Fed’ERROR’ fails to win the 14th

Thanks to two of the greatest tennis players of our time, we saw an amazing clash for the throne down under. With a bland whitewash in Womens’ title, a nail biting finale was very much required for Mens’ round. And none could have given it to us than Federer and Nadal. After Wimbledon last year, many of my friends jumped off the (apparently) sinking ship and started supporting Nadal. But I am a true believer of cliché(?) “Form is temporary but the class is permanent”. This showdown was a great chance for Federer to regain what he truly deserves. Additionally, there was a cherry on top for him- 14th Grand Slam title, equaling Pete Sampras’s record. But it was not meant to be with Rafa on the other side of the net, aiming for his first title on hard court.

The start was a true indication of what was coming. We saw 5 serve breaks in 1st set. After a neck to neck fight and 2-2 sets, Nadal managed to hold his nerve when Federer lost it. Though Nadal’s game was brilliant, I am tempted to give a bigger credit of his success to Federer’s unforced errors in the last set. It was very disturbing to see him making one mistake after another. We saw the other side of the moon today; I had never seen Federer lose his temper with a line call. After trailing 1-3 in last set, he made a few futile challenges and got into a minor argument with the referee (couldn’t understand what he said, because the conversation was in french). He never recovered from there and now will have to wait for his record.

In spite of my earlier comment, you will agree that it really takes a lot to defeat even a mistake prone Federer. Hats off to Nadal for his amazing stamina and skill. (Alan Wilkins: Can somebody please remind him that he is supposed to be tired from 5 hr long mach with Verdasco?) He was all over the court and made some astounding returns. This is why I like clash of the titans. No matter what the result is, you always get to see an amazing match. I am looking forward to their next meeting already.

Since I am on the subject of tennis, let me also congratulate Yuki Bhambri and Sania-Mahesh for their brilliant achievements at the Australian Open. India manged to shine with their feat; keep it up guys!

(Title courtesy: Nachiket and Vipul)