GRIPPING SPORT AT IT'S BREATHTAKING BEST

In modern sport events struggle to live up to the hype - the FA Cup Final between Man Utd and Chelsea at the New Wembley comes to mind - but on Sunday afternoon there was no need to worry.

Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal. The two best players of their generation taking each other on in the final of the greatest tennis tournament anywhere in the world. It had the makings of a classic, but we always say that, thankfully this one exceeded all expectations.

The ingredients:

• Rafa's Revenge - Federer had triumphed over Nadal in the last two Wimbledon finals
• Fed's Fury - Nadal lost just four games to Federer in a spectacular French Open final win a month earlier
• Nadal's forehand - Arguably the finest shot in the game today, the Spaniard can do anything with it, from anywhere
• Roger's Record - Going into the match Federer was an unbelievable 66 grass court matches unbeaten
• Iberian Improvement - Nadal's ability on grass has increased dramatically in the last two years

Centre Court was packed to the Pat Rafter's (excuse the pun) as the players entered the cauldron. The fans' took no sides and cheered every winner, by either player, as if Tim Henman was taking on Andy Murray for the title at SW19.

Nadal was out of the blocks quicker than Usain Bolt - 100m world record holder - and cruised through the opening set 6-4 with a series of trademark forehand cross-court winners. Five-time champion Federer was struggling to find his form against the barrage of ground strokes coming from the other end and the world number one made unforced error after unforced error as he lost the second set by the same score.

Nadal was, almost literally, on fire by this point and Federer will be eternally grateful for the showers that haulted the Spaniard's march to the crown.

Upon the resumption of play Federer found renewed fight and vigour and, like the true champion he is, battled though the third set tie-break to ensure some respectability in the scoreline.

All of a sudden the man from Switzerland was quicker to pounce on the short ball and punish it. However, Nadal remained unbreakable and the fourth set headed for a tie-break.

The world number two was back to his destructive best at the start of the breaker and found himself with two championship points, on his own serves. Thankfully for all of us who wanted the match to go on and on and on and on the first chinks appeared in Nadal's armour as he tightened up and double faulted away his second chance.

Undeterred the Spaniard came back for more and hit the forehand of the tournament to give himself another point for the title. Federer struck a penetrating forehand onto the baseline but as he advanced to the net awaiting a comfortbale volley, Nadal somehow stretched to whip the ball around his rival from a virtually impossible position. Cue the trademark Nadal fist-pump...cue Federer's riposte.

This time Nadal didn't freeze, this time he looked odds on to win as he clipped a forehand deep into the corner and advanced to the net, only to see Federer smash a delightful backhand beyond his reach...the second best winner of the competition.

Minutes later, the fourth set was Federer's and Nadal looked a little shellshocked - could the greatest comeback of recent times be on the cards?

The world's best players played out a dramatic final set throwing punch after punch, counter-punch after counter-punch matching each other blow for blow, step for step.

As soon as one took the initiative the other stepped up their game to a new level and fought back.

As darkness fell over South-West London the two giants of the modern game continued to fight it out for the title of 'King of Grass'.

Finally, after more than four hours of playing time Nadal found himself with a fifth match point and this time Federer could not deny him. The Swiss sent a forehand long and Nadal dropped to his knees, then his back and raw emotion took over. Bursting into tears of joy he clambers to his feet before climbing the scoreboard to reach his family in the player's box. With flashbulbs and cheers coming from everywhere inside the arena the Spaniard too a treacherous walk over the scoreboard to reach the Royal Box before eventually jumping back to the relative safety of the court.

To cap it all both players showed extraordinary levels of sportsmanship throughout the presentation ceremony. If this match does not go down as the Elite Sporting Event of 2008 then whatever does will have to be something truly spectacular.

What do you think? Was Nadal v Federer the match of the year?

Lady Laura! The next Queen?

by guest blogger Callum Sparrowhawk of footymad.net

Yesterday, English tennis finally had something to cheer about as Laura Robson, 14, clinched the Wimbledon Girls’ Title on Court One. What a day for young Laura, who seems to have the world at her feet…

Taking the first set 6-3, Robson seemed in complete control when a break up in the second but the pressure showed for the first time as she lost it 6-3 and the Briton’s challenge was again in the balance. However, an uncharacteristically un-British ability not to cave in when the going got tough shone through in the end. Robson overpowered the third seed Lertcheewakarn with a display of superb baseline winners to take the final set 6-1 and seal the Championship.

So, finally things could be on the up for British tennis and in the post-match press conference Robson said: "It was so good today as all the crowd were behind me and it was an overwhelming experience."

Unfortunately for Robson, she now has the pressure of performing again, and with all the media attention and we just all have to hope that it doesn’t affect her game. Do we have the new Virginia Wade at last, some 31 years since the last time a Brit won a women’s singles title at SW19 in 1977.

Good Luck Laura, we’re all behind you!

THE DRAMA OF PENALTIES...IN TENNIS?

If Rafael Nadal performed incredibly last weekend then today he, somehow, managed to step up to an even higher level.

Up against the 'giant' that is Ivo Karlovic it was never going to be easy for the reigning four-time French Open champion. The Croatian is at his best on the grass, where his powerful serve is accentuated by the speed of the surface. Regularly hitting first serves at around 140mph, Karlovic smashed an unbelievable 35 aces past Nadal - that normally doesn't happen over an entire season.

Watching the coverage of the Artois Championships from the Queen's Club it became apparent to me that Karlovic's service games beared more than a passing resemblance to a penalty shootout. Karlovic the striker and Nadal the goalkeeper.

As soon as the 6'10" Croat looped the ball into the air, before spiking it - volleyball style - over the net, Nadal was on the move in an attempt to get even remotely close to the ball. Consequently the Spaniard was made to look a 'fool' for a spell but the longer the match went on the more he began to fire returns back across the net.

The first set went the way of Karlovic, after a Nadal double fault in the tie-break, but as the second set wore on the Spaniard started to predict the Karlovic serve. Nadal was battling to make every point into something resembling a tennis match - it was easier said than done.

You would think a game of tennis in which serve is never broken would be tedious and boring to watch...not this time! Nadal was under immense pressure to hold his own serve before trying everything in his armoury to give himself a chance on the Karlovic serve. On any other day, against any other player, both Karlovic and Nadal would have beaten their opponents - in straight sets to boot.

Unfortunately for the Croatian his movement is not the best and he gave Nadal opportunities to hit trademark forehand winners in the final set tie-break - when he hits these at almost 100mph, while falling backwards, it shows how special the shot is.



Ironically Nadal will now face another big server, Andy Roddick, in tomorrow's semi-final who was given a walkover after Andy Murray's withdrawal through injury.

Roll on more of the same! I for one will be glued to the screen and, in this form, my money is on Nadal, possibly even for Wimbledon too...