Across the Net 7.09.07: Federer and Venus Collect More Wimbledon Hardware in a Unique Final Weekend

Posted by Dan Martin on 07.09.2007

Venus Williams played great tennis, but THE story of the final weekend was the electric men’s final at Wimbledon. I’ll get to that and several of the key subplots in this week’s Across the Net!

Players of the Week:

Roger Federer, Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal

Wimbledon Match of the Decade?

While many great matches have been played over the previous 10 years, few can match the excellence, drama and implications of the 2007 Gentlemen's Singles championship. Federer prevailed 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 in an epic encounter. It is hard to say Nadal lost the match because he played at such an exceptional level. The last Wimbledon final with this much drama was Goran Ivanisevic's 5 set victory of Patrick Rafter in 2001. While Goran had a better serve and Rafter had better volleys than the 2007 finalists, everything else about the 2007 finalists was superior to their 2001 counterparts.

The tennis on Sunday July 8 was quite simply stunning. Nadal hit the ball with such vicious pace and incredible precision that he is rewriting tactics in tennis. When pinning a guy 15 feet behind the baseline on an approach can get you passed, it is time to reassess conventional wisdom. Nadal's two handed backhand was ruthless. His forehand was devastating as usual. Rafa also served exceptionally well. His hands on half-volleys and volleys were superb. In the end, Nadal's 50 winners and 71% first serve percentage were not quite enough to win the day. However, he often controlled the middle of the court and hit with such depth, spin and pace as to lock up Federer's usually lethal forehand. The first 3 games of the match, the 3rd set tie breaker and final 4 games of the match were the only times Roger Federer was really able to swing freely and impose his will on the Spaniard. Keeping a man with a record 54 match winning streak on grass from finding his comfort zone at Wimbledon is a mighty accomplishment.

Federer's tennis was in some ways less spectacular than Nadal's. Federer did put 71% of his first serves in play and hammered 24 aces to just 3 double faults. Federer's serving was sublime. However, Federer won a match without blowing his opponent off the court with incredible shot making. Nadal would not go away even when Federer did hit great shots. Federer won by manufacturing a 1st set tiebreak victory 9-7, raising his game in the 3rd set tiebreaker, and hanging tough when facing break points in the 5th set. Federer won by matching the mental toughness of his opponent.

Make No Mistake Federer Needed This One

Roger entered the championship match with 10 Grand Slam titles. Even if Nadal surpassed him today and became the unofficial #1 in tennis, Federer likely could have nickel and dimed his way to another 4 or 5 majors by 2012 (the year Federer will be the same age Pete Sampras was at retirement). Federer could surpass Sampras' mark and sew up some other nice honors, but one key question would remain for Roger had he lost to Nadal: "When did Federer win when he was being pushed or pressured?" After today, Federer's legacy can show that he stared down the toughest competitor since at least Jimmy Connors in a stressful situation. Nadal had a sneer on his face during most of this match and looked as though he would rip the title from Federer's hands if he could. The BBC commentators said Federer was being bullied during the 4th set, and they were right. For Federer, who plays tennis like an artist, to win a street fight means he indeed has a signature gut check win. MJ had it vs. the Utah Jazz in 1997 when he was playing sick in game 5. Sampras had gut checks vs. Goran at Wimbledon in 1998, Corretja at the 1996 U.S. Open, and against Agassi at the 2002 U.S. Open. Federer has won his share of tough matches, but he is so good that often 2 or 3 tight sets degenerate into a fourth set cakewalk. Nadal is afraid of no one and played frighteningly good tennis. Federer beat a great competitor and a man, in Nadal, who is no doubt inside of Federer's head like no one else. Also, the after effects of the French Open quest coming up short once again cannot be understated. In brief, Federer needed to win and found a way to prevail.

Historical Pecking Order

For now, who cares? Federer and Nadal staged an epic match that likely gives a glimpse at how tennis will be played in 10 or 15 years. New string and racket technologies make a lot of what they do possible, but both are supremely talented. Federer is a recognizable savant, but Nadal's tennis is also the work of a genius. His aggressive percentage tennis is a blend of hard hitting and precision that few could even dream of achieving. Where these two players stand in history will be the subject of much debate, but for now they have added an epic match to the history books and that is enough. In a week or two, tennis fans can debate all time lists. For now, we should focus on the present.

20 Somethings Arrive!

21 year old Rafael Nadal is the real deal. Richard Gasquet's comeback vs. Andy Roddick and the paralyzing winners he produced vs. Federer in their semifinal match demonstrate that this 21 year old is worthy of attention. 22 year old Marcos Baghdatis is a talent who displayed incredible guts in his 5 set quarterfinal loss. 20 year old Novak Djokovic is clearly the #3 player in the world. Had he not been injured he might have pushed Nadal hard in the semifinals. The new ATP rankings have Nadal #2, Djokovic #3, and Gasquet #7. Players such as Ivan Ljubicic, David Nalbandian and Tommy Haas are being pushed out by a new generation. Baghdatis might be in the top 10 by years end. Andy Murray is a player to watch if he can stay healthy. Youth is rising in tennis.

Roddick Crisis?

Andy Roddick looked poised to reach another Wimbledon semifinal when he led Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-4, 4-2 in their quarterfinal match. Andy had yet to drop a set and was playing mentally tough tennis. Gasquet was the perfect warm-up for Federer due to some similarities in their games. Roddick was ready to make things interesting for Federer right? Well, Gasquet turned the tables and won the match 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 8-6. Roddick has been under Jimmy Connors for 52 weeks and has a U.S. Open final, Australian Open semifinal, Wimbledon quarterfinal, a Cincinnati title, a Queen's Club title and several deep runs at other events to his name. These results sound a lot like Roddick's results before his August 2005-July 2006 meltdown. Jimmy Connors has helped Roddick to play better, but he is still behind Nadal and Federer who each trounced him in semifinal matches earlier this year. Now, Roddick has to worry about Gasquet, Djokovic, Murray, and the other young guns. Due to the step forward by these younger players, Roddick must face the prospect of beating 2, 3 or even 4 players more naturally fluid than him to win another major.

Venus Wins #4

Venus Williams' played incredible tennis at Wimbledon from the 4th round forward. She dismantled Maria Sharapova in the round of 16 and never looked back. Venus' serve was awesome, and she made significant cuts to her unforced error totals. Most impressive was he coverage of the net. Venus is 6'1" but moves far better than other players taller than 6' on the women's tour. If she keeps serving like she did at Wimbledon, she may win several more majors. Venus now has 6 Grand Slam titles (4 Wimbledon and 2 U.S. Open titles). This pushes her ahead of Hingis' 5 and even with Henin's 6 Grand Slam titles. Little sister Serena has 8 major titles, but the best player in the post-Graf/Seles era is still up for grabs. Venus seemingly pulled a tennis Lazarus act to win Wimbledon, but she is likely a threat at Wimbledon for the rest of her career.

Sports Illustrated Cover?

Roger Federer got shafted on the SI Sportsman of the Year award for 2006. This was not surprising given that the 11 time major champion has never graced a SI cover, but maybe Wimbledon #5 (5 in a row for the first time since 1980) is worthy of a cover photo. We will find out this week, but I am not holding my breath.