Roger, over and out: Nadal ends reign

Longest men's final turns into one for the ages

By Howard Fendrich, Associated Press

Published July 6, 2008 at 2:20 p.m.

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Anja Niedringhaus / Associated Press

Rafael Nadal reacts during his final match against Roger Federer. Nadal ended Federer's unbeaten streak at Wimbledon.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Roger Federer wipes his face during his match with Rafael Nadal. The No. 1-ranked player called it "probably my hardest loss, by far."

Rafael Nadal, grass stains on his white shirt and a Spanish flag tucked under his arm, scampered through the Centre Court stands to celebrate his first Wimbledon title with hugs and handshakes.

Roger Federer sat in his changeover chair, protected from the night's chill by his custom-made cream cardigan with the gold "RF" on the chest. Alone with his thoughts, alone with the knowledge that he had come so close to becoming the first man since the 1880s to win a sixth consecutive championship at the All England Club.

Two points from victory, the top-ranked Federer couldn't pull it out, instead succumbing to No. 2 Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7 Sunday night in a 4-hour, 48-minute test of wills that was the longest men's final in Wimbledon history - and quite possibly the greatest.

"I am very happy for me," Nadal said, "but sorry for him, because he deserved this title, too."

Through rain, wind and descending darkness, the two greatest players of their generation swapped spectacular shots, until, against a slate sky, Nadal earned the right to fling his racket aside and collapse on his back, champion of the All England Club at last.

"Is impossible to explain what I felt in that moment, no?" Nadal said after accepting the golden trophy that has belonged to Federer since 2003.

The first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year, Nadal stopped Federer's streaks of 40 victories in a row at the All England Club, and a record 65 in a row on grass, thereby stamping his supremacy in their rivalry, no matter what the rankings say.

"Probably my hardest loss, by far," Federer said. "I mean, it's not much harder than this right now."

No man since 1927 had come back to win a Wimbledon final after losing the first two sets, and none had overcome a match point to seize victory since 1948. If anyone could, it figured to be Federer, especially on this particular lawn.

He hadn't lost a match on grass since 2002, and he hadn't lost a set during this tournament before Sunday. He also hadn't faced anyone nearly as talented and indefatigable as Nadal.

"Look, Rafa's a deserving champion," Federer said. "He just played fantastically."

Indeed he did, earning Spain its first Wimbledon men's title since Manolo Santana in 1966.

Nadal managed to regroup after blowing a two-set lead, managed to recover after wasting two match points in the fourth-set tiebreaker, managed to hold steady when Federer needed only two points to end the match while ahead 5-4 in the fifth.

He earned his fifth Grand Slam title by showing fortitude on his serve, saving 12 of 13 break points. He did it by breaking serve four times - twice as many times as Federer lost serve in his previous six matches combined. And Nadal did it by being better from the baseline, winning 24 of 38 points that lasted 10 or more strokes, according to an unofficial AP tally.

"He was rock-solid, the way we know him," said Federer, who hit 25 aces. "He's definitely improved his game."

Down 6-5 in the final tiebreaker, Federer erased a match point with a 127 mph service winner. Down 8-7 - again, one point from losing - Federer hit a backhand passing winner.

A forehand winner put Federer ahead 9-8, and when Nadal missed a backhand return, the match was even. Federer jumped and screamed, and the crowd of about 15,000 joined him.

Afterward, the new champion was asked if it was the greatest match he'd ever played. Plenty of others around the grounds, including John McEnroe - whose five-set loss to Borg in 1980 gets many votes - already were calling it the greatest match they'd ever seen.

"I don't know if it's the best," Nadal said.

Then he thought about it for a moment.

"Probably," he continued. "Probably the best, yes."

Two-timer

Rafael Nadal on Sunday became the 10th men's player to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year.

Year Player

2008 Rafael Nadal

1980 Bjorn Borg

1979 Bjorn Borg

1978 Bjorn Borg

1969 Rod Laver

1962 Rod Laver 1956 Lew Hoad

1955 Tony Trabert

1950 Budge Patty

1938 Don Budge

1935 Fred Perry

1933 Jack Crawford

1925 Rene Lacoste

• July 6, 2008

  5:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  MM writes:

  Best tennis match evah! And both men are such classy dudes.

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