RAFAEL NADAL FINDS HIMSELF A CHAMPION AT WIMBLEDON 2008

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http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/25559260#25558349
Nadal Wins Epic Thriller

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/25559260#25558772
Telling Trophy Presentation

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/25559260#25559260
Titanic Tiebreaker

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/25559260#25558525
Loss Hurts Federer

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/25559260#25558357
Nadal Climbs to the Top

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/25559260#25558726
Nadal overwhelmed by win
John McEnroe interviews Rafa after the Final
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Nadal Wins Epic Thriller

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Titanic Tiebreaker

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Nadal Climbs to the Top

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Nadal overwhelmed by win
John McEnroe interviews Rafa after the Final

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Telling Trophy Presentation

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Loss Hurts Federer


Nadal shocks Federer for Wimbledon title
Five-time champion's reign at the All England Club ends in five-set battle

The score
Final Nadal defeats Federer Wimbledon 08 on July 6 4-6, 4-6, 7(7)-6(5), 7(10)-6(8), 7-9

All time great match raises key questions
What fans most want to know about Nadal-Federer after epic Wimby final

OPINION
By Bud Collins
NBC Sports

Any spellings errors are Bud's below.

Bud Collins
WIMBLEDON, England - I’ve spent over four decades covering tennis. I’ve been to the All-England Club 41 times to witness the world’s best tennis players wage war for the right to be crowned the best on grass.

Lady and Lord Supreme on the lawns – the challenge to earn those titles in a given year is always a tremendously grueling task -- so mentally and physically taxing that it’s only natural superb tennis is played in pursuit of claiming these honors.

We’ve all heard that good things come to those who wait. I’m revising that phrase. It’s now great things come to those who wait – at least as it applies to men’s tennis -- because in my 41st-year at Wimbledon I witnessed the best final I have ever seen at The Championships. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer gave the sport a title tilt tennis may have to go another four decades or more without coming close to repeating.

In this final – the third year in a row these two players have vied for ultimate Wimbledon honors in men’s singles – the tennis world saw two men who would simply not relent to any tricks their nerves were attempting to play on them.

Instead, they both choose the warrior’s path. That’s the one where they kept fighting and fighting and fighting -- trying to prevail in what became the longest Wimbledon men’s final ever -- four hours, 48 minutes. And when the last ball was struck as near darkness crept over the court at 9:16 p.m. London time, it was Nadal, the Spanish sensation, who had won his first Wimbledon title by upending the five-time defending champion Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7.

It was great drama -- two rain delays mixing with pummeling battles from the baseline. Nadal was unable to take advantage of two match points in the fourth- set tiebreaker. So the match proceeded ending up the latest finishing final in Wimbledon history. That was only fitting given the incredible showdown waged on Centre Court.

It was such superbly high quality tennis that it kept the crowd cheering throughout the marathon -- even as it got dark and cold. No one left their seat because they knew they were seeing something great and why miss a moment of it.

Isn’t it ironic that Federer, who could have the best forehand ever, ended the match on a routine forehand into the net. That, of course, told the story of the match as Nadal is the type of guy who always makes an opponent hit one more ball than that opponent wants to hit.

So off this epic duel arise some key questions that will get their share of buzz.

Let’s look at them:

Q: With Nadal having beaten Federer in both the French Open and Wimbledon finals this year, shouldn’t the Spaniard be viewed as the best player in the world?

A: Yes. Any way you look at it and no matter what the computer might say, Nadal is the best player in the world. His winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year makes him the third man in the Open Era to achieve that feat behind Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg, who last did it in 1980.

The fact that Federer ranks ahead of Nadal makes the computer rankings look silly. And Federer -- great player that he is -- has not reeled in a major title this year and that further supports the belief that Nadal is the best player on the men’s tour. But be aware there isn’t much difference between Nadal and Federer – there is not a great gap between where they rank in the men’s game.

Q: What were the chief deciding factors in this classic match?

A: Nadal won this Wimbledon final because he was able to keep up his high level of play for a slightly lengthier period of time than Federer. Nadal hit some unbelievable balls – shots that just took the breath away from the fans. He faced one of the best players in the world and didn’t flinch. Federer lost the match because Nadal proved just a little better in the most important moments.

Q: Could Federer have done anything different strategy-wise to give himself a better chance at beating Nadal?

A: I don’t believe he could have. Maybe, of course, hit that last forehand over the net. Clearly Federer was uncomfortable many times in the match and his staying back did not help him with his goal of trying to win a record sixth consecutive Wimbledon title.

Federer might have found it beneficial to attack more on Nadal’s serve but Federer tried everything he could and it just wasn’t enough.

Q: Has Federer given us his best tennis and should we not expect him to be able to give more than he has in trying to topple Nadal at this year’s French Open and also at Wimbledon?

A: In my estimation, yes, we’ve probably seen the best of Federer. He’s going to be 27 in August and he’s going to continue to be a great player for sometime but he is declining a bit at this stage in his career.

I could be wrong about that but he might be past his prime. And one issue factoring into the question of whether Federer is in even a slight decline is we don’t know the impact on his season of his bout with mononucleosis. There could be some lingering effects but in the Wimbledon final he did play five sets, not lacking stamina and competing in each set quite impressively.

Q: What are Nadal’s chances of winning the U.S. Open later this summer and given the issues with his knees how much should he play on hard courts prior to the year’s final major?

A: It’s going to be interesting to see how Nadal approaches the U.S. Open, where his best-ever result was making the quarterfinals in 2006. I don’t believe the Spaniard comes to the U.S. Open as the favorite. In my mind that distinction still belongs to Federer, who has won the last four titles at the New York major and is the best hard court player. This year’s Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic must also be in the debate over who wins this year’s Big Apple summer-swelter – which is certainly another unique test in the Grand Slam world of tennis.

There is a concern over how long Nadal’s body can hold up in a given season considering how he punishes it with his all-out style of play. So maybe the less hard-court preparation the better for him. Federer is a guy who just seems to float around a court but Nadal is doing real hard labor on a court every time plays a match.

Q: Does Nadal have to win hard court majors to be considered a truly great player and can he do what Rod Laver did in winning all four majors?

A: Nadal is already an all-time great and he is developing into a player whose ultimate greatness may still be ahead of him. If he wins hard-court majors that would just enhance his already superb accomplishments. And I believe that he can win titles at the U.S. Open and at the Australian Open and place himself in Laver’s company. When it comes to Nadal, it’s not a stretch when anyone predicts his best is yet to come.

© 2008 NBC Sports

Thank you Bud.

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