On Sunday, the two most dominant players of this generation will face each other in what promises to be a clash of titans.
And, no, I'm not talking about Wakefield-Chamberlain on Sunday Night Baseball.
This year's Wimbledon final comes at a crossroads of the sport. The giant that has dominated all for the past 5 years (sans clay courts) will face his longtime nemesis amid speculation that his greatness is fading by the minute.
Roger Federer has known nothing but success through the last five years, winning 12 majors since his first at Wimbeldon in 2003. He has racked up 5 straight titles at the All England Club, four straight US Opens, dating back to 2004 and has won 3 Australian Open titles.
Federer's only blemish is on the surface in which his greater rival is the most successful—clay. Federer has reached the French Open finals the last three years, only to be beaten by Nadal, including a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 loss this year.
If Federer does indeed win his sixth straight Wimbledon trophy, he will put the critics that say he's not as dominant as in the past at bay, for the moment, and will move one major title closer to Pete Sampras' 14.
If he falters, however, the questions will pour in and the critics will come out in full force. They will ask how he could lose in the surface he is most comfortable with to a player who had never won a grass court title until two weeks ago.
Rafael Nadal, the longtime arch-rival and even longer No. 2 in the world is desperate to ditch the clay court specialist moniker. His ranking goes hand in hand with his inability to win a title outside of Paris, being beaten by Federer in the past two Wimbledon finals (he has never reached the finals in a hard court major). He has, however, played extremely well during this grass court season.
If Nadal comes through and wins his first major that is not played on clay, he will finally silence whoever talks about how he is a one trick pony made only to win on clay courts and will remove the monkey off his back. Also, he will creep closer to the stanglehold that is Federer's No. 1 ranking.
However, if he again falls short, the label of clay court specialist will become even stronger and his continuous struggle to catch Federer will extend for another year (Nadal is notoriously ineffective at hard courts and is not likely to win the US Open).
Both players have so much to gain if they win and so much to lose if they are defeated that Sunday's match will likely be the hardest fought meeting between the two long time rivals.
So, if you want to see the two best tennis players of this generation play in what promises to be a must-see match that will define the near future of tennis, tune in at 7 am ET. And yes, the start time is a hassle, but do yourself a favour and TiVo or record the match.
Because this one is a must-see!
2 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
dam kash about 1 year ago
nadal is winner
Edit Comment Cancel
Andrew Kneeland about 1 year ago
That was the most incredible match I have ever watched. The best ever?
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.