Roger Federer SUI (1) 4 4 7 (7) 7 (10) 7
Rafael Nadal ESP (2) 6 6 6 (5) 6 (8) 9
Wow. That had everything tennis has to offer: great serves, great rallies, great athleticism, gritty determination, acts of God. The context. It had the context. These two are the best right now and will stay that way for the forseeable future.
The conventional wisdom is that Nadal has now passed Federer and the old Borg (5 straight Wimbledons) is on the way out as the new Borg (dominating French clay and English grass with equal aplomb) ascends. But I say Federer has now moved on from non-stop dominator to crafty veteran. He's not just gonna show up and cruise to the finals the way he has the past 5 years or so. But he's still better than Djokovic, Roddick, Dayvdenko, Blake, all of them. Nadal's sheer athleticism and good instincts are the only competition Federer faces--even now, even after the thrashing at Roland Garros and the marathon death march at the All-England.
I was doubtful of Federer's potential at the US but now I think New York concrete may be where Federer regains his advantage over Nadal. Though Nadal has struggled on the hard courts, he too is better than Djokovic, et al., and I like the chances of seeing another Federer-Nadal final. And on the broiling concrete, I like Federer. I know Nadal is the superior athlete and at his absolute peak right now, but on the concrete his speed gets exaggerated, his knees get weary, his feet get hot, he's not comfortable, it throws off his timing and concentration. Federer needs only the slightest opening and New York offers that.
Damn, three slams with the same finalists in 1 year?
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