How Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal Played The Final Of Wimbledon 2007
Roger Federer won the record fifth Wimbledon title today beating Rafael Nadal 7-6(9-7), 4-6, 7-6(7-3), 2-6 6-2.
I watched the match from the second set on and here are some things I noticed during the match:
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| ©PA / R. Naden |
Rafael Nadal:
1. Played extremely aggressive in the first 4 sets.
Even one of the interviewers asked him if playing closer to the lines was a change of strategy for Federer.
Rafa was aware of the situation and raised his game to another level.
2. Served high percentage of first serves (71%) and was broken only once in first four sets.
He knew that second serves will be attacked by Federer and adjusted.
Combine this with his aggressive play from the baseline and he was at the same level as Roger for four sets.
3. Kept his concentration and cool. (for 4 sets)
We didn’t see so many pumping fists today. Rafa was all about concentration and having an empty mind without too much emotion.
4. Probably lost because his physical and mental tiredness affected his concentration in the fifth set.
He tried to play the same as he did in the fourth set but kept missing the court by small margins.
He still moved fast but his mind was not so fast anymore and made minute mistakes in ball judgement and shot selection.
Winners by set from Nadal: 1st: 12, 2nd: 11, 3rd: 11, 4th: 10, 5th: 6!
Roger Federer:
1. Served incredibly well on big points.
This probably won him the match as Nadal had an upper hand from the baseline most of the match, especially in the fourth and the beginning of the fifth set where he had 15:40 twice to break Roger’s serve.
2. Managed to keep concentration despite suspicious HawkEye calls and fantastic play from Nadal.
He could have panicked and tried to force the game too much making too many unforced errors. He maintained his level of play and stick to his game plan.
3. Adjusted his game slightly in the fifth set to match Nadal’s relentless attacks.
Roger played smart tennis from the baseline in the first four sets going for the winner when he had a chance.
He defended when he had to and tried to neutralize Nadal. He lost 6-2 in the fourth set playing good tennis.
In the fifth set Roger went for more especially with his ferocious forehand.
Combined with Nadal’s unforced errors this eventually turned the match in Federer’s favor.
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January 24th, 2008 at 7:10 am
A nice article showing how playing tennis is not just about knowing the game, but it is also about how flexible is your mind
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:52 am
How Nadal lost:
Simple, Nadal was in full control and was cruising to victory, then he injured his knee tendon