Wimbledon Men's Final Preview: Federer vs. Nadal

Ronald Atkin, Wimbledon.org
There is a cheque for £750,000 awaiting the winner of the men’s final but this match is not about prize money, and never was. Roger Federer is embarked on a date with destiny and history, while Rafael Nadal, his young, piratical Spanish opponent is bent on wrecking that ambition and setting himself up as the first from his nation to win the Wimbledon men's title since Manolo Santana in 1966.

That is 42 years for non-mathematicians, only two years less than Spain's footballers had to wait for a trophy before winning Euro 2008 last week. Will Rafa end another drought and bring a further reign to Spain?
He leads 11-6 in head-to-heads with Federer, mainly because, as the Swiss points out without rancour, most of their matches have been on clay, where the 22-year-old from Majorca is absolutely supreme. But he is getting better, much better, on grass and is threatening to disrupt a Federer hegemony stretching back to 2003 and five successive titles.

This will be the third straight Wimbledon final between the two, with Nadal getting closer and closer. In fact, last year's five-set classic was the only time Federer has been taken the full distance on grass in his 65 successive victories on the surface.

If he wins, Roger will eclipse Bjorn Borg's Open era record of five Wimbledons in succession, set between 1976 and 1980, and he has certainly made impressive progress this past fortnight, winning all six of his matches in straight sets and only dropping serve on two occasions.

Federer is also still hot in pursuit of the holy grail of the men's game, the record of 14 Grand Slam titles held by Pete Sampras. Victory today would lift the Swiss to 13, with another of his favourite tournaments, the US Open, looming over the horizon late next month.

One of four men to win both the Wimbledon junior and senior titles (he was junior champion in 1998) Federer is still reminded at every media conference that his loss to Rafa in this year’s Roland Garros final (he collected just four games) is his worst-ever showing in a major final. “It was sort of a disappointment,” he admitted this week, but for me that Paris final is out of the picture. I hardly remember anything of it, it went so quickly.” He can say that again.

Roger also is well aware of the measure of the task he faces to achieve that cherished sixth Wimbledon. “Rafa is a great competitor, he has now become so good on all surfaces. He is a real threat on anything.”

Is Nadal capable of coming up third time lucky on Centre Court? Should he do so, he will also be able to set himself up against the record of the great Borg, the last man – in the 1970s – to win at Roland Garros and then cross the Channel to take Wimbledon by storm.

He is certainly confident, and with reason. “Playing three straight finals here means I don't have to show anybody I can play good on grass, so if I win my career will for sure change a little bit. And if Roger beats me I will congratulate him, like every year.

“But every year is different, every match is different. It depends how you get to the final, how you feel when you get there, how you are playing. Last year I was very close, this year I hope will be that bit better. But for me Roger is the best tennis player in history. He has 12 Grand Slams and five Wimbledons. I just hope it won't become six.”

Since Federer has reigned at number one for 231 successive weeks, and Nadal has dogged his footsteps as number two since July 2005, a total of 154 weeks, theirs is surely one of the great tennis rivalries. Federer calls it “quite incredible” but points out: “Right now we are in the middle of it all so you can't make a judgment about it. Maybe in five years’ time we will see how it is looked at.” From any angle, it has to be said it is already right up there with the great ones.

Federer, as he is fully entitled, has been talking up his chances of that number six without ever coming close to bragging. “I am on an incredible winning streak on grass and if I am to lose here somebody has to break that. But this is crunch time and I am playing someone who has a good chance against me on a given day.

”That can make you nervous and though I have been in this position a lot of times before I can't control everything that comes from the other side of the net. So it will be a big relief when this is over.” Especially if he wins.

Whatever, it promises to be one of the memorable Wimbledon men's finals. Let us just hope Britain’s dodgy climate doesn’t spoil the occasion.