to the emperor on grass, bringing his streak of five Wimbledon titles to an end. with the legendary Bjorn Borg and the royal couple of spain watching, Nadal played his best ever tennis on grass countering Fedex’s class with a mix of raw power and clever tennis.

Fedex went down fighting like a knight doing what all he can but couldn’t match Nadal this time(third Wimbledon final in three years). He did every possible thing….served hard, played serve and volley…played baseline rallies occasionally charging to the net but only to face Rafa’s excellent(often unbelievable) returns.

Rain god pitched in with a bit of help by giving both the players some valuable time to recuperate in what was turning out to be a test of not only tennis acumen but also physical stamina.

Nadal cruised to an easy two set lead over Fedex,but Fedex came back in the match surviving two championship points in a 5 hr marathon.The third and fourth sets kept me on the edge of my seat with every point turning out to be so very crucial, having the potential to turn the game around.I couldn’t stop applauding sitting in front of the TV at 2 o clock in the night.I had goosebumps watching the match as it was turning out to be a important event in contemporary tennis, it was history in the making.The fifth set turned out to be a test of nerves, with every game being so closely contested, it kept every one guessing that the match could go either way. The 15th game in the fifth set was the turning point, with Rafa getting that most required breakpoint which he converted. Rafa then serving to win the championship did nothing wrong and with Fedex hitting a return into the net, he finally triumphed over the defending champion.

The line-challenges by both Rafa and Fedex showed how even few millimeters of contact matters in today’s professional tennis.In the course of playing to stay in the match Fedex displayed how effective his forehand is, specially the cross court forehands which leave the opponent literally dumbstruck.It was totally a fire and ice game….fedex,known for his cool mind hardly displaying any emotion on one hand and rafa on the other moaning while playing and punching in air after dramatic rallies.

Fedex was cool,calm and composed after the defeat,even though he knew how big a defeat this was,specially missing the chance of breaking the record of Bjorn Borg.It spoke loads about him as a person. In the post match ceremony he said “ I tried everything” and he chuckled,sending a wave of laughter across the centre court.He was all praises for Rafa and said that Rafa truly deserves it.What a contrast from the federer of 2003 when after winning Wimbledon was crying like a school kid. It displayed his maturity levels. The thing I liked most about Fedex was the way in which he handled defeat.Be it victory or defeat,he stayed the same Fedex,a true champion, rightly called the emperor of tennis.

Someone once said "I was lucky to watch Bjorn Borg and john McEnroe play tennis,your generation is not that lucky”…but here I am, so lucky..so blessed to watch Fedex…I’m proud and happy to be a contemporary of Fedex..specially in his tennis playing years….i don’t feel bad to have missed Borg and McEnroe who played tennis before I was born.

What a run it has been till now for Fedex…..three Australian open titles(2004,2006,2007), five Wimbledon titles(2003,2004,2005,2006,2007), four US open titles(2004,2005,2006,2007) and three times finalist at the French open.I really wish he wins a French open before he retires. I’m not writing him off, he still has a lot to accomplish in tennis. The optimist in his came out when he said” I’ll be back next year to reclaim it.”

Rafa truly deserved this victory. He has worked his way to this win over Fedex on grass, without losing any ground on clay. Rafa won a single set in 2006, two sets in 2007 and 3 sets in 2008,which earned him the title.This shows if you want to win over Fedex, you have to sweat it out !!!!!...that too over a period of 3 years.

survival of the fittest= tennis.