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WIMBLEDON, England—In the pugnacious tradition of
Borg-McEnroe and Sampras-Agassi, here again comes
Federer-Nadal, in one sense already more dynamic than
those other duos.
When No.
1-for-231-weeks Roger Federer and No. 2-for-154-weeks
Rafael Nadal walk through the green door and out to
Centre Court Sunday, it will mark their sixth meeting in
a Grand Slam final, surpassing Sampras-Agassi and Ivan
Lendl vs. Mats Wilander for most meetings by any two
male humans.
“Honestly, it’s quite hard for me to judge at the moment
how this rivalry will be looked on, you know, later on,”
Federer said, but one thing already rings certain: Take
six meetings, cram them all combustibly into merely
three consecutive Junes and Julys—unlike the Sampras-Agassi
series that spanned 12 years—and the numerical
possibilities just spew out.
They’re
the first cofinalists for three years running since
Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker in 1988-90. Federer has
become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976-81 to
appear in six consecutive Wimbledon finals, and if he
wins he’ll surpass Borg, who stopped at five because of
then-No. 2 John McEnroe, the loquacious commentator who
hit practice balls Friday morning with reigning No. 2
Nadal. Federer also would have a 41st-straight win at
Wimbledon and a 66th-straight win on grass.
“Sometimes you distract watching his game, no?” Nadal
said in his charmingly broken English.
If Nadal
wins, he’ll become the first man since Borg in 1980 to
win both the French Open and Wimbledon in one year and
the first male Spanish Wimbledon titlist since Manolo
Santana in 1966 (and the second overall). He’ll also
complete a stunning grass-court ascent that has seen him
charging like mad toward Federer’s gate, with an
unexpected appearance in the final in 2006, a four-set
loss, and an I-mean-business appearance in the final in
2007, a five-set loss that nearly tilted opposite.
As
Federer has used his elan and his artistry to tear
through this draw in 18 sets, losing two service games,
Nadal has rampaged around the courts just about
redefining tennis in 19 sets, losing four service games.
Both decidedly have outstripped all 126 other players,
not that Federer has seen much of Nadal given his
multiple press obligations. “I know him plenty,” Federer
said, and knew plenty of him June 8, when Nadal
clobbered Federer, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0, in the French Open
final.
“He’s
made me improve, you know, just the approach, you know,
playing against him,” said Federer, a 12-time Grand Slam
champion, later adding, “I definitely feel like he’s
made me more tough, that’s for sure.”
Nadal
shuns any talk of any impending regime change at
Wimbledon, and pretty much dismissed a question about a
newspaper poll in which 70 percent of respondents said
he’d win with, “The whole important thing is what’s
happen tomorrow, no?”
The
other whole important thing is how a four-time French
Open champion who quietly left Wimbledon in the second
round in 2005 has surged to a final this appetizing and
this loaded with unbeatability.
“Well, I
don’t think I can improve on grass,” Nadal said. “I
think I improve my game in the rest of the surfaces, and
my improves on the rest of the surfaces can adapt these
improves on grass. But on grass I can’t improve, because
I only play two tournaments in all the year, no?” |
