First, I need to make a disclosure. Although I have great respect for Rafael Nadal, he is both talented and affable, I must admit to being a Roger Federer fan. At Nadal’s young age, win or lose, spurious or sincere, he always has the most gracious of words to refer to his rival. Thus, regardless of where my allegiances rest, it is impossible not to be drawn in by such a character. But to be frank, Federer was there first. When Roger started out, his demeanor reminded me of Stefan Edberg, a player I revered. The fact that he possessed the right tools to become a great player made it easy to gravitate to his corner.

With Rafael Nadal’s convincing win over Federer at the French Open, the former not only cemented further doubt in Roger’s psyche as to whether he would ever win that particular major, but also placed uncertainties in his mind as to whether he could be dethroned at the All England Club. Moreover, after that fiasco, I strongly felt that Roger should consult a sport psychologist as a preemptive move in case these two should meet in the Wimbledon final again because I was concerned that the mental aspect would be his greatest opponent. When Roger went down two sets to none to Rafael, I was convinced that his goose was cooked. Thus, I was pleased to see Federer push the match to a decisive fifth set and I came to the realization that Federer is a far more ferocious competitor than people have given him credit for the past few months. Although the outcome was not as Roger desired, I whole-heartedly believe he will come out a better man for having gone through this experience. As such, I feel compelled to write him this message.

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Wimbledon.org has posted transcripts and video from post match interviews with Nadal and Federer.

Click here to access the text and video from Nadal’s interview.

Click here to access the text and video from Federer’s interview. 

The Wimbledon gentlemen’s final between the sports’ premier players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal surpassed expectation. After four hours and forty-eight minutes and two rain delays, Nadal triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 becoming the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French and Wimbledon titles in the same year.

After his wretched performance at the French, Federer needed to prove that he was still in command on his favorite surface. But Roger started the first set on the wrong footing, surrendering his serve in the third game. In the subsequent game, after Nadal took a 40-0 advantage, Federer rallied to get a break point after three deuces. Yet, Nadal stood his ground to take a 3-1 lead. Down set point, a net court allowed Federer to hit a down the line winner for deuce. But, two second serve return errors erased Roger’s break points and Rafael pocketed the set at 6-4.

As the aggressor in the second set, Federer broke Nadal in the second game. Afterwards, Roger was on cruise control on his service games while pushing Nadal on his. But at 4-2, Federer missed two makeable volleys giving Nadal a break point which he cashed in. In the next game, Roger had a chance to redeem himself, but with a couple of great serves, Nadal thwarted his break point opportunity. With three consecutive first serves misfired, Roger went down 0-40 and with his superior groundstrokes, Rafael converted for a 5-4 lead. With Nadal serving for the set, Federer resisted and got to an ad point. However, another backhand error was Federer’s undoing, thus, Nadal went up two sets.

With Nadal one set from the finish line, Federer could have folded. After squandering double break points on two occasions, Roger salvaged a 0-40 service game in the seventh, to prevent Nadal from getting ahead 4-3. After a tough service game, Federer went into the locker room up 5-4 with a rain delay. When Nadal stepped out to serve, he stormed to 40-0. Roger inched his way back to deuce, but with a couple of errors, Nadal held for 5-5. Ultimately, the set was decided by a tiebreak. With a correct challenge, Federer stopped Nadal from getting a mini-break early on. Then with clutch serving, Roger went on to win the set.

In the fourth, Nadal’s serve continued to bother Federer causing many service return errors. In the long rallies, Nadal had the upper hand, producing some superb passing shots. Conversely, when Federer’s first serve was accurate, he had little trouble holding. In the tenth game, down 0-30 and two points from elimination, Federer came up with the goods to level things at 5-5. Again, a tiebreak became necessary to determine the set. After being down two mini-breaks at 5-2, Federer was plucked from the jaws of defeat when Nadal threw in a double fault and made an unforced error. Then down championship point, Federer hit a sensational backhand down the line winner and eventually won the tiebreak 10-8.

In the fifth set, Nadal had a far easier time than Federer holding serve. On a horde of occasions, Roger had too many winnable volleys go long. For instance, in the fifth game, up 40-30, Roger lost a point at net leading to deuce and a stoppage of play due to rain. Luckily, Federer’s rhythm was undisturbed and he held for 3-2. In the eight game, Federer had his first break point opportunity since the second set which Nadal fought off with a phenomenal serve. With Roger serving at 5-5, Nadal had double break points. Nonetheless, Federer escaped for 6-5. After a comfortable hold, Nadal jumped out to 0-30, Federer again fought back to get to 7-6. With Nadal serving at game point, Federer made a great lob which Rafael chased down and later won the point with a beautiful cross-court pass. This was the indication that it was truly Nadal’s turn. In the next game, Nadal connected on a couple of passing beauties to go up 15-40. Somehow, Federer crawled his way back to deuce. But, Nadal would not be denied. When Federer committed an unforced error, Rafael took an 8-7 lead. On Nadal’s fourth championship point, Federer netted the return, giving Rafael his first Wimbledon crown as Manuel Santana,  the last Spaniard to hold this coveted trophy in 1966, looked on.

Click here to see a video of Nadal serve for the 2008 Wimbledon title provided by the BBC. 

The stars were perfectly aligned at Wimbledon this fortnight for Venus Williams. Despite trying her best, sister Serena could not impede the defending champion from taking the trophy with which she shares a first name. Venus eliminated Serena in the women’s final 7-5, 6-4.

When the Williams siblings play, the quality of the match is a toss up. Serena seems to have no qualms about beating her older sister. In fact, Serena has won 7 of their last 10 matches, their most recent meeting was in Bangolore this March. In the Wimbledon final, Venus started with a case of the jitters; she readily lost her opening service game. Moreover, on multiple occasions, Venus fended off break points and despite a bevy of unforced errors; she prohibited Serena from extending her lead. As the match progressed, Venus settled down by coming to the net, perhaps the most reliable part of her game, with tremendous success. Her first opportunity to break came in the eight game courtesy of an awful service game by Serena, Venus won a long rally to get back on serve 4-4. Subsequently, Serena had the chance to edge ahead, but Venus managed to hold on to her serve for 6-5. Dismayed at her erratic performance after going down 0-30, Serena tried to rev herself up with a few fist pumps. Eventually though, Venus arrived at set point and prevailed after an error by Serena.

Serena attempted to get an early lead in the second set and had several break point chances in the initial game, but failed to convert. Finally in the third game, after many long rallies, seven break chances and two falls by her opponent, Serena obtained a 2-1 advantage. Yet, this lead was brief with Venus breaking back with ease for 2-2. From then on, Serena was in trouble, saving break point prior to getting the ad for 3-3. On serve, Venus’ habitually shaky forehand was solid, besting Serena in two long rallies. Afterwards, Serena glanced at her mother as if to say: “why are things not going my way”, but Oracene’s stoic expression never wavered, Venus went up 5-4. After a great volley, Venus had double match point. Serena saved one with an excellent serve. But on the second, a deep return by Venus produced the error by Serena, giving her big sister the championship. The keys to the match were Venus’ service, particularly her second, and her strong performance at net. With this second straight Wimbledon trophy and her fifth overall, Venus has distinguished herself as an elite grass court player.

That evening, the Williams’ went back on court for the women’s doubles final against Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur. Venus and Serena were all smiles. Crushing their opponents 6-2, 6-2 in order to win their third Wimbledon doubles title.

Once again, the Wimbledon seeding committee has upset the apple cart by utilizing its prerogative of not formulating the draw according to rankings. It is the only major that does not always abide by the rankings.

Thus, on the gentlemen’s side, Richard Gasquet currently the world number nine has been seeded ahead of James Blake ranked number eight. This is far from a minor detail. Gasquet’s semifinal finish last year probably influenced that decision, but his performance so far this year has been disastrous. For Blake, the implications are huge. Instead of meeting Andy Roddick seeded sixth in the semifinals, the two could potentially clash in the round of 16.

Marcos Baghdatis also reaped the fruits of his quarterfinal showing last year. Now ranked 25, Baghdatis is seeded tenth. Meanwhile, Stanislas Wawrinka, world number ten, in spite of his excellent season has been bumped to the number thirteen slot. Otherwise, the top seven players were seeded as expected.

For world number one Roger Federer, the road to the finals is paved with stones. In the first round, Federer faces former top ten player, Dominik Hrbaty. From there, things get more complex with Lleyton Hewitt, Fernando Gonzalez and possibly Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. For Rafael Nadal, it is harder to isolate potential pitfalls. Nadal recently beat Roddick on grass who is also on his side of the draw. Perhaps if Blake makes it to the semifinals, this may be problematic for Nadal considering that Blake leads him 3-2 in their head to head but they’ve always met on hardcourt.

The ladies’ seeding followed the rankings. Analyzing the top half of the draw, Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams should technically make it to the semifinals. For Ivanovic, speed bumps could include Patty Schnyder, Nicole Vaidosova and Agnes Szavay. On the other hand, Svetlana Kuznetsova or Agnieszka Radwanska may prevent Serena from getting to her projected engagement with Ivanovic. Defending champion Venus Williams’ journey to the trophy will be tough with Jelena Jankovic, Vera Zvonerava or Flavia Pennetta standing in her way in the quarterfinals. While Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina or Elena Dementieva may be semifinal obstacles for Venus. Similarly for Sharapova, her side of the draw is stacked with fellow Russians such Safina, Dementieva or Petrova who may stop her from advancing.

So, there is a lot to contemplate as we look ahead to next couple of weeks. On the women’s side, the draw appears wide open. Past major champions may have the edge because of their experience. With the gentlemen, considering that Federer, Nadal and Djokovic with their talent have distanced themselves so much from the rest of the field, it is hard to foresee another player as having even a marginal shot at the trophy. The question to be answered is whether this will be Federer’s sixth consecutive title or whether Nadal or Djokovic will manage to snatch it from Federer’s grasp.

As 2007 draws to a close, the staff at MiamiTennisBlog.com would like to pay tribute to what we feel were the preeminent matches of the year. On the men’s side, the picks have been limited to five setters because undoubtedly, they were the most compelling.

#10 Maria Sharapova versus Justine Henin, Finals WTA Championships

After making the cut once Venus Williams pulled out due to injury, Maria whose serve had been affected all year by a shoulder problem, appeared to have regained her past championship form impressively dismissing higher ranked opponents to reach the finals. In a hotly contested match lasting 3-hours and 24-minute, Sharapova demonstrated she had “game” by winning the first set 7-5 and pushing Henin in the second set prior to loosing it 7-5. The contest came down to a final third set which was fiercely disputed, but Henin prevailed 6-3.

#9 Serena Williams Versus Justine Henin, Wimbledon Quarterfinals

After the drama of the previous round where she won despite a calf injury, Serena continued to battle against her archrival, Henin, taking the match to an ultimate set after loosing the first. Regrettably, Serena was not a 100-percent physically and went down 6-3 in the third. For her courage and effort, we must tip our hat to Serena.

#8 Robin Soderling versus Rafael Nadal, Third Round Wimbledon

Here are just a few reasons why this was a memorable match: 1) bad weather resulted in play spanning the course of four days. 2) Theatrics were the order of the day, when Robin decided that Rafa’s habit of constantly picking at his shorts between points was worthy of mimicry. And 3) this ended up being a five set marathon with great shots being made from both ends of the court. Nadal’s experience and physical strength were keys in aiding him to come out on top 7-5 in the fifth. It is doubtful that Robin and Rafa will be going out for drinks anytime soon.

#7 Carlos Moya versus Tim Henman, First Round Wimbledon

In his farewell Wimbledon match, Tiger Tim had fans atop “Henman Hill” on pins and needles with another five set nail-biter. The last set was dead even at 5-5 when play was suspended due to lightning. When Henman returned, he electrified the crowd with sensational shots and won 13-11 in the fifth. Sadly, the joy of his British compatriots would be short-lived as in the second round Henman would be defeated by another Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez. Anxious for a home grown champion since 1936, the Brits will have to wait at least another year.

#6 Andy Roddick versus Richard Gasquet, Quarterfinals Wimbledon

As the higher ranked player and with his previous grand slam experience, Roddick had all the elements in his favor to proceed to the next round. He was leading two sets to love and with Gasquet having never previously come back from such a deficit; Andy’s fate appeared to be sealed. But destiny took a wrong turn as Gasquet found the means to work his way back into the match with spectacular backhand passes and eventually walked away with the upset, winning 8-6 in the fifth. A dazed and confused Roddick probably had nightmares for days following that one.

#5 Maria Sharapova versus Serena Williams Finals Australian Open

Subsequent to an injury-filled year which resulted in her ranking plummeting to 81, it would not have been shocking for a visibly out-of-shape Serena to lose in the initial rounds of the tournament. Williams proved all the naysayers wrong when she reached the finals where she dominated the proceedings against Sharapova, who at the time was the second seed, and earned her third Australian trophy. In so doing, Serena placed the rest of the field on notice that she was back at the top of her game.

#4 Daniela Hantuchova versus Serena Williams, Fourth Round Wimbledon

After winning the opening set easily, Serena found herself battling in the second. While serving to extend that set into a tiebreaker, Serena literally went down when she began to experience pain in her calf muscle; speculation was that she was struck by a case of severe calf spasm. Once play resumed after a medical time out, a grimacing, teary-eyed Williams was unable to generate much power on her shots causing her to forfeit the second set. With her movement gravely hampered, Williams’ prayers for a reprieve were answered by a two-hour rain delay during which she received additional treatment for her problem. Guts, shear determination, and a befuddled Daniela, who was conspicuously uneasy with having to beat up on a wounded opponent, helped Serena pull out a 6-2 win in the third set. Therefore, for your die-hard attitude Serena Williams, we at HialeahTennis.com salute you.

#3 Justine Henin versus Marion Bartoli, Semifinals Wimbledon

You would think that having James Bond 007 (a.k.a. Pierce Brosnan) in the stands would make one nervous. Such a dapper and debonair presence in most cases might be a distraction, apparently not in the case of Marion Bartoli, to her he was a source of inspiration. Seeded 18^th , Bartoli of France probably believed that she had no more than an outside chance to win against Henin, the world’s number one. After losing the first set 6-1, Bartoli should probably have discarded the idea of an “outside chance”. Yet, Marion stated that when she saw Brosnan, her favorite actor, in the stands she realized that she could not continue with such an embarrassing display. Bartoli started to perform better, propelling her to win the second set. On the other hand, Henin surprised by the turn of events essentially became unglued. Henin’s level of play took a nosedive. Shots which for her were usually a surety were converted into errors leading to her dismissal in the third set 6-1; Henin’s quest of obtaining her first Wimbledon trophy will have to be postponed yet another year.

#2 Roger Federer versus Andy Roddick, Quarterfinals U.S. Open & Ranek Stepanek versus Novak Djokovic, Second Round U.S. Open

Tied for second place are these two matches on hardcourt for the quality of the shots although only one went the distance. Roddick could not have performed any better; his serve was phenomenal while his groundstrokes were dead on. Yet, Federer decked out in his Darth Vader evening attire had the force with him. The first two sets were decided by tiebreakers with Federer coming up with some surreal passing shots while Roddick tried all within his powers to stave off the assault. After loosing the first two sets, Andy was a broken man and fell in the third set 6-2. This match was reminiscent of his play at Wimbledon 2004, where as Andy stated he “threw everything at Roger but the kitchen sink” and still could not get the victory. So maybe next time, Andy will need to remember to bring the kitchen sink.

In what turned out to be a spectator’s dream for an opening round contest at a major, this five set thriller was jam packed with first class shot making from both Stepanek and Djokovic. This 4-hour and 44-minute marathon fittingly ended with a fifth set tiebreaker where Djokovic prevailed, the initial step towards his punching his ticket to his first grand slam finals.

#1 Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal, Finals Wimbledon

The hallowed grounds of tennis’ premiere tournament were the setting for this epic battle between these top-ranked contenders. For the first time since capturing the number one ranking several years ago, Federer was at risk of being displaced by Nadal. The match started out with Roger pulling ahead in a tough first set tiebreaker. In the second set, Roger had the chance to place further distance between himself and his opponent, but Rafael picked up his level of play and equalized the match. The third set was also a fiercely contested affair which saw Federer come out on top once more in a tiebreak. At that point, one thought that Federer would put the pedal to the metal and run away with the trophy, but much to Federer’s dislike, Nadal had more to say. Throughout the course of the match, Federer took exception with some of the calls that the electronic line monitor was making; repeatedly his challenges were proven wrong. A normally cool and composed player (let’s face it, the guy appears to hardly sweats on court), Federer almost went, ballistic, at one point asking the umpire to turn off what he felt was a faulty machine. Clearly, the tension was getting to Roger. A factor which probably contributed to his losing the fourth set 6-2. For the first time at his favorite grand slam, Roger would need to go to a fifth set to win. When Rafa took an injury time out, a rattled Federer was able to regroup and regain his composure; this permitted him to find his rhythm in the ultimate set where he broke Nadal twice to capture his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title.