Rafael Nadal Shocks Roger Federer in Thrilling Wimbledon Final

Posted Jul 06, 2008 4:30PM By Will Brinson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Tennis

There are two rules to casually watching tennis: (1) Roger Federer is the best at everything (2) unless he plays on clay, when it becomes Rafael Nadal's world. All of that was thrown into an upheaval today, when Nadal upset Federer in an all-day Wimbledon final (longest in history) that commentator John McEnroe called the "greatest match" he has ever seen.

Following rain delays, five sets of grueling intensity and four championship points, Nadal finally took Federer down 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 9-10, 9-7. For now, the only thing that matter is that Nadal gets to enjoy his first ever Wimbledon championship. For later, the things of importance that will have to be addressed are the statements that Johnny Mac made immediately after the match. First, will this upset of the world's most dominant player generate more worldwide interest in tennis? And secondly, is Nadal the new world's number one?

My money would still be on Federer to retain the crown, but for those that watched this match, you could see how Nadal -- through his clay dominance and finally achieving an upset on the grass -- has a legitimate argument to be the world's top ranked tennis player.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

7-07-2008 @ 3:26PM

ehmz said...

very exciting!!! congratulation!!! Vamos Rafa!!!

7-06-2008 @ 5:34PM

Paul F. Villarreal said...

HUGE props to Nadal for the victory today. That was a true classic and a privilege to watch.

Federer is still the superior player of the two, but his first service percentage was slightly down and his unforced errors tally was far too high. It was a miracle he was even in the match.

That said, Federer should have won the 2nd set after leading it 4-1 and won the match in 4 sets. He did not. But now he knows if he plays his game against Rafa, he can defeat him at Wimbledon, same as before the French Open beatdown he suffered.

The rain breaks helped Nadal more so than Federer, whose efficiency is so amazing that his opponent is bound to tire before he does.

Anyone who thought Federer was 'done' after the French knows better now. If the 5th set has a tiebreaker or if it doesn't rain, Federer is holding his 6th title as we speak.

Still, all credit to the gritty and nearly flawless Spaniard. He deserves it.

Now we head to the hardcourts, where Federer will have no resistance from Nadal and only little from all others save his Aussie Open conqueror, potentially. As Nadal heads off with the tremendous Borg Slam, the best player in tennis and the #1 player in its sport gets ready to win the US Open.

What a fantastic day for the sport.

Paul F. Villarreal
VillarrealSports.com

7-14-2008 @ 6:29AM

Blaise said...

I disagree that the rainbreaks helped Nadal more, or that Federer's game was necessarily "down." He has been playing this way the whole year with more errors, and it has been noticeable since last year's US Open final against Djokovic, where he gave Djokovic a lot of chances to stay in the match by making errors and presenting many break opportunities instead of stifling him completely and taking control of the match, as he is famous for doing, especially in finals. His tennis has slowly taken on a different pattern in the last year, whether it is because of him playing worse or better competition is the question.

I would also argue against the fact that the rain breaks were an advantage for Nadal. Federer has always handled rain breaks extremely well. If you think on wimbledon 2003, where Federer really established his foothold as current king of tennis, he was losing noticeably to Andy Roddick in the final before receiving a rain break and then making a comeback. There is no evidence to support him ever playing worse after a rain break.

In this match, he turned it from a severely one-sided affair down 2 sets to an even match after the rain break. Mentally they focus him, and physically one could also argue they allowed him to rest his strength against an opponent who is clearly in better shape than he.

7-06-2008 @ 9:30PM

Max said...

Nadal is going to have to show as much improvement on the hard courts as he did on the grass court in order to be a legit #1. And it would be the height of foolishness to count him out after what we've seen from him so far. These 2 guys have given us some incredible tennis over the past few years. This was the peak, but it doesn't look like it will end anytime soon.

7-06-2008 @ 6:55PM

Debbie said...

This was the best match I have ever seen, other than the famous Borg-MCcenroe final. Both Nadal and Federer put on an amazing display of talent and class. I am glad to see Borg stillholds the record for Wimbledon titles. Thanks Roger and Rafael, and may your amazing rivalry continue for many years. Debbie in NY

7-06-2008 @ 7:05PM

Joseph Calero said...

Unfortunately, I'm not a gambler, otherwise I would have bet everything I have on Rafa.Don't get me wrong: my admiration for Roger is immense but let somebody with Rafa's determination achieve his goal.

Congratulations to the Williams sisters. They played magnificently great.

7-06-2008 @ 7:09PM

Matt said...

Paul Villareal = Federer Apologist #1

Nadal has won on his own surface and on Federer's surface. To think he doesn't deserve to currently be called the best player in the world is a joke. Sorry Paul, I hope your world doesn't come crashing down on you.

7-06-2008 @ 7:07PM

hootie_69 said...

"Nadal...has a legitimate argument to be the world's top ranked tennis player."

If you meant to say he has a legitimate argument to be considered the worlds best player or a chance to claim the top rank you might want to reword that sentence. The rankings are computer generated based on tournament performance so Nadal does not have an argument to be the top ranked player. Either you are or you aren't, no discussion necessary.

7-06-2008 @ 7:56PM

cynthia B said...

I was on the edge of my seat the whole match. What an excellent match to watch. Congrats to Nadal. Well done!

7-06-2008 @ 8:11PM

chub said...

Paul F. Villarreal.....ur comments are not only biased but ridiculus,first u say the rain benefited nadal,nadal was up two sets at the time.

then u say nadal only won because roger had more unforced errors ,of course he did ya tard he also had alot more winners because he hits a flatter ball than nadal.

calling him superior when hes 6-12 against nadal?

oh wait roger holds the edge on hard courts 3-2 wow!

ur obviously trying to promote ur lameass site.

great match needles to say ,instant class without ur moronic commentary!

7-06-2008 @ 8:13PM

JDBreeze1 said...

Federer has the number 1 ranking for now, but it's only a matter of time before Nadal takes over. Nadal has to be the favorite to win the US Open even if he hasn't overtaken Federer by then.

7-06-2008 @ 9:11PM

michael katz said...

I had $50 on Rafa and thought/knew it was time.

All this B.S. about different surfaces is meaningless. If you're a great player, you're good and very capable on any/every surface. Just like it isn't the tennis racquet that makes the player, a talented player can win on any surface.

7-06-2008 @ 9:45PM

inthedrink said...

Welcome to the internet: home of misinformation flying every which way. First we had Paul Villarreal and now his stupidity is topped by michael katz.

The surface doesn't matter? Pete Sampras - No French Open titles. John McEnroe - No French Open titles. Bjorn Borg - No US Open titles.

I guess those guys weren't great since they weren't "capable" on one particular surface.

7-06-2008 @ 10:21PM

Freddy Alvarado said...

Hey Mr.Villareal thanks for all the laughs you gave me..especially all that funny stuff you wrote yesterday..now all this CRAP!!!!........I could of used you in my high school days when I was always late or skipped class..the teacher would always asked me "where's your excuse?...........Please Mr.Villareal...change your lameass site to... NEED AN EXCUSE PAUL VILLAREAL.COM

7-06-2008 @ 10:40PM

Teresa said...

I'm so glad Rafa won his first Wimbledon(and it won't be his last!) I was a huge Borg fan back in the day & I'm glad Federer didn't surpass his 5-in-a-row Wimbledon victories. (Borg's predication after the French Open did come true with Nadal's win for Wimbledon). What a month for Spain - with the soccer victory & now Rafa's! I loved when Rafa went to hug his family & then to the Royal Box where Spain's royalty could congratulate him. He is a tremendous talent for tennis and a true gentleman on the comments he makes (as is Roger). I'm so glad there is such a great men's tennis rivalry in Federer/Nadal like there used to be in Borg/McEnroe and I hope it continues for many years because it is great for the sport of tennis. (my footnote: I love John McEnroe as a commentator and player interviewer - he's excellant!)

7-06-2008 @ 11:04PM

George B Vieto said...

It was a tennis match that even Sylvester Stallone could write a Hollywood motion picture based on this tennis match. It is one of the greatest matches I have ever seen.

7-06-2008 @ 11:22PM

frank said...

The best tennis match ever, almost 5 hours;
For a moment I felt they were going to play for 5 more hours;
In the long run the younger man will take over sooner or later ;
Federer has been a great champion ;
Nadal is taking over from here on !

7-06-2008 @ 11:40PM

Move over Federer here comes Nadal !

7-07-2008 @ 12:18AM

Laura said...

I'm so happy for Rafa. It was an incredible match, and Fed really made him earn it. Rafa really earned this the hard way, and he showed his heart, determination & toughness many times throughout the match, as did Roger. Neither guy ever gave up. It was incredible. I love both guys, but I was rooting heavily for Rafa. I was so happy & relieved when he finally did it. It was one of the greatest matches (in any sport) that I've ever seen. Congratulations Rafael Nadal!!!

7-07-2008 @ 1:50AM

Fortenh said...

Amazing, a heart pumping event of my tennis history.
I knew the two best players in the world would not dissapoint.

Fedder looked crushed, unable to break the record by winning 6 straight Wimbeledon mens final. They both were determined to hang on focused and committed.

It was the happiest and saddist day after watching 7 hours and almost 5 hours playing. Both of them pushing body and soul to the limit.

Fedder your still the man on top. It seems he has dicovered a twin in Nadal.

Congradulations to Nadal. There is no doubt you diserved Wimbledom, however, Nadal and Fedder will be around to share thier skills to those who can not
so they watch in awe to those are willing to share thier talent.

I have one question,"how do you both play so long and still be playing in the end as they started in the beginning"?