Third Time's the Charm

6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7...

Four hours and forty-eight remarkable minutes...

Three slippery rain delays...

The man destined to halt Roger Federer on grass has finally done his feat!

In what was an unprecedentedly theatrical and epic Wimbledon final, the 5 time champion world #1 couldn't make it 6 and lost at the All England's for the first time since 2002.

The drama had been mounting even before the match began...it was for the 18th time that Rafa and Roger were going to go head to head. People wondered what Roger would do after that humiliating defeat at the Roland Garros. People scrutinized. They praised Nadal for working beyond his limits. But could he possibly overcome the seemingly insurmountable challenge awaiting in Centre Court?

Nadal answered that last question with profound eloquence today.

The match was scheduled to begin promptly at 2 PM local time, but Mother Nature had other ideas. It had happened at Wimbledon many times before. A rain delay. When the tarp was finally pulled off Centre Court, it was 2:35 PM.

For the first two sets, the gritty Spaniard made it look effortlessly easy and threatened to put on a déjà vu performance of his convincing French Open victory. But this was Wimbledon...and it was Roger Federer on the other side of the net.

The real Fed-on-grass began to reveal itself in the dramatic third set, but before long, rain drops came splattering down on London once again...hard.

And so it kept on pouring. The players remained hidden in the locker rooms, the grounds crew was on stand by, the vendors sold lots of strawberry and cream to bypassing fans, and the tv commentators busted their brains finding ways to keep busy.

Then, after an hour and 20 minutes, crispy blue sky replaced the shadows of gloomy clouds. Roger and Rafa reappeared from the tunnel. They warmed up and played on.

Leading 5-4, Federer desperately wanted and needed to capture this set. He didn’t want to go down in history as a 5 time champion who lost in straight sets. He fought. He
slammed unreturnable forehands at preposterous angles and bolted backhands down the line. But Nadal fought back. The two warriors went to a tiebreak.

Serve after serve, the crowd held its breath for the Fed Express and like a true champion, he prevailed when he needed to, winning the narrow tiebreak 7-5.

Reenergized by the excruciatingly long third set, Roger Federer came out in full force in the fourth. Nadal looked a little fazed but he would not crack. He had done it too many times in Wimbledon before. Not this time. Not this year. He was on a mission to hoist the historical championship trophy.

The forecast was not promising. Ominous clouds loomed in the distance. Meteorologists and fans alike tried not to worry too much about the sky but the action in Centre Court.

With each man in control of their emotion-driven serves, the fourth set too, was forced to a tiebreak. Pundits thought last year's final was epic...psh...think again!

The first point of the tiebreak featured an acrobatic duel injecting a dose of adrenalin into everyone's blood. The players, the fans, the commentators, the folks gathered around the television…

After a few costly mishaps, Nadal found himself on the brink of victory, leading the tiebreak 5-2 and serving for two. The crowd is on the edge of their seats.

Rafa wipes his sweat. The match has gone on for longer than 3 grueling hours. He could end it right here. But he fails. Federer pulls himself back from the edge of the cliff, denying Nadal of two championship opportunities. And the tiebreak teeter-totters back and forth, back and forth, before Nadal miscues a backhand long that brings the match to 2 sets all.

We go to a fifth set.

The two Wimbledon hopefuls are determined to go on. It seems forever ago that this thrilling marathon began.

While the distinguished guests and tennis gurus are feeling incredible emotions, Mother Nature lets everyone know that she has emotions too. The skies begin weeping once again and the grounds crew sprint out on to the court.

Play resumes after 24 minutes. You would never know this was the middle of 5th set in the midst of a Wimbledon final. The candidates don't look tired at all. They continue smashing forehands and backhands and the occasional ace.

Room for error shrank with every stroke. Neither of them falters. We go 2-2, 3-2, 3-3, 4-3, 4-4, 5-4, 5-5...on and on and on. Slowly, evening settles to night in London.

At this pace, we could keep on smashing shots 'til tomorrow morning. In some places, you could. And for sure, everyone wanted it to. But this was Centre Court; the Wrigley Field of tennis.

As Centre Court continues to darken, the two stars refuse to do the same. Finally, Nadal breaks Federer's serve. The 5-time champion is in grave trouble, down 8-7.

After throwing away another championship point, Nadal attempted for a fourth time to take home the title.

A serve and a couple returns later, Federer nets an unforced error. Nadal falls to the ground. Tennis' greatest grass king has been dethroned. We have a new Wimbledon champion!

It was 9:18 PM, the latest finish ever for a Wimbledon final. It was also the longest match ever in Wimbledon final history. Fittingly, it came at the tail end of an amazing tournament.

So Bjorn Borg was right. It was Rafa's year on grass.

Though some things have been tempestuously changed, others remain the same. Roger Federer, though inconsolable, remains an athlete with class. Nadal, though French and Wimbledon champion, is still his shy self.

What a match! What a tournament! What will next year behold?

-D