A Wind of Change at Wimbledon

Perhaps I was just a little late in recognizing it.

When Basel, Switzerland's Roger Federer was upset by Serb Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-final, whispers began to surface that the previously unbeatable Federer was no longer the creme de la creme in the tennis world. Those whispers only grew louder after Federer was denied a third straight time for the overall Grand Slam in the French Open Final against Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who demolished Federer in three sets in losing just three games and holding Federer to 6-0 in the third set, the first person since Byron Black in 1999 to hold Federer to a 6-0 set. Given the ages of Federer (he will be 27 in August), Nadal (22) and Djokovic (21), pundits bored of Federer's dominance were only too eager to pass the torch onto Federer's younger opponents, openly declaring that the end was (finally) here for the unbeatable.

At the time, I didn't really think the story was that special. First of all, Federer wasn't going to win all the time, so the fact that Federer lost in the Australian Open shouldn't have been a monumental surprise (surprise, yes, but- for the lack of a better word- flukey at best). Second of all, despite the fact that Nadal won so convincingly at the French and had now beaten Federer in three straight French Open Finals, Nadal still hadn't beaten Federer in any other Grand Slam (nor won another Grand Slam title). NBC's Mary Carillo pointed to Nadal's class in not overtly celebrating after the French victory (and don't get me wrong, it *was* classy), but she failed to point out then that Nadal knew he'd need another Grand Slam title before people would see him as a legitimate challenger to Federer (so there really was no point in crazily jumping around). Besides, Federer had yet to play on grass- his favoured surface- so the jury really should have still been out until Wimbledon concluded.

Well, it did, and Nadal finally got over his hump. In an epic match that featured two rain delays, a match time of nearly five hours with the latest conclusion ever to a Wimbledon final (9:20PM local time, over seven hours after the scheduled start time), Nadal defeated Federer for his first Wimbledon championship 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7. John McEnroe, commenting for NBC, called it "the best match I've ever seen" which is an understatement as the match featured more drama than prime time television does in an entire year. Federer looked to have swung momentum his way after fighting off a 2-0 deficit in sets and match point on Nadal's serve in the fourth set, only for Nadal to secure the vital break in the fifth set (at 7-7 no less) and finally swing the match back his way. As McEnroe's broadcasting colleague, Ted Robinson, noted "these two bring out the Superman in each other" as the match featured the best both players had to offer: Nadal's impeccable ability to return just about anything and Federer's ability to ferociously pound winners and aces at a blinding pace. The match was also very evenly contested- Federer was only broken four times, while Nadal was broken just once. The match really came down to wits and, at the end of the day, Nadal just had more, but only barely. It was the kind of match where you didn't want to see anyone lose, with the match playing to expectations- the two best players in the world providing their very best stuff and ultimately producing the very best match.

The question now is "where do we go from here?" For Nadal, the answer is pretty simple. First of all, he can finally shake off the "clay-court specialist" tag in proving he can win on other surfaces. Second of all, having claimed his fifth Grand Slam title at the age of 22 (when Federer had just one at the same age), Nadal is well on his way to surpassing Federer as the world No. 1, which one would have figured to be just a matter of time given the two players' ages. Whether or not Nadal can get to Federer's total of 12 Grand Slam titles depends on how much the 21-year-old Djokovic develops (he too is an all-court player like Federer is and could develop a similar rivalry with Nadal that Federer currently enjoys) and if Nadal can hold off injury concerns, especially with his knees (his high-energy style has already led to a few injuries and that can be trouble in his older days). However, there is little doubt that on current form Nadal is the best player in the world and given how Nadal can make adjustments (he did serve and volley a little towards the end of the match) one suspects Nadal is primed for a real takeoff.

For Federer the situation is a bit more murky. It's not the end, but it is now getting close. At 27, there still is a lot left in the tank, albeit the engine operates a little slower now than it did in the past. There was going to be a year where Federer was going to lose because it's impossible to maintain that kind of form forever (players adapt and Federer is human after all). For perspective, Pete Sampras- who played a similar style to Federer and is compared to Federer as tennis' greatest player- won his last Wimbledon title at 29 and his final Grand Slam title at 31, so Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles is still very much attainable (Federer currently sits at 12). Plus, the loss may just spur Federer on to prove that this was just a minor dip and not the start of a real decline- he may have fallen back on Wimbledon knowing his past success, and while he certainly didn't "give up" this year, a loss may just shock out any feelings of complacency that he may have developed before this year. Besides, a champion like Federer doesn't stay down for long.

One thing is for certain though- tennis won today. All those hoping for a more competitive men's field finally got it as Federer now has a legitimate rival in Nadal (and maybe Djokovic if he ever gets his act together), meaning that these next few years the top will be as hotly contested as it ever was. It means that there's more matches akin to today's Final up ahead as the battle for greatness heats up and at the end of the day, the one who stands on the top is definitely going to deserve it.

-DG