The Greatest Match

"The greatest match I've ever seen."
~ John McEnroe

6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer in the longest men's final ever played at Wimbledon (nearly 5 hours).  I agree with Mr. McEnroe.  This match had more drama and better shots in big moments than any match I have ever seen.   The quality of play was unreal.  The Rafa-Roger rivalry is putting tennis back on the map, especially since Tiger Woods has no equal (nor ever will).

Superlatives continue to pour in.

"My description alone can't capture the drama and intensity of that fifth set. If you get a chance to see a replay (which you can Monday night at 7PM on ESPN Classic), grab a beverage and a bowl of popcorn and enjoy what can be safely described as perfection. While I'm on the Ali-Frazier comparison, for those of us too young to have witnessed the halcyon days of boxing, this mere tennis game sure seemed like watching a heavyweight championship bout between Ali and Frazier in their heyday. While the state of tennis has declined steadily since the 80's, this year's Wimbledon was a tournament the likes of which haven't been seen since Borg-McEnroe in 1980. We may never see a tournament of this quality for another 25 years."

~ Bleacher Report

"The men's 2008 Wimbledon final on Sunday is already being talked about as one of the best tennis matches, if not sporting encounters, in history. "

~ BBC

Comments

[Ray Fowler]

It was the best match I've ever seen. Also, Nadal and Federer both showed incredible class during the after-game speeches. I can't think of two players I would rather see at numbers 1 and 2 in the world right now.

[tgirsch]

People still watch men's tennis? Who knew? :)

[BWB]

Oh ... let's replay history.

Harry Vardon has no equal (nor ever will).
Walter Hagen has no equal (nor ever will).
Bobby Jones has no equal (nor ever will).
Ben Hogan has no equal (nor ever will).
Jack Nicklaus has no equal (nor ever will).

OK, is Tiger the best alive today? Yep. Is he quite possibly the best ever? Yep. But you can't see the future. Who knows who may be lurking. Tiger is the greatest that I've seen, but I've not seen them all, nor do I have a crystal ball to see ahead!

All too often we forget our place as only a speck in the great stream of history and pronounce that "he, she, or it is the greatest of all time." Not a good idea, IMO.

:)
10-8. BWB

[Mr. D]

"People still watch men's tennis? Who knew? :)"

Dude, you have got to get a life :)

I know the Brewers are the greatest thing since sliced bread, this year, but c'mon. Branch out. Take a break from visiting baseball stadiums and enjoy the beautiful game of tennis.

"Who knows who may be lurking."

It could be one of my sons :) You should see my 10 year old bust it off the tee. Your kids playing?

[BWB]

When I get to VA next time, we'll have to play! My girls are so into soccer (yuk) right now. They have sticks and I am always trying to encourage them to take up "the greatest game!"
:)

10-8
BWB

[tgirsch]

Dude, you have got to get a life

Contrary to what you might think, I don't just follow baseball. In fact, I'd say it's my third-favorite sport behind hockey and football. I also watch a bit of soccer (or "real football" as the rest of the world calls it), and I watch college basketball during the tournament. I used to keep an eye on Champ Car racing, before that league folded (the IRL cars stink, and I can't get into oval racing anyway). And I keep an eye on the America's Cup races when those come around.

But I must admit, I've never been a particularly big fan of individual sports, such as golf and tennis. Some of it may be because I've never really played either one (though I did sort-of golf once), but a lot of it has to do with the lack of head-to-head competition (in golf), and the lack of good head-to-head competition in tennis. Let's face it, matches like the one you described are pretty rare.