Instant Classic: Nadal wins Wimbledon

[Zen653]

Congratulations to Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

Tennis experts say that Nadal's Wimbledon victory over Roger Federer in the Championship Final was one of the most thrilling matches in the history of the sport:

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND — Trapped for nearly five hours Sunday on the opposite side of the net from his worst nightmare, Roger Federer wound up on the wrong side of history, too.

But can he take solace in the fact he was on the losing end of the most brilliant, most excruciatingly dramatic, operatic tennis match ever played?

For the moment, no.

"Probably later on in life," Federer, 26, said, "I'll go, 'That was a great match.' But right now ... it's not much of a — how do you say? — feel-good thing, or a positive way to end the match."

This sometimes sunny, sometimes gloomy, sometimes rainy afternoon seemingly had gotten away from Rafael Nadal after he surrendered a two-set-to-love lead to a player often mentioned as the greatest.

But, in the gloaming, probably just minutes before Wimbledon officials would have to confront the difficult decision of suspending the conclusion until today, the Spaniard Nadal proved worthy of the task confronting him.

Although he insisted, "I couldn't see anything," Nadal bravely — heroically really, given whom he was facing — pulled out a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 victory tennis fans will get misty-eyed talking about for decades to come.

Nadal ends Federer's 5-year reign at Wimbledon | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

[summer]

I was happy to see Nadal win and sad to see Roger lose. You hate to see anyone lose when it goes as long as it did.

[thepichi]

That was the best Wimbledon final period, what a great two players.

I think Nadal is going to finish #1 at the end of the year. He is younger and stronger.

Congrats to Nadal.