Roger Federer Still The Man

I picked Rafael Nadal to win Wimbledon because I thought he was in Roger Federer's head so deeply that Roger would falter when it counted most. I'm now eating crow!

It’s been a long day and I should be kicked back eating an exotic dessert. Instead, here I sit munching my words, eating the fabled dark-feathered bird, swallowing my pride, and digesting my ego. And of course admitting that Roger Federer is still the man…at least at Wimbledon. Gosh this crow isn’t going down smoothly…

Roger the Greatest

In any event, for some time now, I believed that Roger Federer’s mind and heart matched the wizardry of his hands and the agility of his feet. That was why I considered him the greatest player I had ever seen play the game, and said so.

Not at the French

And then, for two years in a row at the French Open, I watched him refuse to employ strategies that would give him a chance to beat the greatest clay court player of all time…if 81 matches in a row on clay mean anything at all, and the first since Borg to win three in a row at Roland Garros.

Roger's Win from the Baseline

Roger outplayed Nadal from the baseline in the decisive set. He came up with the big shots during the big moments, and Rafa didn’t. Sure, Roger’s serve was a huge factor in the win, but in the final set Roger went to the net three times, 1 less than Rafa. It wasn’t the aces that got Roger out of trouble during Rafa’s early break chances in the fifth, it was Roger’s refusal to lose, his shot-making. For the first time since I have been watching Federer, he faced the ultimate challenge and overcame it.

Roger's Belief at Wimbledon

I have been questioning Roger’s will, his heart, against Nadal. I have said that Rafa is in his head. Well, that may be true at Roland Garros, it may be true elsewhere, but on the lawns of Wimbledon, it is obvious that Roger refuses to lose, believes he can’t lose.

Rafa Played Best of Any Loser

Rafa played wonderful tennis in the Wimbledon final. It’s the best tennis I have seen a player play and lose. As good as it was, it was not good enough to dethrone the king, who finally played as though he believed he was the best player in the world.

Federer-Nadal one of the Great Rivalries

Roger rules the grass kingdom as Rafa reigns on clay. It’s Bird and Magic, Ali and Frazier, with the same sort of mutual respect. Roger, I’m sure you couldn’t live without it, so I’ll let you know that you have regained my respect for displaying the heart of a champion. To those who never lost the faith, I just burped and the taste of crow remains.