"Look, Rafa's a deserving champion," said Federer, who hadn't lost a set all tournament before Sunday. "He just played fantastically."
And that tremendous play lasted a record 4 hours, 48 minutes, longer than any of the classic Wimbledon men's finals it will be recalled alongside, including Borg's five-set victory over John McEnroe in 1980.
Nadal, the first Spanish man to triumph at the All England Club since Manolo Santana in 1966, managed to regroup after blowing a two-set lead, managed to recover after wasting two match points in the fourth-set tiebreaker. He earned his fifth Grand Slam title, but first away from the French Open.
Nadal did it by showing fortitude on his serve, saving 12 of 13 break points. He did it by breaking serve four times, twice as many times as Federer lost serve in his previous six matches combined. And Nadal did it by being better from the baseline, winning 24 of 38 points that lasted 10 or more strokes, according to an unofficial AP tally.
"He was rock-solid, the way we know him," said Federer, who hit 25 aces. "He's definitely improved his game."
Borg and Santana watched from the front row of the Royal Box at Centre Court, which next year will have a retractable roof. Perhaps Mother Nature wanted one last chance to leave her mark, delaying Sunday's start by 35 minutes with rain. Showers again caused a delay of 1 hour, 21 minutes late in the third set, then another of 30 minutes at 2-2, deuce, in the fifth set.
【体坛英语资讯:Nadal outlasts Federer in 5 sets to win 1st Wimbledon title】相关文章:
★ 娱乐英语资讯:Celeb fashion craze hits teen market
★ 体坛英语资讯:Joness agent suspended by US governing body
★ 体坛英语资讯:Wang ready to bounce back in 2008
★ 体坛英语资讯:Guga says goodbye to tennis world
★ 体坛英语资讯:Hingis dope tests may never be revealed
★ 体坛英语资讯:Phoenix acquire ONeal from Miami
★ 体坛英语资讯:Ronaldos season over - report
★ 娱乐英语资讯:Britney Spears, Justin reunion
★ 娱乐英语资讯:Jodie Foster to get leadership award
★ 体坛英语资讯:Hamilton wants Alonso out of McLaren
最新
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15
2020-09-15