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ADMIT IT – you love Roger Federer. But how great is it
to see him squirm at break point, deep in the fourth, with that
plundering pirate Rafael Nadal hovering at midcourt, winding up
his tomahawk forehand? Let’s see the great virtuoso get
out of this; let’s see Mr Smooth Operator scratch for his
wins and suffer for his art. Only the robust, 20-year-old Nadal
extends the sweat patches on Roger’s shirt. He is the bull
in Federer’s china shop.
Walking out for the Wimbledon final, the Swiss star was 55-0 for
the year against all-comers and 0-4 versus Nadal. The heaviest
defeat was in Paris, where the Spaniard shattered Federer’s
perfect 7-0 record in grand slam finals. And how: the artful Roger
was striking distance from tennis immortality, in his first French
Open final, a match from a grand slam sweep, cruising after a
6-1 first set … only to crash in a lacklustre four. Suddenly,
the whispers went up: how could Federer be considered arguably
the greatest of all time if he couldn’t even beat the best
of his time? A harsh call, but such is Nadal’s freakish
dominance. The muscular Mallorcan is the stone in Federer’s
shoe; the seed of selfdoubt that flourishes darkly in the white
heat of battle.
Their heart-in-the-mouth epic at the Italian Open went five hours
and five sets. Federer all but buried Nadal in the red dust, only
to misfire on two match points. “A big pity for me; he caught
me right on the finish line,” rued Federer. Those flubbed
forehands? “I thought, might as well go for it a little
bit. I didn’t try to totally hit a winner.” Going
for “a little bit” of a winner is like going for a
little bit of pregnancy. So, he’s human. If you love Federer,
you get plenty more of him thanks to Rafa.
| Nadal
is the stone in Federer's shoe; the seed of selfdoubt that
flourishes darkly in the white heat of battle.
|
“I can understand the fuss with me and Nadal,” said
the ever-reasonable Federer after putting his name on the Wimbledon
honour board for a fourth straight year. “The people are
happy to see the No. 1 challenged. Definitely what we have is
a nice thing for the sport and for me too.” Even among hallowed
tennis rivalries, this is shaping up as a beauty. Not since 1952
have the same men faced off in French and Wimbledon finals. Federer
vs Nadal is even playing well stateside. Contrary to expectation,
TV ratings in the US jumped for the Nadal vs Federer Wimbledon
final, up 20 per cent on the Federer-Andy Roddick final of 2005.
Two Europeans gladdening the hearts of American TV execs? Who’d
a thunk it?
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