THIRD SET:
Federer 1 - Nadal 2. Rafa holds serve, though the Fed Express will think he should have done better having got the score to 30-30. Two unforced errors from here sees the Spanian hold and edge into the lead. Get the Pimms and lemonade in now then as this game has yet to hit the heights of the previous set.
Federer 2 - Nadal 2. Roger holds to love in all of about a minute behind his booming serve. He was in a hurry there, over to you Rafa.
Federer 2 - Nadal 3. Anything you can do, I can better says Nadal who also holds to love. One beautiful slice shot the highlight of that game. The rest of the game sees Rog struggling to put racket on the ball on the Rafa serve, and when he does manage to, he struggles to keep the ball in the white lines.
Federer 3 - Nadal 3. Another easy hold for the Swiss ace, this time only dropping one point. Rafa giving his best Boris Becker impression on the last point with a full length Superman dive at the net. Sadly for him and his followers it was to no avail, as Hawkeye rules a Federer shot clips the line for yet another winner.
l 4. Still on serve in this set, though again Federer will be disappointed having got the score to 30-30. Both players making unforced errors a plenty at the moment, but it's Rafa power and precision from the back of the court that is holds the aces in that game. Can anyone see a tie-breaker in the not-to-distant future? I'm thinking so.Federer 4 - Nadal 4. Federer gives a master class in grass court tennis with a classic example of serve-volley tennis. Rafa may be the best returner in the men's game, but when the Fed Express is serving like that, even he has no chance. Who will the first to crack in this set?
Federer 4 = Nadal 5. Deja-vu for Federer. He gets the score back to 30-30 then undoes all his hard work wih gifting Rafa the next two points. Very un-Federer like this set. Normally when he smells blood he goes in for the kill faster than a rabid wolf.
Federer 5 - Nadal 5. Federer showing some nerves here, as Nadal takes it from 40 - love to deuce with some punishing strokes from the back of the court. Federer steps up in the extra points with two touches of pure class. First a overhead backhand smash takes him to advantage, then soft hands at the net brings him the game. Brilliant stuff.
Federer 5 - Nadal 6. Rafa holds with comparative ease as this set heads for a tie-breaker. So far this set is a classic game of two different styles. You've got the serve-volley from our reigning King Roger again the beligerent best that Rafa can offer. And so far, there's nothing to choice between the styles.
Federer 6 - Nadal 6. Aided by new balls, Federer bangs down a few massive first serves. Fair play to Rafa, he made a decent fist of that game though, and did take two points off Federer, but it's not enough to prevent a tie-break. In the context of this match, this is massive.
Federer 7 - Nadal 6. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Fed cranks up the gears and takes the tie-breaker with a ruthless display of tennis 7-3. The crowd are loving this titantic battle like a fat kid loves sweets. First Federer takes a point of the Rafa serve with a breathtaking pass, but before you can say silence please, Rafa hits back on the Federer serve with a sublime back hand pass of his own. With some heavy serving, and booming returns on the backhand side, Feds takes his second chance at set point to edge into a lead.
FEDERER 2 - NADAL 1.
FOURTH SET:
Federer 0 - Nadal 1. The famous Spanish bulging biceps are on show again as Nadal makes the perfect start to the fourth set breaking the serve of Federer. So far he's struggled to pick the Federer serve, but not that time. He saw the ball perfectly there, battling back from 30-0 down to take game - two passing shots, one from either side, the difference.
Federer 0 - Nadal 2. Rafa consolidates by holding his own serve, as the momentum swings back his way. I'm not saying Federer has stepped off the gas, but it's not pedal to the metal time right now for him.
Federer 0 - Nadal 3. There's something you don't see everyday. The iceman Federer loses his cool over a contenious over rule by Hawkeye with the score balanced at 30 -30. Rafa remains nonchalen as he brushes the side the disturbance to close out the game with some clean hitting from the back of the court. At this rate, we'll be into the deciding set in no time at all.
Federer 0 - Nadal 4. What's happened to Federer? Since winning the set he's fallen as he barely troubling the scoreboard. While Nadal is still producting the goods, Federer is left groping at thin air as shot after shot pass him by.
Federer 1 - Nadal 4. Finally the great man gets his first game, but only after Rafa took him to deuce. Federer reaches into his bag of tricks to see the gam out with some tidy work at the net. Ominious sight at the chance over of ends though, as Nadal calls the trainer out for a quick massage on his left knee. He's got all the momentum at the moment this injury break could not have come at a worse time for him.
Federer 1 - Nadal 5. Bruised, battered but undetered Nadal continues his relentless march to seeing this set out, although he was made to work hard for that game. Federer has woken from his slumber, as both players are producing high quality tennis again. Even heavy strapping on his left knee can't hold Rafa back as he continues to cover the ground at breakneck speed.
Federer 2 - Nadal 5. Roger hangs in there with a decent hold under some heavy pressure from Nadal. Rafa is seeing the ball like a football at the moment, and hitting the ball as clean as a whistle.
Federer 2 - Nadal 6. It's two sets all as Rafa holds serve to take the set. The capacity crowd here are being served up with a real treat, and getting full value for money here. So who's your money in? With Rafa storming through that last set, he's the man carrying the all-important momentum. He's also the younger of the two men, and probably the fittest man on the ATP circuit. But then again, he's playing possibly/probably/definitely (delete where appropriate) the greatest man to have stepped onto a grass court? It's too close to call. May the best man win, and may we, the audience, be in fo the mother of all sets. Before we serve up the fifth set, Rafa needs a toilet break.
Federer 1 - Nadal 0. Fed gets off to the best possible start holding to love. Two booming serves, one ace and one decision from Hawkeye gives Fed the early initiative in the set. What was i saying about momentum? Just goes to show what I know - nothing!Federer 1 - Nadal 1. Rafa holds but Feds make him work for that one and maybe will feel a tindge of disappointment of not taking that one. The stand out shot in that game was a flashing double-handed backhand from Rafa. Sensational.
Federer 2 - Nadal 1. Rafa will be kicking himself for not taking advantage of two break points here.Things are bubbling up nicely with some amazing tennis from both players. First at the net first to show a beautiful touch to win a point, before the awesome groundstrokes of Nadal brings him his break points. He can't convert either though, and Fed shows why he's the champion with a gusty hold.
Federer 2 - Nadal 2. Rafa shows a previously unnoted ability at the net with a sublime dropshot. He's learnt well from Federer the master. Is fatigue setting in for Federer? Twice he badly mistimed forehand shots to hand the game to. Although in his defence bothwere forced mistakes.
Federer 3 - Nadal 2. Rafa again wasted two break points. He could be out of sight in this set already if he'd had taken his chances. Wastes maybe a bit harsh, and Federer saves both points with massive, massive serves. He may have held but the iceman Federer is certainly rattled as he literally gives Rafa three points in that game with unforced errors.
Federer 4 - Nadal 2. Federer shows Rafa how to take break points, as we get our first break in the final set. Totally deserved to from Feds as he produces some inspired tennis at just the right moment. One running forehand with Rafa marooned at the net and another punishing forehand pass from the backcourt takes him to love - 40. Rafa saves one, before possibly the rally of the match is won by abother Federer forehand. He enjoyed that shot, did Feds. Can Rafa bounce back?
Federer 5 - Nadal 2. No. He can't, not in this game. The Federer serve reign supreme. Federer is now one game from victory he can smell it, he can touch it, he can taste it now, and wants to close this game before Rafa gets his second win.
GAME, SET, MATCH, CHAMPIONSHIP FEDERER.
Federer breaks again
to win the final set 6 - 2. The crowd really got behind Rafa there, in the hope of seeing this epic game going on longer, but alas, it's all over for another year. There I was banging on about fatigue, but it seems that Rafa was the one tiring as he made the unforced errors when it mattered. The game went to deuce twice before Feds managed to close it out at the second attempt, and the tears flow. The two gladiators share an embrace at the net, a nice touch after such a game.
For Federer is his fifth Wimbeldon on the spin equally the record of the great Bjorn Borg. For Rafa it's back to the drawing board after a second consecutive Wimbeldon final defeat. Last year he got one set of the great man, this year it's two, so he getting better. The match finally came down to a few points here, a few points there. Had Rafa taken the break points at the beginning of the set, it could have been a different story.
Picture Credits: Wimbledon.org, bbc.co.uk/sport
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