Krish872007
Talk Tennis Guru
Looking back again to the 2008 Wimbledon Final. There were a lot of dramatic moments in that match, but there is a sequence in the fifth set that has often been overlooked - check out these two points:
Think about what was at stake for Rafa here, and what must have been going through his mind.
- He'd jumped out to a 2 set lead, had 0-40 at 3-3 in the third set. Couldn't convert there. Went to a 3rd set tiebreak where he got beaten by Federer's serving
- 2 championship points lost in an epic 4th set tiebreak, and lost it having led 5-2 at one point with 2 serves on his racket. One of those on an extraordinary passing shot.
- Memories of the 2006-07 Finals, particularly the devastating 5-set loss in 2007.
- 4-3, 30-30 in the fifth, Rafa serving. Out of nowhere Federer lasered a forehand DTL to set up break point & potentially a chance to serve for the match.
- And after all the nerves, finally a moment of clarity and sheer determination. A good serve, sure, but the key was the second shot - a forehand whipped DTL into the corner and a brutal finish at the net on such and important point.
What the win really meant
- A maiden Wimbledon crown, snapping Federer's 5-year stranglehold and 65-match winning streak and 2,202-day unbeaten run on any grass court (25 June 2002 - 6 July 2008)
- An historic triumph in one of the most memorable Wimbledon men's singles finals
- A critical step towards the World #1 spot (would gain it in August), finally toppling the dominant Federer
- A launchpad for future success on grass and hard courts (the first of 8 such Slam victories), following this up with another epic triumph at the 2009 AO
- An extension of his all-surface winning streak, which ended up being 32, including other big titles at RG and the Olympics
Not sure how things would have gone if he had let the match slip away:
- Losing from 2 sets up, 2 championship points up - imagine the kind of trolling that would have generated on TTW...
- Going 0-3 vs Federer at Wimbledon (potentially 0-4 if they were to end up meeting in 2019) and allowing him to win 6 or even 7 straight Wimbledon titles to notch up a 77-match win streak on grass
- Could have changed the course of the rest of 2008 and maybe had more knock-on impacts, who knows.
It's incredible how a single moment in time can have such a big impact on confidence and momentum. What an effort to regroup and lead the way forward.
Think about what was at stake for Rafa here, and what must have been going through his mind.
- He'd jumped out to a 2 set lead, had 0-40 at 3-3 in the third set. Couldn't convert there. Went to a 3rd set tiebreak where he got beaten by Federer's serving
- 2 championship points lost in an epic 4th set tiebreak, and lost it having led 5-2 at one point with 2 serves on his racket. One of those on an extraordinary passing shot.
- Memories of the 2006-07 Finals, particularly the devastating 5-set loss in 2007.
- 4-3, 30-30 in the fifth, Rafa serving. Out of nowhere Federer lasered a forehand DTL to set up break point & potentially a chance to serve for the match.
- And after all the nerves, finally a moment of clarity and sheer determination. A good serve, sure, but the key was the second shot - a forehand whipped DTL into the corner and a brutal finish at the net on such and important point.
What the win really meant
- A maiden Wimbledon crown, snapping Federer's 5-year stranglehold and 65-match winning streak and 2,202-day unbeaten run on any grass court (25 June 2002 - 6 July 2008)
- An historic triumph in one of the most memorable Wimbledon men's singles finals
- A critical step towards the World #1 spot (would gain it in August), finally toppling the dominant Federer
- A launchpad for future success on grass and hard courts (the first of 8 such Slam victories), following this up with another epic triumph at the 2009 AO
- An extension of his all-surface winning streak, which ended up being 32, including other big titles at RG and the Olympics
Not sure how things would have gone if he had let the match slip away:
- Losing from 2 sets up, 2 championship points up - imagine the kind of trolling that would have generated on TTW...
- Going 0-3 vs Federer at Wimbledon (potentially 0-4 if they were to end up meeting in 2019) and allowing him to win 6 or even 7 straight Wimbledon titles to notch up a 77-match win streak on grass
- Could have changed the course of the rest of 2008 and maybe had more knock-on impacts, who knows.
It's incredible how a single moment in time can have such a big impact on confidence and momentum. What an effort to regroup and lead the way forward.
