Monday, July 07, 2008

Nadal triumphs over Federer

I have been eagerly waiting for this Wimbledon final for the last one week. And its been worth the wait. If therez anyone who can stop Roger Federer, its Rafael Nadal. The best part about it is they both know it. Being a fan of both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, it has been particularly tough for me to take a side. But somewhere inside my mind, I think I wanted Roger Federer to win. His win would have broken Borg's record five straight wins at Wimbledon. But Nadal prevailed over Federer in the match.
If anything, check below the match summary.

Match Summary

Federer (SUI)Nadal (ESP)
1st Serve %128 of 195 = 66 %159 of 218 = 73 %
Aces256
Double Faults23
Unforced Errors5227
Winning % on 1st Serve93 of 128 = 73 %110 of 159 = 69 %
Winning % on 2nd Serve38 of 67 = 57 %35 of 59 = 59 %
Receiving Points Won73 of 215 = 34 %64 of 193 = 33 %
Break Point Conversions1 of 13 = 8 %4 of 13 = 31 %
Net Approaches42 of 75 = 56 %22 of 31 = 71 %
Total Points Won204209
Fastest Serve129 MPH126 MPH
Average 1st Serve Speed118 MPH113 MPH
Average 2nd Serve Speed98 MPH91 MPH


Losing first two sets to Nadal, Federer looked like he is going down in straight sets. But rain gods thought otherwise and gave him time to gather himself up, which he did too. Federer showed his prowess and resilience, and the next two sets went to tiebreakers. Federer drove the match to the fifth set. The Fifth set, with no tie breaker, looked like it will end up being a test of stamina and strength as both won 7 each. And then Nadal breaks Federer's Serve. Nadal finally could convert his Fourth Championship Point into a real point. Federer's streak of wins in Wimbledon has been stopped and Nadal won his First Wimbledon Championship. Nadal was jubiliant and Federer was calm just like the way when he was victorious. Later, in the interview, Nadal praised Federer as the greatest player. That's the best thing one can hear from one's Nemesis.
If I am right, Federer is just two Grand Slams away from equalling Pete Sampras's record of winning 14 grand slams.

Wishing you all the best Federer.....



2 comments:

Ruchira Mandal said...

I had it easier to decide- I always support Federer if he's around, even though I really like Nadal. And i was disappointed by the oucome, although, I have to say- great match- a final worthy of Federer and Nadal!

Nebu said...

Ruchiraa,
Federer has more grace in his game and Nadal relentless. This is a wimbledon final that I would talk about to my grand kids. ;-)