This match could be the GREATEST exhibition...

[Connors]

of tennis we might ever see.

These guys are absolutely incredible. The shotmaking is beyond brilliant. The court coverage is as good as we'll ever see.

The clutch serving, the winners hit on big points, the angles, the finesse, the power, etc.... I hope we all appreciate what we're watching here.

These guys may go down as the two best of all time by the time they are done their careers. Nadal is unquestionably the greatest clay courter of all time. Nadal has the greatest power groundstrokes of all time.

Federer has probably the greatest array of shots the game has ever seen. Both players move well enough to be in the top 5 court movers (or even top 3 or 4) of all time.

As great as the Borg-McEnroe, Sampras-Agassi, Becker-Edberg, Laver-Rosewall, Connors-McEnroe, Lendl-Wilander matches were, this is the BEST. I feel very lucky.

 

[Connors]

I just wanted to add that it's no longer about "could be the greatest exhibition..." , it WAS/IS the greatest match of all time. None other than Johnny Mac said the same. That's pretty huge coming from him.

It will be very interesting to see if Rafa can now win the US Open. For some reason, he's not quite as good on outdoor hard court. This could be his Open though. Somehow, I think Fed will find a way to win it and move within one of Pete.

 

[pmerk34]

I just wanted to add that it's no longer about "could be the greatest exhibition..." , it WAS/IS the greatest match of all time. None other than Johnny Mac said the same. That's pretty huge coming from him.

It will be very interesting to see if Rafa can now win the US Open. For some reason, he's not quite as good on outdoor hard court. This could be his Open though. Somehow, I think Fed will find a way to win it and move within one of Pete.

This was easily one of the best matches of all time. Fantastic. This is why I love tennis.

 

[VamosRafa]

I agree with the comments -- it was an amazing match. Well done to both players.

We all know how great a player Fed is. Rafa has taken a lot of the heat on this board and others for being nothing more than a "claycourter." Hopefully this will put some of that nonsense to rest.

The most amazing thing about the final, in my view, is that Rafa stayed positive in the fifth set. It would have been so easy to lose concentration after being up two sets, losing a set, and then losing Championship points in the fourth set. Everyone talks about how much his backhand has improved, along with his serve, etc., but in the end, it's his main strength that got him through -- his tough mentality. He was playing one of the best players of all time, if not the best, on that player's best surface, and he didn't lose faith in his ability to win. That's why he won the match, and the reason that he's going to go down in history as one of the best of all time, too. With that attitude, and his various improvements, this won't be his last GS title off clay. And notwithstanding what the media will be saying, it won't be Federer's last either. This rivalry is just hitting its stride.

And I do hope that Rafa, as a double slam winner, is able to finish the year No. 1. It's been a long time coming and he will have earned it.

 

[CyBorg]

I just wanted to add that it's no longer about "could be the greatest exhibition..." , it WAS/IS the greatest match of all time. None other than Johnny Mac said the same. That's pretty huge coming from him.

No, this is typical of him.

This was not better than the Borg/McEnroe match for many reasons. The fact that Roger never led is one of them.

 

[TTAce]

It is. speechless.

 

[127mph]

This was a unbelievable match. I didn't think that this decade the Safin Federer match in australia would be bested, but today it was!

 

[MasterBruceTennis]

Amazing mental toughness!!

 

[counter_puncher]

This was the greatest ever. I feel sorry for those who missed it.

 

[dholl]

The best tennis I've ever seen...by the time it hit 7-7 in the final set not just me, but the commentators too had completely run out of vocabularly to describe it. We'd said it all:

- amazing
- incredible
- superlative
- unbelievable
- breathtaking
- outrageous
- courageous
- fantastic
- fabulous

and all the rest...at the risk of repeating ourselves there emitted only uncomprehending cries of "whoa!" out of our mouths.


Did anybody else feel like this? The commentators in question were the StarSports crowd.