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If you had to point out in the history of Tennis, a moment that advocates the sport and the spirit it epitomizes, it will have t be when Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer at the Wimbledon final in 2008 in a game where there was no loser. The match had a bit of history and a bit to follow it as well. The rivalry between the two men continues and so perpetually continues the sportsmanship the two share. This match from 2008 does not just mark what was a historic moment in Tennis, but also a switch in the power centre. After being defeated at his bastion – coming to this game as five time consecutive champion and losing it marked the stepping down of Roger Federer from the envied throne as well as Nadal’s coronation as the next dominant force.
The Guardian responded to this heavy duty match by a reference to another great who saw it from the stands, Bjorn Borg. Borg stood equal with Federer with five consecutive titles at the grass court grand slam. He saw him equal it the previous year against Nadal and he was seated again to watch what could have been a match in which Roger would have surpassed him. The Guardian said, given the duration of the match, “Bjorn Borg must be tiring of this.”
The match was rain affected but the fact that a part of this roller coaster ride was played under fading light gave it more grandeur. The glittering post match presentation looked splendid under lights and after sweating so hard over a cumulative period of 6 years, and still not be able to overcome the legend, made for a tear or two but the dignity of the champion that Roger Federer is was only elevated.
The match was played over five sets and the exhaustion that followed it equaled the enormous joy of the winner and the irrepairable sorrow of the unfortunate runner up. Nadal wn the first two sets with relative comfort 6-4, 6-4 but was pulled back by Federer post the rain interruption and won the next two sets in tie breaks. The fourth set tie break set the hearts of most men racing and at times it seemed like the new champion would be crowned prematurely but Federer clinched it 10-8 in the tie break. The fifth set saw both of them desperate for every point – it was an exhibition of heightened ability and skill. It was nerve wracking for the audience that witnessed it but admirably, the quality of the Tennis only increase with the pressure. It seemed as if the two players were in a world of their own, a matter of life and death, insulated by the ooh’s and the aah’s of the crowd.
How much it meant to Nadal that day was exemplified by his elaborate celebration as he climbed all the way to his box hugging and celebrating. The match was a surreal experience for those who witnessed it and surely must have been for the players as well. It was the first Wimbledon title that Nadal won.
Click to watch glimpses from one of the best matches ever played in the history of Tennis
P.S: Roger Federer came back to Wimbledon the very next year to play another five-setter against Andy Roddick and clinched it. That episode in the history of World Tennis on another Wimbledon rewind!
