Roger Federer emulated the legendary Bjorn Borg when he captured his fifth successive Wimbledon title with a 7-6 (9/7), 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-2 win over Rafael Nadal in a thrilling final on Sunday.
It was Federer’s 11th career Grand Slam title, taking him within three of Pete Sampras’s record of 14 and his 54th consecutive grasscourt win.
”Each win is special but to play a champion like Rafa and equalling Bjorn’s record it makes it very special,” said Federer who was later warmly embraced by the man whose record he’d just equalled.
He added: ”Rafa is a fantastic player who will be around longer than me so I’m happy to win again before he takes them all.
”It was a close match and I told Rafa at the net that he deserved it as well. Today I was the lucky one.”
The victory shattered Nadal’s hopes of becoming only the second Spanish winner of the men’s singles title to follow Manuel Santana in 1966.
But Nadal came heartbreakingly close to adding the Wimbledon title to his three French Open crowns when Federer threatened to self-destruct at the end of the fourth set when he launched an uncharacteristic rage at the HawkEye replay technology.
The world number one had beaten Nadal in the final in 2006 in four sets and he was quickly into the groove on Sunday.
Federer, watched by Borg up in the Royal Box, swept into a 3-0 lead with a break in the second game, secured when Nadal netted a lazy forehand. But the Spaniard left-hander hit back in the fifth game with a blistering backhand pass before he was quickly on terms at 3-3 having served two consecutive love games.
Two errors on either side by Nadal allowed Federer to carve out three set points in the tiebreak. Nadal saved them all — helped by a successful HawkEye challenge on the third.
Nadal then saved a fourth but Federer claimed the opener on his fifth set point with a confident volley. Federer saved two break points with successive aces in the sixth game of the second set.
But Nadal, who came into the final having spent five hours more on court than Federer, levelled by taking the second set in the 10th game with another searing forehand pass.
Federer took a toilet break and probably wished he had stayed there as Nadal broke in the first game of the fourth set and repeated it to lead 3-0.
But it came in controversial circumstances when the Spaniard successfully challenged another call under HawkEye, when a forehand was called long, which gave him the crucial break point.
Federer complained to umpire Carlos Ramos and demanded HawkEye be switched off believing it to have made an error by calling the ball in.
”It’s killing me today,” Federer told Ramos before slipping to 0-4 down.
The drama increased when Nadal called for treatment to his right knee when he was leading 4-1.
But he remained unhindered — taking the fourth set — when Federer hit a weary backhand into the net.
Federer, playing a five-set match for only the second time in his Wimbledon career, saved two break points each in the third and fifth games of the decider to go to 3-2.
The Swiss made Nadal pay by, breaking to lead 4-2 and then served a love game on the back of his 24th ace to lead 5-2.
Federer wrapped up the final on his second match point in the eighth game with a thunderous volley after three hour and 45 minutes of thrilling action. – AFP
