Tennis is a
sport of direct comparison. Round by round, tournament by
tournament, one player's success illuminates another's
failure: backhands break serves, power trumps foot speed, or
talent outlasts determination. The world's elite are
measured by their progression, as well as against the
advancement made by their peers and predecessors. The best
players understand that no matter how great their
achievements, superior marks have been set by
other champions.
Beyond the
horizon of each accomplishment there is a higher goal. Each
competitor works constantly to progress a little further and
gain ground on the shadows cast by those ahead of them.
Nowhere in the world is this struggle more appreciated or
revered than at the game's most prestigious arena, the All
England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, home to the
Championships Wimbledon.
Yet at this
year's Wimbledon, progression of any kind seemed damned near
impossible. The first week and a half of the event was
plagued by intensive rain, so much so that there were still
men's third round matches to be completed well into the
second week of competition. Persistent downpours repeatedly
cancelled full days of play, reminding frustrated fans and
players alike that no one on the ATP or WTA tours is ranked
higher than Mother Nature.
Chasing Mother Nature and just about every other player or
influence in tennis history was four-time defending champion
Roger Federer. When play was possible, all eyes were on the
top-ranked Swiss stylist as he attempted to equal tennis
icon Bjorn Borg's record of five consecutive championships.
There are few who can challenge Federer’s supremacy on the
slick grass courts of the All England Club and many pundits
felt as though it was a foregone conclusion that he would
emerge victorious. One man who felt differently, however,
was last year's runner-up and the reigning French Open
champion, second-ranked Rafael Nadal.
Nadal’s run to the final in 2006 was widely attributed to
luck of the draw. Although Nadal has been Federer's only
consistent rival on tour, he was given little chance of
returning to the ultimate round in 2007. Yet Nadal too was
looking to join Borg in the records books. A title at
Wimbledon would make him the first man to win the French
Open and Wimbledon back-to-back since the Swede last
accomplished that feat in 1980.
They made for an interesting threesome: Borg, the past, a
stoic spectator in the stands and a storied specter on
grainy match footage from days gone by; Federer, the
present, a four-time winner parading confidently in his
white blazer and long pants; and Nadal, the future,
transforming before all of London's eyes into a man with the
deft touch and court savvy to match his potent baseline
power, the kind of player destined to one day succeed on the
storied grass courts of SW19.
Round by round, Federer and Nadal were at Wimbledon a
microcosm of what they have become to the whole of the ATP
tour: men who are able to progress where others cannot.
Round by round, the hopeful challengers were dismissed: 2002
champion Lleyton Hewitt dismissed in the 4th round; former
world number one Marat Safin easily banished by Federer in
the third round; one-time heir to the American legacy of
Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, collapsing disastrously in the
quarterfinals; and hungry upstart Novak Djokovic unfit in
the semis to stand toe-to-toe with Nadal.
Nadal and
Federer are opposites in on-court personality and style, and
they were even opposites in fortune at Wimbledon 2007.
Federer dodged the majority of rain delays and received a
walkover into the quarterfinals, allowing him nearly a week
without match play (or, more appropriately, waiting for
match play) while Nadal was forced to compete in full or
partial matches on seven consecutive days in order to reach
Sunday's final.
Yet when the clouds cleared, the world's top two players
were once again set to square off and continue their growing
rivalry. Heightened by the history each man was chasing,
their championship clash was a riveting, dramatic, instantly
classic encounter that begs to be included among the most
intriguing Wimbledon finals of all time.
Federer jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Nadal is
capable of staying in points against Federer in a way that
no other current player can. Nadal challenges Federer's
brilliance and artistry by making him hit extra shots,
returning flashy would-be winners with a ferocious
determination that is bourn not of the scoreboard but of
Rafael's own inner desire. Each point is life-and-death for
Nadal. Most players simply cannot hang with Federer long
enough to rattle his perfectionist flair, but Nadal refuses
to back down and forces the world’s best player into
frustrated errors and defensive positions.
Nadal’s
persistence would see him break back and level the first set
until the two men went to a tiebreak. Despite his quick
start, it was clear that Roger Federer would not be handed
the title on this day. In fact, in this moment, he would
face the most defining challenge of his career to date.
Often criticized for not fighting when stakes were the
highest, Federer's razor-thin but ultimate advantage over
Rafael Nadal would be the serve. Federer served 24 aces to
Nadal's one over the course of five sets, and he seemed to
reserve those blasts for when the stakes were at their
highest. Roger needed five set points to escape with the
first set, 9 points to 7 in a tiebreak. Yet Nadal came
roaring back in the second set, evening the match when
Federer failed to hold serve at 4-5 down. The third set
also went to a tiebreak, which Federer won a bit more
comfortably, only to see Nadal once again outpace him in the
fourth set by a decisive score of 6-2. For every step
forward that Federer painstakingly made, there was Nadal,
nipping at the maestro’s heels. Nadal was challenging
Federer in a way that none before him had been able to do at
Wimbledon. With one set to play for the title, Rafael Nadal
- the supposed clay court loving underdog - clearly had the
momentum.
Early in the
final set, Federer twice rebounded from 15-40 deficits with
brilliant serving. He scorched balls past Nadal in a way
that was reminiscent of seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete
Sampras, who was renowned for digging out of trouble spots
on the game's grandest stage via untouchable, first-strike
deliveries that reduced his opponents to audience members.
Then, with the score even at 2-2, Federer lifted his level
just enough to break away with the final four games of the
match. After nailing an overhead smash to seal the victory
and claim his fifth Wimbledon men’s title in a row, Federer
fell overwhelmed to the soft grass with joyous tears in his
eyes. There would be no question about the fighting heart
of Roger Federer on this day.
Questions and disbelief, however, composed the majority of
attention that Venus Williams received as she entered the
Wimbledon fortnight. Her error-ridden first and third round
matches, which she barely survived, were far
more representative of her recent form than her three
previous triumphs on the Centre Court grass. Yet Venus
Williams refused to let her sometimes shaky game affect her
confidence. As play crept into the second week, Venus
began to show the intimidating form of old that brought her
the world's top ranking in 2000 and 2001. Venus all but
bitch-slapped former champion Maria Sharapova in the 4th
round and never looked back, going on to mow down former US
Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova and this year’s French Open
runner-up, Ana Ivanovic, en route to the championship match.
In the final, Venus would face a player given even less of a
chance at the title than she was in France’s Marion Bartoli.
Bartoli had been a giant killer in beating several higher
ranked players to wreak havoc in the upper half of the draw,
at no time more brilliantly than in dismissing top-ranked
Justine Henin in the semifinals. After dropping the opening
set, Bartoli began to conjure images of her tennis hero
Monica Seles by standing inside the baseline and attacking
Henin with fierce two-fisted blasts and sharp angles. Henin,
who was bidding to win the only major missing from her
collection, was dumbstruck after Bartoli crafted a stunning
1-6, 7-5, 6-1 comeback to reach her first Grand Slam final.
On paper, the 31st-ranked Williams and 18th-seeded Bartoli
combined to contest the lowest-ranked women’s Wimbledon
final in the modern era. Belying any of their rankings’
implications, however, the match was well played. Bartoli
performed admirably in her first major moment, but the day
belonged to Williams. At full flight, Venus sent down
serves that rattled the racquet in Bartoli's hands and fell
harmlessly to the grass below. Bartoli was seen shaking her
wrists out inbetween points to recover from the pain of
returning Williams' record-setting blasts.
Venus was the
champion of old, a woman the tennis world had rarely seen in
the two years since her last dramatic declaration on this
same court in 2005. Venus raced to a 6-4, 6-1 victory and
has now won four of the last eight Ladies’ Championships.
There is truly no greater smile in tennis than the broad
grin of unadulterated joy that Venus Williams flashes when
claiming the biggest prize in her sport, a light that has
been dimmed for far too long in recent years. Her return to
the sport's highest stages is wondrous and ever-welcome.
The sky was
at last clear over the grounds of the All England Lawn
Tennis and Croquet Club at the close of two weeks of
backlogged and waterlogged competition. Federer's legacy
grows parallel to the grass he dominates, while
Williams continues to annually renew herself on Wimbledon's
lawns like Spring itself. Roger silenced his few doubters
and Venus denied her many critics in claiming the 2007
Wimbledon crowns. Once the sun did decide to shine down
on Centre Court, it was Federer and Williams who cast their
shadows just a little bit longer.
