It’s been eleven years since the two tennis icons of the “big three” has faced off in what everyone remembers as the greatest match in history. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have met in the court thirty-nine times before, thirteen in Majors, but the thrill of those matches couldn’t possibly compare to the brewing excitement of another show-stopping battle in the Wimbledon 2019.
And so what happened last Friday was a time warp - it’s like 2008 all over again, but with more questions hovering over spectators’ minds. Was it retribution? A shot at redemption? A passing of the torch or a prolonged reign?
Whatever this match meant for the returning tennis behemoths, one thing’s for sure - it was one helluva duel, much like their first.
We all know Federer took the game from Nadal after that breathtaking 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 match, with Federer having advanced to the final to rekindle a long-standing rivalry against titleholder Novak Djokovic, who eventually won the series.
But let’s try to dissect what went down during that tight Federer-Nadal rematch.
The first set was met with aces and classic 1-2 patterns, favoring both servers. It was a constant cycle of Nadal getting his topspin forehand to bounce higher and Federer counter-attacking with his one-hander up around his shoulders; a chain of long rallies and net incursions.
Somehow along the lines of this sequence, Federer flickered, which ultimately led to a tie-breaker. When there were errors, they were of the smallest margins—lines missed by millimetres, ground strokes rolling off the tape. But the Swiss player managed to take the first set, and gave everyone the impression that he got this in the bag.
But a swerve came along. While Federer amped up his superior timing to return hits quickly and put his enemy on his back foot, Nadal countered his intensity. The two went on to consistent power serves more robust than the first set and employed a more aggressive play.
Perhaps too aggressive for Federer, that his defenses started to crumble. Errors came rushing like wildfire, and Nadal was quick to pick this up and started luring his opponent to little traps.
But Federer wasn’t gonna let this set slip through his fingers. He instantly regained his form on his serve and tapped into his forehand skills, causing Nadal to fall apart. Federer took the third set, 6–3, and in the fourth and final set, Federer’s groundstrokes helped him tackle Nadal in the rallies which resulted to a 6–3 win.
Nadal didn’t manage to deprive Federer of his title, but he still gave the latter a run for his money. It was nothing short of a spectacular tournament played by two living legends who made the Wimbledon 2019 an extra special tournament.
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