Federer vs Nadal
February 1, 2009
I was hoping Federer would win the Australian Open today and equal Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles. Sadly, that was not to be. In a hard-fought 5 setter, a younger, fitter Rafael Nadal got the better of Roger Federer (7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2) in a match that lasted nearly 4.5 hours.But I have to confess that “Rafa” was awesome. His fierce cross-court returns, top-spinning slices and volleys won him the day. And keep in mind that he played the finals one day after another 5 hour semi-final where he was extended by compatriot Fernando Verdasco (Nadal won 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4).
I have not seen Federer teary-eyed before and at some level, it was gut-wrenching to see a champion of his stature and class crying. But what struck me even more was Nadal’s empathetic response: at the award ceremony, he began by saying “sorry for today”- that he was sorry for having beaten Federer and denying him his 14th Grand Slam.Nadal went on to say that Federer is a champion and that he would equal Sampras’ record soon.
Here’s wishing Federer his 14th Grand Slam in 2009- and “Rafa” many more successes in the years ahead.
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Window Replacements | February 2, 2009 at 3:00 am
Wow, another fantastic match. I watched the whole match as I did with both semi finals. Although I was going for Federer I think Nadal totally deserves that victory and he is a true champion. To back a 5 set, 5 hour semi final up with another 5 set, 4 hour + final in less than 48 hours was a true show of Rafa’s strength and endurance. You could also see by the body language of the players and shot selection that Rafa had the edge on Federer mentally. To have won 6 grandslams on 3 different surfaces at Rafa’s age is a truely remarkable feat. I was hoping Federer would equal Sampras’ record of 14 grand slams but Rafa was truely deserving having played another great match. Rafa truely is an entertainer as he is involved in all three of the greatest matches I have now seen – the Wimbledon final against Federer last year, the semi final against Verdasco the other day and this final against Federer. It will be very tough for Federer to recover from the mental scarring that has occurred in this loss and the Wimbledon loss last year along with all the French Open losses to Nadal. Especially as the next Grand Slam event is the French Open which will most likely mean Federer copping another hiding to Nadal. It was however very sad to see Federer break down in tears at the presentation, it was a horrible feeling to watch. I imagine it was because of the Legends awaiting to congratulate Federer if he got the 14 grand slams that he got so emotional.