Cabeza del Demonio
Hall of Fame
When Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic meet on a tennis court, greatness is the inevitable result. Their 6-hour battle in 2012 was hailed by many former greats and analysts as the Greatest Match of All Time. But in 2018, the two Titans of tennis produced another unforgettable performance to rival it.
Both players began the match in impeccable form which belied their age. Djokovic came in as the underdog, two years removed from his emotional triumph at Roland Garros, while Nadal's relentless time-defying dominance seemed unbreakable. But facing his great rival seemed to trigger something within the Serb superstar, and he produced a vintage shotmaking display to take the opening set and assure the capacity Centre Court crowd that this encounter would be one to remember. Nadal countered with a dominant second set to level the match.
In the 3rd set, neither player could break the other. Nadal and Djokovic held on to their serves as if their lives depended on it, and the inevitability of a tiebreak became a reality. Djokovic quickly found himself in trouble, facing set points. But the Djoker, famous for his nerves of steel, faced them down with a brilliant passage of play to claim the tiebreak, and the 3rd set.
Due to the Anderson-Isner marathon earlier that day, the match was suspended to darkness and resumed the next day.
Losing the 3rd set only strengthened Nadal's resolve, and he burst out of the blocks on day 2, flustering Djokovic with brutal, smothering tennis to blitz his way through the 4th set. Nadal and Djokovic had only gone 5 sets twice before, but both matches now live in the memory of every tennis fan as timeless classics, and every tennis fan already knew they were witnessing another. Nadal entered the ultimate stage of the battle with the momentum, mounting relentless pressure on Djokovic's serve, but the Serb superstar fended off the pressure to keep himself alive. For two players over 30 to battle for 5 hours at the peak of their capabilities would seem impossible, especially two players worn down by a decade of brutal dominance. But Nadal and Djokovic were no strangers to defying physical possibility; they had already done it by playing 6 hours of brutal tennis in that legendary 2012 final, and they were ready to do it again.
As the match began its 6th hour, neither player seemed exhausted - far from it, they were hitting harder, running faster, serving better, reaping the fruits of years upon years of brutal training - pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits off the court day in, day out, all for matches like this.
But in the 17th game of the final set, with Djokovic serving, Nadal's aggression seemed too much for him. He earned two break points, two chances to knock his opponent to ground and deliver the killing blow. Nole found himself staring defeat in the eye, mere points away from crashing back down to earth once again. His Cinderella run at Wimbledon seemed at an end.
And then Earth's Mightiest Warrior reawakened once more.
Supermen may not exist in real life, but the man facing Rafael Nadal in the final moments of the battle may be the closest thing we'll ever have to Superman. Nadal charged in on break point for the winning shot, only to see a stunning angled pass fly by him. Suddenly, Djokovic was energized into action, serving big and painting the lines, reeling off the last 8 points of the match - sending Nadal to the ground on one - to break the Matador of Mallorca to love and complete one of the greatest victories of his career, 6-4 3-6 7-6(9) 3-6 10-8.
The final wouldn't be much more than a crowning procession for Djokovic. After 2 years without a Grand Slam title and his career sinking into despair, he had claimed his 13th Grand Slam and his 4th Wimbledon title. It lives on in the collective memory of the tennis world as one of, if not the most inspiring comeback story in the history of our beautiful sport.
The Legend of Novak Djokovic had been resurrected.
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Enjoy!
Both players began the match in impeccable form which belied their age. Djokovic came in as the underdog, two years removed from his emotional triumph at Roland Garros, while Nadal's relentless time-defying dominance seemed unbreakable. But facing his great rival seemed to trigger something within the Serb superstar, and he produced a vintage shotmaking display to take the opening set and assure the capacity Centre Court crowd that this encounter would be one to remember. Nadal countered with a dominant second set to level the match.
In the 3rd set, neither player could break the other. Nadal and Djokovic held on to their serves as if their lives depended on it, and the inevitability of a tiebreak became a reality. Djokovic quickly found himself in trouble, facing set points. But the Djoker, famous for his nerves of steel, faced them down with a brilliant passage of play to claim the tiebreak, and the 3rd set.
Due to the Anderson-Isner marathon earlier that day, the match was suspended to darkness and resumed the next day.
Losing the 3rd set only strengthened Nadal's resolve, and he burst out of the blocks on day 2, flustering Djokovic with brutal, smothering tennis to blitz his way through the 4th set. Nadal and Djokovic had only gone 5 sets twice before, but both matches now live in the memory of every tennis fan as timeless classics, and every tennis fan already knew they were witnessing another. Nadal entered the ultimate stage of the battle with the momentum, mounting relentless pressure on Djokovic's serve, but the Serb superstar fended off the pressure to keep himself alive. For two players over 30 to battle for 5 hours at the peak of their capabilities would seem impossible, especially two players worn down by a decade of brutal dominance. But Nadal and Djokovic were no strangers to defying physical possibility; they had already done it by playing 6 hours of brutal tennis in that legendary 2012 final, and they were ready to do it again.
As the match began its 6th hour, neither player seemed exhausted - far from it, they were hitting harder, running faster, serving better, reaping the fruits of years upon years of brutal training - pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits off the court day in, day out, all for matches like this.
But in the 17th game of the final set, with Djokovic serving, Nadal's aggression seemed too much for him. He earned two break points, two chances to knock his opponent to ground and deliver the killing blow. Nole found himself staring defeat in the eye, mere points away from crashing back down to earth once again. His Cinderella run at Wimbledon seemed at an end.
And then Earth's Mightiest Warrior reawakened once more.
Supermen may not exist in real life, but the man facing Rafael Nadal in the final moments of the battle may be the closest thing we'll ever have to Superman. Nadal charged in on break point for the winning shot, only to see a stunning angled pass fly by him. Suddenly, Djokovic was energized into action, serving big and painting the lines, reeling off the last 8 points of the match - sending Nadal to the ground on one - to break the Matador of Mallorca to love and complete one of the greatest victories of his career, 6-4 3-6 7-6(9) 3-6 10-8.
The final wouldn't be much more than a crowning procession for Djokovic. After 2 years without a Grand Slam title and his career sinking into despair, he had claimed his 13th Grand Slam and his 4th Wimbledon title. It lives on in the collective memory of the tennis world as one of, if not the most inspiring comeback story in the history of our beautiful sport.
The Legend of Novak Djokovic had been resurrected.
____________________________________________________________________
Enjoy!
