Keeping the eye on the ball – Part 4 of ∞

What an unbelievable match – and so fitting for a Wimbledon championship.

Many, many things to savor – first, with due credit to Rafa, he wasn’t supposed to be in the picture, but he doggedly and determinedly made his way to championship Sunday, only to receive a bagel, so convincingly dispatched by Federer playing the flawless, unanswerable tennis only he can.

And then, quite unexpectedly, after Roger began cruising along, Nadal turned it around in the way only he can – the 7-6, 6-7 to follow speaks volumes – and finally, Federer, to prove that he is still king as long as the grass is green, won the deciding set so decisively – not so much because of Rafa’s shortcomings, as for the fact that he is unbeatable – at his game, in temperament, in style.



[Ok, a rare picture on my verbose weblog! But this is rare, especially the way Rog initiated this -- as if to say, 'Ok, now that I can beat you, you're welcome to my club'! (Photo courtesy of usta.com)]

Call me crazy but I think people don’t give Roger enough credit. Everybody keeps wondering at Nadal’s fast learning curve, but what about Fed’s? He got to the French Open semi-final and followed it up with a trip to the final just a couple years after getting into the majors ballgame while ruling on grass, and losing only to the eventual champion on both occasions. The other thing is his excellent return game, which loses its thunder to his phenomenal serve and all-court aggression. He dismisses big servers like Ancic and Roddick with little effort and much as Rafa is not a great server by any stretch of the imagination, he broke him 6 times in this match, though Nadal had lost serve just twice so far in the entire championship.

Now for some credits to Rafael --- Rafa is more aggressive than most baseliners and more adaptable than most clay-courters. He hardly lets a point go by, and much as his game lacks finesse, his relentlessness is laudable. His serve has become a very reliable shot and he’s even comfortable attacking at the net. And the fact that Wimbledon has lost some of its speed and the other slams have even less pace wont hurt. Not to mention his mettle - he certainly looked like he might come back in the third and fourth sets today, but we didn’t see that kind of grit from Roger after he lost the second set at the French last month. Granted, Fed had more at stake at the one major that has eluded him against the one man that gets the better of him, than Rafa has at Roger’s undeniable house. And we cannot ignore the fact that the Swiss sensation has set his own bar so high. Hell, we are flabbergasted if a near impossible crosscourt from Rog so much as nicks the net, instead of sailing over it.

Nevertheless, unconditional tennis greats are supposed to get out of those situations and come out on top. And I have no doubt in my mind that Roger will. Roger has been on the wrong side of a lopsided head-to-head one too many times – against Henman, Hewitt and Nalbandian to mention just a few. And he turned them all around, with unquestionable finality. The difference with Nadal is probably that he’s going to try just as hard to get better – and isn’t that what tennis fans want – the two top players, testing each other, facing challenges, getting better, bringing out the best? If all goes well, September should be delicious.

The most endearing scene (in picture above) was of Roger giving Rafael a low five as they passed each other in their lap around the court, Rog with his champion’s trophy and Rafa with his runner’s-up plate - a sure sign of mutual respect, Nadal’s open awe of Federer, though slightly incomprehensible considering his record against him, and Roger’s mixed feelings, that started off with dubious appraisal, soon turned to reluctant acceptance and now, a willing welcome of a worthy rival. He’s been up there all alone, too long. This was only reinforced by the two Tonies, Roach and Nadal shaking hands on the promise of their proteges’ beautiful rivalry, who might, at some point in the near future exchange silverware both at Rolland Garros and at the big W.

And Federer doesn't just get better at his tennis with time. Somewhere between losing his very eloquent so-called rival and becoming the unofficial ambassador of the sport, Roger’s acquired a sense of humor! On a suggestion that he was probably not enjoying this rivalry as much as the rest of the world, he smiled, "Now I like it again." I’m a sucker for arrogance but some self-deprecatory acknowledgement of a deserving opponent is always endearing. Another point to be noted – there was no “you know” in Fed’s acceptance speech!!! How great is that!!!!

Talking of improvement, it sure would be delightful to see development in reverse for a change – a clay-courter trying to move fast and forward, instead of the other way around. And talking of fast, Nadal’s got to learn to get his serve going – he drives me nuts every time he contemplates over the ball. If this guy becomes a consistent star at the majors, that’s about 5500 hours of my life (yeah, I did the math).

And again, while I love to hear Johnny Mac talk, I’m sure glad Roger doesn’t have to. Will he get over his fascination for the net, already? We all know Federer is a great serve-volleyer, when he wants to be, want being the operative word. He knows enough to know what works for him. McEnroe almost willed him to volley a couple times in the third set and Rog promptly lost the subsequent points, giving due credit to Rafa’s ability to pass. While Federer is predominantly an attacker, going after every opportunity at a winner, his style looks even more beautiful when he uses the entire court for his attack. Pete won at the net, Lendl won from the baseline, Fed is gifted with the unique ability of unfurling winners from every corner of the court using every shot imaginable. That’s what makes his playing style look so effortless – he rarely has to scramble to get to a winning position. And he keeps you riveted between winners.


If you didn’t look at the scoreboard, you’d think Rafa was winning – pumping his fists, yelling approval, kicking and screaming, likening his racket to a vicious dagger - a dagger that unfortunately for him, is less lethal than Roger’s seemingly innocuous Wilson.

Roger Federer sure wins championships, but while he's at it – he’s also strumming a quiet melody. Perk up your ears – in the deafening silence, you might actually hear it.