The Championships Mens Final 2008 - Best Ever?

A long pending post from my side on this years Wimbledon Men's Final. Had to get this in on the eve of a possible US open final between the same guys unless Murray spoils the party :-). 

I think Nadal deserved to win it, period. He was a much better player that day. His topspin  groundstrokes on both flanks were unplayable. He had umpteen passing shots with Federer  a mere spectator at the net seeing the balls whiz past him.His volleys were spot on each time he came to the net, showing the amount of time he has put in at practice to improve this aspect of his game.Federer was lucky to not get beaten in 3 straight sets. But then the victory was much sweeter for Nadal that way,to have it won in 5 gruelling sets. Also, Federer hadnt won the last 5 Championships to just have it wrested away from him so easily in the 6th. 

The first two sets was all Nadal.  Only one break separated the two in both the sets but Nadal earned them quite easily thanks to the errors creeping into Fed's game. The first rain delay helped Federer regain some composure. His ever reliable serve and the off-forehand which kept him in the game right through the match helped him win the third set. The fourth set tie break was one of the best I have seen in tennis. The drama and tension and the shot quality were unmatched.In the breaker, Federer displayed some rare moments of brillilance only he is capable of. His backhand down the line winner to ward off a potential championship point to Nadal was his best shot of the match.  Federer was relieved to win the fourth set and square the match. Many expected that that would be the end of Nadal and the tide had turned for the champion. The fifth set was played at a higher level between the games two best protagonists. The quality of the tennis attained new heights. Though Federer was serving ahead in the fifth set, Nadal always looked like taking a break. Nadal on the other hand was holding serve with relative ease.  Many break points were saved by Federer thanks to his serve which is never given its due credit. Nadal broke in the 15th game and with the clock ticking at a quarter past 9pm on a gloomy dark Centre Court, held serve (including a serve-volley in one of the points) to win a remarkable match. The scoreline read 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7.

I havent watched the 1980 Final between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. For many that have watched both,  these two matches would be talked about in the same breath for many years to come for the parallels it drew and for the emotion and quality of tennis it carried.