Did the classic Federer v Nadal final save Wimbledon 2007?
Let’s face it - Wimbledon 2007 was completely disrupted by the woeful English weather and was on its way to being one of the least memorable Wimbledon fortnights ever - until Federer v Nadal, the mens final everyone wanted.
Everything pointed to the formality of a Federer victory - Nadal had not looked as comfortable on the grass throughout this year’s tournament and Federer on the other hand, was just meandering into the final, hardly breaking into a sweat. Who would have thought just how close to victory Rafael would get!
The final was everything that the tournament needed and deserved. Fabulous weather and incredible tennis. Rafa’s grinding groundstrokes got him into a position in the final set where you could sense the crowd started to think “he’s actually going to win!”. Nadal was about to snatch victory from under the noses of Federer and the onlooking Bjorn Borg , whose 5 straight wins record was under threat.
Unfortunately for Rafa this wasn’t to be. Missed chances in the final set, twice at 15/40 on the Federer serve meant that normality was soon resumed with a Federer victory. These two players are not only amazing but also great ambassadors of the game. Great competetitors and sportsman - just what tennis and Wimbledon need.
I really believe that Wimbledon 2007 will now be remembered as it should be, for the tennis and not the weather. Andrew Jarrett the referee, and the tournament committee, work incredibly hard all year to pull off one of the best tournaments in the world - it’s only right that we now remember it for the right reasons.
Federer, federer nadal, Mens Final, Nadal, Wimbledon 2007, Wimbledon final 2007
July 15, 2007 at 6:21 am
4 Comments
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Comment by redwon
July 15, 2007 @ 5:40 pm
Thoroughly agree with you, but I don’t think the womens’ took off in exactly the same way. Apart from Venus Williams’ latter matches, I don’t think that there was anything memorable about the ladies, but I am happy to be corrected if there was something I missed.
Comment by First Serve
July 15, 2007 @ 5:55 pm
It was definitely on the brink of becoming one of worst Wimbledons in recent memory, but I believe it was saved by a superb Men’s final backed up by the exciting mixed doubles. Jelena Jankovic was a revelation and brought glamour, great play and humour to this event. She will be a Wimbledon favourite for many years to come.
Comment by john key
July 15, 2007 @ 6:18 pm
I think that you have a point. On one hand it was great to see Bartoli’s superb victory over Henin - though I think the final suffered as a result. I was fortunate enough to be at the ladies final but would love to have witnessed a Williams v Henin classic.
Whilst there was the odd good match - the ladies event didn’t really catch fire!
Comment by redwon
July 16, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
I do agree with the comments made by First Serve, that Jankovic brought humour to the competition. Her rapport with Murray was clear for all to see and it was so good to have somebody on court injecting some fun into the sport. Must be something in the water in Serbia because Djokovic also has an infectious sense of humour.
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