Sunday, 8 July, 2007
Of course there were tears - there are usually tears when Roger Federer wins a grand slam title. Five Wimbledon finals ago, they were tears of sheer joy and disbelief as the Swiss won the first of his 11 major titles. This time they were tears of relief as the greatest player of the moment, possibly of all time, knew that he had never been as close before to losing his stranglehold on the championship that he holds most dear. Federer equalled Bjorn Borg's record of five consecutive Wimbledon victories by beating Rafael Nadal 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 in 3 hours and 34 minutes. But for a 40-minutes spell in the middle of that epic, Federer almost unravelled before our eyes. The cool master of Wimbledon was seething and, as his anger rose, so his grip on the trophy slackened. In Federer's mind, he also had to beat the Hawk-Eye electronic line-calling system. In the crowd's mind, he also had to beat the huge weight of expectation that had amassed as Federer closed in on Borg's record. In 2003 the BBC's Sue Barker had reduced Federer to floods of tears merely by asking him how it felt to hold his first Wimbledon trophy. He was an emotional wreck.This time, now that Federer had won his fifth, she struck a nerve again. Asking him how special this fifth title was, Federer revealed his inner-most fears in a throwaway line: "Rafa is such a great champion," he said. "He is improving every year. I'm happy with every one I get now before he takes them all." It was meant as a joke, but it explained all anyone needed to know about Federer's rivalry with Nadal. Federer is the best player in the world but the one man who can rattle him on almost any surface is Nadal. There is something about the spin, the angles and the power that the left-hander generates that flummoxes the Swiss. "He wears you down," was the best way he could describe it.
But on grass, Nadal ought not to be a contender. Apart from Borg, no modern player has ever dominated on clay and then won on grass. But every year Nadal improves on the green stuff and this year he came close, awfully close, to winning. And Federer knew that Nadal would be back again to snap at his heels here, in Federer's home from home. Borg had come for the final weekend to witness history being made but sitting beside Borg for the duration of the final was Manolo Santana – and he had come to watch his man to become the first Spanish winner since Santana himself back in 1966. When Nadal reached the final last year, he did not quite believe he could win. This year Rafa smelled blood. This year Nadal knew that he could win and he knew exactly what to expect when he walked on to Centre Court. When Federer drew first blood with the early break, a packed Centre Court breathed a sigh of relief. Much as they love Nadal, Federer was their darling for the afternoon. They wanted him to match Borg. Borg wanted him to match Borg. And he was winning. So far so good. But when Nadal flexed those massive biceps and broke back, the panic levels rose and the tension in Federer's face was clear. These two men bring the best out of each other. They know each other's strength inside out and while they make the other play to the very peak of their form, they also cancel each other out. There were times when Federer was majestic in this final, but he could never take off and control proceedings as he usually does here. When Federer thought he had wrapped up the first set on a tiebreak, he started to walk calmly back to his chair with that confident swagger of his. But he was pulled up short – Nadal had asked for Hawk-Eye to confirm that his backhand had actually been in and that the scores were level. The computer did its stuff and Federer was called back to serve. And he dropped the point. He eventually closed out the decider but, with the final point won, he danced backwards towards his chair while punching the air and smiling at his family and friends in the box. This was most unFederer-like. As the momentum swung back and forth, Nadal was doing damage with his speed and power, taking the second set, while Federer was serving like a demon and winning the third. And then Federer almost hit the self-destruct button. The normally neutral, composed Swiss imploded silently when a ball that he thought was clearly out, was called in by Hawk-Eye. He was already a break down in the fourth set by then, but the computer-generated overrule gave Nadal a break point and suddenly the champion was 3-0 and two breaks down. He could not get the thought out of his head. He asked for the machine to be switched off but got no joy. However, if Federer thought the fates had conspired against him for three and a half sets, suddenly they did him a favour. Nadal, having not had a day's rest since the start of the week, called for the trainer and had his right knee taped. He was sore, he was tired – and suddenly Federer perked up. That three minute time-out to gather his thoughts got him back on track and try as Nadal might – twice he held two break points as the fifth set began and twice Federer snatched them back – he knew the game was up. That was when Federer pounced and, for the first time in nearly two sets, he looked like the champion again. His mind, for once, was in total lock-down and focused on winning and winning alone. He had claimed his fifth Wimbledon trophy. And that is when the tears started. Written by Alix Ramsay
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