December 4, 2008
After Wimbledon, Federer, Nadal attain unrivaled rivalry
Following Rafael Nadal's epic Wimbledon defeat of Roger Federer in the final on Sunday, the question for the top two players in the men's game is: What next?
The 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 victory Nadal accomplished against the top-ranked Federer affirmed that the Spaniard, once an awkwardly muscular teenager, has grown into arguably the game's best player -- an all-court, all-around force.
Nadal showed the flair and fortitude needed to win the grueling French Open-Wimbledon double. But what could keep the 22-year-old Nadal from piling up Grand Slam titles -- he now has five -- is the same all-out effort that helps him win. Nadal's withdrawal from Stuttgart on Monday was a reminder that he typically starts slow and ends with a crash. He never has gotten past the quarterfinals at the Australian Open or the semifinals of the U.S. Open.
But in defeating Federer, who has a better package of skills than his respectful rival, Nadal demonstrated a steely edge in mental strength. Federer, 6-12 all-time against Nadal, overcame that edge just once in 13 chances to break Nadal's serve on Sunday. Nadal also matched Federer's best shot-making weapons -- his serve and forehand -- with gritty speed and a lethally malleable backhand. So if Federer is to win any of his inevitable, future final meetings with No. 2 Nadal, the 26-year-old Swiss will need to address the intangible, mental part of his game, and a newfound taste for vengeance may be the quickest fix.
Federer's draining loss was an exclamatory turning point in a year filled with them.
In January, the 12-time Grand Slam champion was battling mononucleosis and lost an the Australian Open semifinal to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, whom he'd edged to win his 12th Grand Slam title last September at the U.S. Open. Federer came into Wimbledon this month with just two victories at minor tournaments and nine losses -- many of them puzzling -- on his 2008 resume. Nadal had ceded him just four games in a bruising, straight-sets win in the French Open final in June.
But Federer cruised to the brink of a sixth straight Wimbledon championship without dropping a set. His imperious game seemed to be back in order, with the addition of a sharpened serve that put him unaccustomedly high -- second -- on the ATP aces list with 428.
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That vicious serve kept Federer, and the spectators at his favorite All England Club court, in the match Sunday until Nadal outlasted him deep into the London dusk.
Despite his travails, the longtime No. 1 still has one major title to defend -- the U.S. Open, which he has won three years running. While Nadal denied Federer his bid to surpass Bjorn Borg with a sixth straight title at Wimbledon, Federer can make still make history this year by becoming the first man to win four straight U.S. Open titles since Bill Larned won five from 1907-11.
But Federer, chasing Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles, has in Nadal a youthful rival who has broken out terrifically on two surfaces, and may yet have something in store for the hard courts of Flushing Meadows and Melbourne.
With their skills so evenly matched, it is the determination of each great champion that will decide who wins each remaining installment of their brilliant rivalry.
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Copyright © 2008, AM New York
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