Federer Wins Five

Ok, yet another Wimbledon comes to an end and yet another title for Federer. So what’s new? A look beyond the headlines and a contextual analysis of this match indicates that this might very well be a landmark match for this generation of tennis lovers.

Well, to start with there was a match, an even one at that, until the point in the fifth set when Federer hurried to the finish line like a rabbit towards carrot. Not since 2001 have I seen a final of fluctuating fortunes as this one. The match will be remembered for the quality of the tennis that the players were able to sustain for 4 hours and 5 sets, not once giving an edge to each other, with Nadal ensuring that Federer played a fifth set at least once in the finals en route to breaking Borg’s record of five consecutive championships. It was a clear case of aggressive tennis, with each player stretching the points with incredible athleticism and unimaginable shots. Michael Chang and Arantxa Sanchez possessed a similar knack of extending points albeit through high defensive lobs but these guys just kept hurling cannons at each other with each shot a definite winner against a lesser opponent. Yes, Federer was stretched. And for the first time in the last five years he looked vulnerable on grass (when Rafa had a 4-1 lead in the 4th set) - a frame worth freezing for any player aspiring to beat FedEx at SW19. Another key factor contributing to the evenness of the contest was the improvement of Nadal as a grass court player YOY. He seemed very confident at the net throughout the match and his serve was stabler than Federer’s for the most part. This is a key factor to note in the context of upcoming encounters between these two gladiators.

As I watched today’s match I could distinctly remember 3 Wimbledon finals that produced a similar high quality of aggressive tennis in the post Borg-McEnroe-Connors era that I had the misfortune of missing. Edberg vs Becker ’90, Agassi vs. Ivanisevic ’92 and Ivanisevic vs. Rafter ’01, in that order, would be best 3 finals that I ever watched and I will place Federer vs. Nadal ’07 right up there with them.

The ’90 finals was part of the famous trilogy that the 2 players enacted towards the end of the 80’s with the two previous encounters being one sided in favor of each player. The match which was a befitting end to the famous rivalry was one of the best exhibitions of grass court tennis. Edberg won the battle in 5 sets but the rivalry remains one of my fondest memories. In ’92 it was the battle between the man with the booming serve and the one with the best return of serve ever and what more can you ask on grass. Agassi shed his fears of grass to win the title in 5 sets and the hearts of Wimbledon fans forever. Goran lifted the trophy in 2001 winning the fifth set 9-7 and the match will always be remembered for him finally getting his hands on the trophy after thrice being stalled by the two greatest players of his generation (Pete Sampras ’94 and ’98, Andre Agassi ’92). Apart from being classics, the above mentioned matches also happen to be 3 of only 4, 5 set finals in the last 25 years.

Now that the context has been defined, what does today's match mean to tennis fans in the next few years. Given the high quality of the match, the maturity of Nadal as a player and its high ranking on the Wimbledon classicometer, the match might very well be remembered as the one that marked the maturity of the Rafa-FedEx rivalry which men’s tennis so badly needs. As with any prediction only time knows the answer.