Federer Racks Up His 4th Straight

Roger Federer exhibits his superior grass-court acumen in his win over rival Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon final. (Clive Brunskill - Getty Images)

WIMBLEDON, England, July 9 -- It wasn't hyperbole or hollow praise when Rafael Nadal predicted he would have to play the best tennis of his life to have a chance of defeating Roger Federer at Wimbledon, where the world's No. 1 hasn't lost a match since June 2002.

Though the Spanish challenger displayed exceptional athleticism and resolve in Sunday's championship, he fell short of perfection while Federer, as has become his custom, came as close as any mortal could and was rewarded with his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (7-2), 6-3.

The victory, which was never seriously in doubt, confirmed Federer's status as the world's best player and anointed him as one of history's best on Wimbledon's storied grass courts. With Sunday's triumph, Federer joined Bjorn Borg (five, from 1976 to '80) and Pete Sampras (1997-2000) as the only players of the Open Era to win four consecutive Wimbledon championships. He also expanded his collection of Grand Slam titles to eight and extended his record winning streak on grass to 48 matches.

"Disbelief," Federer said, when asked how it felt. "You can't believe you did it again. Just really anxious to go and hold that trophy once again."

Nadal, meantime, realized a dream by playing in the final at the All England club, which he regards as "the cathedral of tennis." And he did so far sooner than anyone imagined, transforming himself, at 20, from the world's best clay-court player to its second-best on grass in a matter of weeks. He also became the only player to win a set from Federer during this fortnight.

Though the Swiss player hoisted the trophy, there were multiple victors after 2 hours 50 minutes of tennis came to rest. In addition to his $1.2 million payday, Federer was finally rewarded with a worthy Wimbledon foil in Nadal, who proved he can push Federer not only on clay and hard courts (where he holds a 6-1 career edge) but also on grass.

Nadal, for his part, walked away with newfound confidence on a surface that doesn't play to his strengths. "I saw in the match when I was playing my best tennis, when I was playing good, the match is close," Nadal said. "Is important for me, for the future belief I can win here, no?"

And tennis has a bona fide rivalry. Nadal and Federer have split titles at the last two Grand Slam events, with Nadal toppling Federer for the French Open spoils in June. The next installment could come on the hard courts of the U.S. Open in September.

Sunday at Wimbledon, all of the pressure was on Federer's broad shoulders as the two strode onto Centre Court with British royalty looking on and a packed grandstand clamoring to see whether Nadal had the stuff to test the gifted champion. Atop his tennis outfit, Federer sported a custom-tailored cream blazer with its breast pocket adorned with three tennis rackets, one for each of his Wimbledon titles. The effect was that of a robed prize-fighter -- albeit a genteel, Swiss prize-fighter -- taking a subtle jab at his opponent's psyche.

"I'm very well aware of how important this match was for me," Federer said afterward. "If I lose, obviously it's a hard blow for me: He wins French, Wimbledon back to back. It's important for me to win a finals against him for a change and beat him for a change."

Federer established his authority at once, breaking Nadal's shaky serve and unleashing masterfully disguised serves that sent the Spaniard lunging one direction only to careen the opposite direction. Normally as steady as a metronome from the baseline, Nadal sprayed ground strokes out of the court and quickly found himself serving for his dignity, trailing 0-5.

"A bagel , Roger!" yelled one fan. Federer complied, ripping a backhand passing shot by Nadal to close the set 6-0, breaking Nadal's serve more times in 24 minutes (three) than the Spaniard's five previous competitors had managed in two weeks (twice).

Asked what he was thinking at the time, Nadal said, "I was thinking, 'Win one game.' "

Nadal broke Federer to open the second set and slugged his way to a 5-4 lead. With a chance to level the match at one set apiece, Nadal stumbled badly on his serve, double-faulting once and walloping a forehand beyond the baseline to get broken.

He howled with grief. Federer won the tiebreaker that eventually settled it, but Nadal kept slugging.

Down two sets to none, Nadal finally subdued his nerves and found the range on his groundstrokes. He hit with more pace and accuracy, and his serves got stronger, too. Once again, a tiebreak was needed. Nadal took charge this time, building a 6-2 lead on a combination of Federer errors and his own winners. Facing four set points, Federer whacked at a service return with his racket frame, flubbing both the point and the set. Nadal exploded with joy, pumping his fists and skipping to his seat, thrilled to finally be on the scoreboard.

The resurgence didn't last. Federer broke for a 3-1 lead in the fourth set and broke again to go up, 5-1. Nadal broke back and held serve, but the rally only delayed the inevitable.

"He's unbelievable," Nadal said of Federer. "Now he's the best. We're gonna see in the future."