Simply Not Enough...!

On Sunday,5th July, history was being rewritten at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, better known as Wimbledon. Roger Federer and Andy Roddick played as if their life depended on it and what resulted was one of the greatest match of all times!

The score line, 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14,in Roger's favor bears testimony to the exemplary tennis on show on Sunday.

Andy Roddick knew the script well. Having played in two Wimbledon Finals prior to 2009 he knew what it takes to play at Centre Court for the Wimbledon Trophy. Sadly however he never could experience what it feels to emerge the winner here. Just one man stood between him and the trophy in 2004 and 2005, and it was the same man who faced him this year as well. Inspite of trailing Roger 2-18 in one-to-one encounters, he did not display any signs of fear or awe. On the other hand his countenance suggested a determination to make sure that the record books were changed to read
3-18!

Roger Federer on the other hand looked relaxed. Playing to win his 15th Grand Slam he knew the workout very well. If he has to look back upon Wimbledon 2008, he can afford to grin.

Last year he was at his peak. Playing the best tennis of his life he had assumed the proportions of someone invincible! Outright winners and clever subtle passes he was doing what he did best...i.e. to decapitate your opponent with ruthless efficacy. The called him the Smiling Assassin, who took pleasure in packing off his opponents with a sublime touch.

Yet he somehow lost his way at Rolland Garros and then to a large extent his Aura at Wimbledon in 2008. A juggernaut called Rafael Nadal had managed to unlock the secrets of defeating the champion! He single handedly dismantled Roger with his assiduous tennis. Federer would not admit, but Rafael had assumed dangerous proportions of a mental block. Not that he did not have the tennis to beat Nadal, he just could not control his nerves!

All that changed this year, Nadal lost to Soderling at the French Open and Federer looked history in the eye and it blinked. Equalling Pete's record of 14 Grand Slams he was back to his winning ways.

On Sunday however he was not at his best. He even descended to the level of Ordinariness. There were glimpses of his genius but they were many times overshadowed by anxiety. Battling all that and a phenomenal Roddick, he won to become the greatest of all times, atleast on the Grand Slam scale!

Coming back to Roddick, he had worked hard for this face-off. Reducing his weight,increasing his fitness, working with the best, he had taken his game to the next level and on sunday he showed that. Many friends argued with me that Roddick was the better player in the final. Maybe they are right. After all he broke Federer's serve thrice and Federer could unravel his powerful serve only once. But I choose to disagree. Federer might have broken him only once when leading 15-14 in the last set,the 77th game of the marathon match; but he consistently scored on Roddick'serve throughout the match. He was tied 40-40 on many occasions,its just Roddick was good enough to stop him from taking advantage. On the other hand Federer won on his serve 40-0 on a consistent basis and to me had the better service game.

The bottom line however is that it was a breath-taking match,thanks to both stalwarts who displayed amazing skills and panache during the course of the epic final. Federer got his 15 Grand Slams and his place in History as the greatest of all times whereas Roddick will have to undergo the grind once again.

One question that will no doubt cloud Federer's conscience is whether he could have got his 14th and 15th had Nadal been around? The verdicts a open house on that one.

Could he have tamed his tormentor to win? True he defeated Nadal in Madrid this year, and that too on a slow court,but could he have managed that at the Grand Slams? As i said it is not lack of skill or talent but a psychogenic shortcoming which undermines his ability when Rafael Nadal is on the other side of the net.

Federer no doubt understands this. I am sure he wont rest until he defeats Nadal at a Grand Slam. All factors therefore point to a surreal US Open this year. It will the venue for the clash of two titans. Federer waits, Nadal waits and like me millions of fans all around the world wait for that ultimate sporting spectacle!