Ted Robinson’s Matchpoints

Forty-eight hours later and I’m still in awe over Sunday. A 10-hour plane flight, with time to absorb nearly a dozen London newspapers along with nearly a hundred messages, many from those who would be classified as “casual” fans, has lent to the aura of this match as “the best ever.”

Now I hear today that SI will feature the match on its cover. When Pete Sampras won his record 13th Slam and 7th Wimbledon, we came home to see a muscled and tattooed Jason Giambi on the SI cover. Sampras was appalled. And now we know that tennis fell victim to the BALCO scam.

This was pure.

This was cojones grande, the only way to describe Rafa doing what he could not 12 months earlier, find a way to win the third set from Federer.

This was a champion falling in “brutal gladiatorial combat…but tumbling with valour” in the stirring words of London Daily Mail writer Paul Hayward. And how fine is that description.

In 24 hours back home, there is a talk-show buzz and coffee shop chat about this match that I have not witnessed in many years.

These two made tennis relevant. Now can it sustain what these two have created?

More from the Wimbledon cache:

* The disappointment over early exits by Andy Roddick and James Blake certainly went away. Stories always emerge; be it Andy Murray’s next step towards the top echelon, Marat Safin (up 35 places to 40), Rainer Schuettler (up 55 to 39) and Arnaud Clement (up 73 to 72) all made themselves relevant again, the two-week siege and double wins for the Sisters, Britain’s obsession over 14-year-old junior champ Laura Robson and her marvelously refreshing attitude over new fame, and the continuing presence of so many former champions at the AELTC.

* The roof can’t arrive fast enough. Sunday’s final ended about 10 minutes before a nightmare encounter would have occurred. The Club, understandably, wanted play to continue until 9:30-9:45 p.m.. They, like everyone, wanted a result. The money and disruption for Monday play, perhaps as little as two games, would have been wasteful. Yet, there was a point at which the players would have said, understandably, that a Championship, particularly from a match so superior, couldn’t be decided in darkness. Thankfully, we were spared the moment. A match for the ages had a proper ending in the dusk of Centre Court.

And traditionalists need not weep. Centre Court will still be open. Remember that grass needs light. The roof will only close once it rains, a 12-minute process. Thus, the courts will be still be covered for a short period. The benefit of the roof will be to guarantee play after a short stoppage and thus never again the drama of Sunday night.

* Major consensus in London was that the Williams Sisters success was due in part to the weakness of the WTA Tour. This is a debate for another time but the perception must be countered by the Tour.

* Start perhaps with Aggie Radwanska, the most impressive of the game’s young women. She has a Martina Hingis-like presence on the court that adds conviction to less-than-punishing shots. She simply doesn’t beat herself. Her lack of serve may hinder the hopes of a Wimbledon title, but the women’s game needs a player like Aggie to rise.

After all, this week’s rankings still feature Patty Schnyder, a career fourth-round player with one Slam semi to her credit, at 13 in the world. Lindsay Davenport won one round at Wimbledon and rose to 23. Tough to explain that to the sporting public.

* While we’re on that point, Serena passed Venus on the computer (reason 5,742 why I hate the concept). But my colleague, SI’s Jon Wertheim, poses a terrific question: has Venus’ career eclipsed Serena’s?

* Now we move to the hard courts and wonder whether Donald Young, John Isner (both of whom fell and are close to being out of the top 100) and Sam Querrey can make a move. Can Bethanie Mattek continue her momentum from the spring/summer and make a Robby Ginepri-like charge through the summer?

And can Rafa play well in the States, particularly the Open? Will his knees, the ones that Uncle Toni admits are so tender that the family wants Rafa to play LESS on the hard stuff, allow him to show New York his greatness?

And does Roger, whose performance at Wimbledon showed he is certainly not done, feel a little pressure to win Slams sooner rather than later?

Messages are flooding the e-mail; text messages are jamming the cell phone.

From the States comes word that this Wimbledon final mattered, that Fed and Rafa have registered with the American sporting public.

Except the order must be changed – it is now Rafa and Roger.

John McEnroe said it in the moments after the match – Nadal is No. 1. I don’t challenge John’s opinion. Rather I only question how anyone can be No. 1 with minimal success on hard courts.

But that does not detract from a classic Wimbledon final. One that legions, including John, are calling the best ever played.

Now John can’t be objective, and other longtime observers claim it is in contention with 1980 Borg-McEnroe for the “best ever” claim. This match, though, will grow in statue with time. Our appreciation for two champions willing to dig so deep physically, willing to fight so hard for something, wanting something so badly that they defy any physical limitations, is immense.

Their effort through a wet afternoon and evening at Wimbledon was cause for adoration. They are simply the best rivalry in sport since Ali-Frazier, Leonard-Hearns, and Nicklaus-Watson. The champions fully respect each other and the vibe emanates to all.

What decided this Wimbledon?

BREAK POINTS: They have played 10 sets in the last two Wimbledon’s and Nadal has only had his serve broken four times. This is the man with few aces but increased power and terrific play behind his serve. In Sunday’s final, Nadal played five-plus sets and was broken just once. This final resembled the 2007 French in that Roger had chances but Rafa was better on those big points.

NO FIFTH SET TIEBREAK: Which was likely Rafa’s biggest advantage. Federer has won five sets from Rafa in the last two Wimbledons and four have been in tiebreaks. Roger can’t break Rafa and the fifth set requires a break. Without one, Roger was at the whim of Rafa’s return game.

MENTAL STRENGTH: Perhaps the French Open hangover reared its head in the fifth set. Perhaps in the critical moment when one break would decide the match, it was Rafa’s belief that he could handle Fed’s serve that was decisive. Perhaps Rafa had the belief this year that he lacked last year because of the French final.

DUELING DELAYS: No doubt the first rain delay, in the third set, benefited Federer. But before a 2004 final could be written again (Fed was 1-1, 2-4 in the third when rain struck. Upon a resumption of play, he dominated Andy Roddick), a fifth set delay struck. At the time, Nadal’s faith was wandering. No rain and I believe Federer wins 6 in a row. But the last delay steadied Rafa and he survived into the “overtime.”

What does this mean?
 
Federer told Johnny Mac in our NBC interview that “it hurts.” I had never heard Roger say those words. John told me that Roger was intensely emotional. The effort expended in such a match could take time off the career of a champion who will soon turn 27.
 
Nadal has a terrific chance to finally ascent to the #1 rank by year’s end. Huge question: can he hold up on hard courts? Can he play enough tennis, and succeed in the US Open, to sustain the momentum generated by this historic double?

We are so lucky to watch this duo. Tennis is blessed to have two so fine. (Novak Djokovic is not yet worthy of inclusion with this pair.) All we can hope is that they persevere to do this again and again and again.

I’m shocked by the relative restraint of the London papers today. Andy Murray is the Final Eight for the first time at Wimbledon and he got there in high style, a comeback from two sets down to take out Richard Gasquet. Centre Court was a wall of sound in the fifth set as Murray beat his foe and the fading light. Yet Tuesday dawns without an overabundance of fawning from the devoted press.

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Murray deserves credit. I left the grounds with Murray down two sets. Walking through the crowd watching on “Henman Hill”, there was a natural and palapble level of disappontment, the kind that in England is usually accompanied by a tall pint of Pimm’s. So imagine my surprise when I turned on my hotel TV to see Murray rallying in the third. And then the reports started arriving from folks still on Centre Court, phrases like “You can’t believe the atmosphere,” “The crowd is going crazy,” and “Murray is going to win this!”
 
The game that advanced Murray, that may elevate him into the ranks of the top players, was the 10th game of the third set. Gasquet had finally broken Murray for a 5-4 lead and came out to serve for the match. Murray quickly struck to 0-40 but Gasquet saved the first two break points. Then, though, the Frenchman double-faulted, Murray was still alive and the reversal had begun.
 
By the fifth set, Centre Court was engulfed in a roar, Murray was charging and Gasquet, who recall rallied in a similar manner to stun Andy Roddick last year, was asking the chair to halt play. No stay from the governor. And just past 9 in the evening, Murray ran to the court with a flex of the bicep that we hope is never to be repeated. But he gets his “muscle match” with Nadal Wednesday.
 
The Sisters were terrific Monday. On court, they both handled their assignment with relative ease. Only a brief bobble by Venus when trying to win the last game slowed her progress. Serena easily handled Bethanie Mattek. Both moved well on the grass, looked confident and appear destined for Saturday.
 
More impressive, though, was how they handled the scheduling. Six Wimbledon titles between them and they were assigned to Court 2, seating capacity 2,130. It was not a decision worthy of champions. And the expected questions were there for both Serena and Venus. With the door opened multiple times for them to criticize the AELTC, neither took the bait. All Serena admitted to was some “surprise.” I have come to expect such class from Venus; Serena’s poise in the moment is newer and quite refreshing.
 
On Tuesday, Venus draws Tamarine Tanasugarn, age 31, on Court 1 while Serena gets a Centre Court match with Aggie Radwanska, a talented 19-year-old. Different types of opponents but similar in that neither should slow the Sisters Express.
 
It’s still remarkably dry at Wimbledon; the grass has dried and the courts are browning on the edge. Some rain is predicted for early Wednesday, but it’s one day only as we march through one of the driest Wimbledons in recent history.
 
Also on Tuesday, the Bryans receive a Centre Court match, following Serena in the men’s doubles. The Sisters, after their singles wins, advanced to the quarters in doubles with an easy win over the Spanish duo of Ruano Pascual and Medina Garrigues. And, top-ranked junior Melanie Oudin, No. 1 seed here, won her first round match Monday.

A quiet Sunday at Wimbledon — the Club is closed to the public which makes it a favored day for those with favored status. A credentialed hack can walk the grounds, enter the show courts and canvas the practice courts with little interference. Only the spare cleaning crew is present.
 
So that affords the chance for a rare moment with the top players. On Sunday, Roger Federer visited our NBC studios just before his practice. No shock that Federer, as classy a champion as any sport has seen, annually affords us this visit, something only Andy Roddick has regularly provided.

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Is Roger rattled by the French final? No outward signs were apparent.
 
Does he concern himself with the “media writing him off?” (I find the question unfair, as the “media” in tennis in often comprised of former players whose job is to analyze. I see no dismissal of Federer, rather a lovefest for Nadal, understandable given the French results and Rafa’s  near-miss here last year.) Roger admits the talk is an irritant; he claims he forgot the French the moment he left Paris and that he is reigning champ, 5 times at Wimbledon and 4 at the Open, and should be afforded the commensurate respect. Point well taken.
 
I asked Roger about his streaks: 16 straight Slam semis (active) and 10 straight Slam finals (ended at Australia). Are these a source of pride? He said yes, especially when seeing Novak Djokovic an early KO vicitim here and Andy at the French last year. His consistency is something he cherishes, usually discussed in terms of his #1 ranking but very real in his Slam performances.
 
Hard to understand Monday’s schedule. The Club likes to give each top player a Centre Court match before the semis in order to share the experience. But how could Venus, defending and four-time champ, and Serena,  a two-time champ, be scheduled consecutively on Court 2, the third show court and one without commentary booths? It, sadly, has every look of a slap at champions.

PIck up a Sunday paper in London and the first 7 pages of every sports section are Andy Murray. There is a dissection of his entourage, a team of 7 that replaced the solo coaching of Brad Gilbert. There are columns from his mum and big brother, a doubles player of moderate success.

Being a prominent sporting figure in these parts is lucrative. After all, there is little competition in that arena.

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Winning Wimbledon, though, would make Andy Murray a sporting hero.

And what’s funny is that his game might allow him, and a nation, to dream.

Murray has always had the talent, now he has some sound grass -court experience, and finally, he seems to have grown into his body and out of his immaturity. His Saturday win over Tommy Haas featured high level play on grass, including the short variety that endears Murray to all who truly love the game.
 
What struck me was his body language- it was less mopy, less Gumby-shouldered, less negative. A wise person recently commented that the difference with John McEnroe was that John used anger as fuel. It was often a positive for John while Murray seemed to drag himself down through his behavior.

Now, Murray looks and acts like a man who believes he can someday become a British hero. Perhaps not now, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in their prime, but someday soon.
 
Nadal followed form with a decisive win over Nicolas Kiefer – after a first set in which the over-30 Kiefer turned bacvk the clock. He struck serves in the mid-130’s, moved adeptly and struck the ball with significant pace. Pushed to a tiebreak, Rafa delivered the goods, then broke Kiefer’s spirit in the next two sets. A potential Nadal-Murray quarter is still a delicious thought
 
I lamented here how frustrating it is to pull for James Blake. Perhaps Richard Gasquet is that man for the French. He bails on Davis Cup, wanting no part of an indoor match with Andy Roddick. He bails on Roland Garros, the tournament where he clearly cannot handle the pressure. But at Wimbledon, he is a different player, again in the round of 16 and a legit threat to disrupt the Nadal-Murray match. Wimbledon is to Gasquet what the US Open is to Blake, their one major to shine.
 
Jelena Jankovic wanders through the first week in anonymity, although her third-round win owned a share of drama. A hyper-extended knee hampered, followed by a tape job that hampered Jankovic enough to cause her to remove it in the third set. She is always injured, always bandaged and always calling trainers on-court. Yet she is still No. 2 in the world and still a darkhorse threat in Week 2.
 
Monday is Williams day. But I hope that Bethanie Mattek seizes the moment to make people talk about her tennis rather than her wardrobe.

We talk about the pressure and wonder what impact it has on elite tennis players. We question those who seem to buckle under pressure and glorify those who rise above.  It’s part of the game as they so eloquently said in the great HBO series, “The Wire.”
 

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Then comes a moment when you see the question answered. You see tears flickering from the eyes of Ana Ivanovic as the new World No. 1 was on the verge of an upset loss Friday. Word filters through the tennis world that Ivanovic came to Wimbledon in a different mood. The sunny disposition and constant smile was gone.

I saw her on Sunday morning in Paris, the day after her champnioship, walking the streets with her support group and she was beaming. No one has seen a beam in London.

Is it the pressure of living up to her newly earned status? Is it the pressure of stardom in her home country? Did Ana suffer from some burnout, perhaps mental more than physical, as did fellow Serb Novak Djokovic? Those tears that Ana flicked away during the final changeover of her loss spoke loudly.
 
Some of the best grass-court tennis of the first week was played late Friday night by Mario Ancic in his four-set win over David Ferrer. Plagued most of 2007 by a viral illness, Ancic appears to be fully healthy and playing with the confidence that has made him a past threat here (semis against Andy Roddick in 2005.) Watching Ancic last night it was easy to believe that he could be the biggest roadblock to a third straight Federer-Nadal final. (It was six years ago- but remember that Ancic was the last man to beat Federer at Wimbledon.)
 
Ivanovic’s loss further cleared the path for a Sisters final. Serena was powerful in her Friday win over Amelie Mauresmo. The 2006 champ played a classic first set, moving well and displaying her fine grass-court skills. Serena needed to serve well , nearly 80%, to win in a tiebreak. Mauresmo collapsed after that and Serena pounced. Her round of 16 is American Bethanie Mattek, a fine show and the furthest advance of her career.
 
It turns out that James Blake doesn’t feel comfortable on grass. James feels less than fully confident in his movement and that is enough, he said, to take a slight edge off his aggressive play. Words like that, even if true, only support the feeling around the world that James is a one-surface player (fast hardcourt.) I cannot think of another top American in recent years who has stated uncertainty about playing on grass.

Rafa Nadal stood on the grass of the Queen’s Club in London, 7 days after winning his fourth consecutive French Open, and lifted a championship trophy. Seven days after reestablishing his dominance on clay, Rafa beat Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic on grass.

He may not win Wimbledon this year, but no one should doubt Nadal’s abilities on grass.

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In the Roddick match, Nadal was the better man on grass. That’s a stunning statement, I admit, and Roddick owns the dominant serve that always gives him a “puncher’s chance” (John McEnroe’s fitting words) at Wimbledon, but it was Nadal who moved more smoothly, volleyed with great touch and served well enough.

Greg Rusedski commented for BBC on the match and noted that while Roddick moves well laterally, Nadal is better moving forward, the necessary quality to succeed on grass.

I watched NBC’s replay of much of last year’s Wimbledon final during the French Open. What I had forgotten: Nadal broke Roger Federer’s serve more than Roger broke Rafa’s serve. During the match, John and I kept mentioning how stunned we were by that fact. And if Rafa had converted any of the now-infamous 4 break points in the fifth set, he may well have lifted the trophy.

The draw is due Friday and will always contain some intrigue, notably on which side Djokovic lands. But after watching London, and I’m sure Federer noted the results as he won the Halle warm-up, Nadal is no longer a surprise to win Wimbledon.

Speechless – that’s the state Rafa Nadal left us in Sunday. No one, anywhere at anytime, could have imagined Roger Federer rendered so impotent. It was impossible to conceive of the great Federer so helpless on any surface, even the red clay Nadal so loves.

What Rafa sent Sunday was a strong bulletin, if not a warning: don’t anoint Fed yet. Don’t believe anyone will beat me (Nadal) on this red clay. Don’t think there is kryptonite anywhere.

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Indeed, Nadal played the role of Clark Kent Sunday, changing into his Superman pirate shorts and sleeveless short before taking the court where he has never lost.

Federer talked the role, speaking confidently of his improvement on clay and the design given him by Jose Higueras. If true, there needs to be a serious recalibration by Federer for the stark truth is that the gap between himself and Nadal on clay has widened in the last year.

Nadal is sick, a heaving mass of muscle who moves like a dancer on the tricky surface and strikes winning shots from the most defensive of positions. At the very moment one thinks he has Nadal beaten, he strikes a winning blow.

Nadal is James Bond… or Jack Bauer.

So the more relevant question, for there is neither logic nor hope in wondering about Federer’s chances on clay, is whether the pendulum swings on grass. As unnatural as the surface is for Rafa, he solves it more definitively than Roger does clay. Rafa has come closer to winning Wimbledon than Roger at Roland Garros. And there is every reason to wonder if this is the year that Fed’s reign at SW19 could be toppled.

Novak Djokovic is a contender, although still a step behind the big 2 on clay and grass. Rafa has yet to prove he can play on the hardcourts, particularly after Wimbledon, but there is no one yet able to disrupt the Dynamic Duo in this spring doubleheader. Yes, even Andy Roddick has been able to insert himself into the equation, although it would be nice to see America’s No. 1 do so when few expect.

The great Bjorn Borg watched in awe as Nadal thoroughly dismantled one of the game’s greatest. Nadal is clearly Borg’s equal on clay and Fed has matched the Swede’s five straight Wimbledons. Is it clear that we are enjoying the greatest rivalry in the history of this great game?

So much on this Thursday, but the highlight was simultaneous play from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the first time I can recall that at any major. Rain caused the overlap with the 2 greats occupying the show courts in the late afternoon; both had similar results, although Federer had a small glitch, dropping the first set tiebreak to scrappy Albert Montanes. Too soon to project the final weekend, but Federer is hitting his backhand well and seems healthy with his normal movement. It’s not enough to beat Nadal when Rafa is on, but it is more than enough to keep Federer #2 in the clay court world.

Disappointment for James Blake, who lost a chance to make the second week at RG. With his section wide open, Blake needed a win over a talented teen, Ernests Gulbis of Latvia. A tough draw no doubt, but Blake is still searching for the Slam where he wins a few that he’s not supposed to. James got this match to 1-1, but dropped serve late in the third and never recovered.

Mardy Fish had a chance with a hobbled Lleyton Hewitt playing at 80 percent efficiency (torn hip cartilage). But Mardy, after dropping a tight first set, couldn’t hold a break advantage in the second and went out in straight.

Bobby Reynolds fell in four to the resurgent Nico Lapentti, who made the main draw at 31.

But Robby Ginepri, late in the night, pulled off the stunner, knocking out seeded Igor Andreev in four sets. More details on that match to come tomorrow.

So there are 2 Americans in the third round, Wayne Odesnik draws Novak Djokovic late Friday (around noon ET, 9 AM PT) and today Justin Gimelstob told me of his admiration for Odesnik. This is a rare young player who seeks help, solicits advice and enjoys clay. Wayne is working with Spaniard Felix Mantilla while in Paris and has Francisco Montana, late of Robby Ginepri, at home. But he looks at the French as a challenge, not an obligation. Odds are his stay will end Friday night, but Odesnik has put his name in the mix of American tennis.

Low road comment of this Roland Garros comes from tournament doctor, Dr. Montalvan. Speaking in defense of Richard Gasquet’s withdrawal, Dr. Montalvan said it was “my personal opinion” that Andy Roddick withdrew because clay is not his favorite surface. Why a doctor sees the need to opine is a different story, but Roddick had played the last 7 French Opens and will be in Madrid for September’s Davis Cup semi against Nadal. Roddick’s record on court can be addressed but not his competitiveness.

How open is this men’s draw? One of the following four: Gulbis, Michael Llodra, Simone Bolelli or Lapentti will be a quarterfinalist.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing: the Eurosport commentator said that Nikolay Davydenko’s win over Marat Safin was “huge” for any win over Safin is significant. Davydenko is 4 in the world, and posted a Roddick-Nadal double to win Miami. Safin is 73 in the world. That statement needed a hyperbole check.

Ten o’clock on Sunday morning and they stream from the Porte D’Auteuil metro station by the hundreds, intense tennis fans ready to enjoy a fairly bland first day of Roland Garros.

It made me feel good about the sport. Andy Roddick is right when he wonders why tennis barely blips the mass audience scale at home while it is a powerful sport in many other parts of the world.

On the first Sunday of 2008’s clay championship, there was little of note other than a disappointing first round exit from the wayward Nicole Vaidisova and a 5-set loss for former champ and 2007 quarterfinalist Carlos Moya..

And then there was Guga.

It was Guga’s farewell, a last trip to the court that made him a champion. His hips ache and will likely be replaced sooner rather than later. The graceful movement that characterized his excellence on the terre battue is just a memory. Now he has trouble rotating on the backhand, nor can he push quickly to chase shots laterally.

Although the effort was there, and he served respectably, this was really a shell of the great Guga.

Yet one thing didn’t change — Guga’s smile. A Cheshire cat grin that communicated the sense that he knew he was running a scam on the world, getting to play this wonderful game and being paid to do so.

We sports fans are suckers for smiles like Guga’s. Most of us understand how hard it is for many athletes to look like they are enjoying themselves in the heat of battle. So we embrace a Guga who smiles broadly in the face of imminent disaster.

I know not if it’s his inner surfer or a great mask of his inner feelings, but I will forever treasure Guga’s approach.

And gauging the response from a full Court Central Sunday afternoon, so will thousands of appreciative fans.

We all remember the unknown kid grinning uncontrollably as he soared to a thoroughly unexpected title in 1997, and then silenced the “one-hit wonder” cynics by backing up 2000 and 2001 titles.

And we remember the champion who drew a heart into the red clay after his third title, then wore a handmade T-shirt declaring his love for Roland Garros.

Often it is painful to watch the shell of a great player, but it wasn’t that way with Guga. He handled his last phase with grace, character and laughter. And that’s how I will always remember one of the greatest on clay.
 
Two corrections from yesterday:

* Hugo Armando, a US vet of challengers, won one round of qualifying thus the US had 2 of 8 entrants win at least one match.

* Scoville Jenkins. the lone US qualifier, draws lucky loser Luis Horna in the first round. Jenkins was due to play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (not Arnaud Clement), but Tsonga pulled with a bum knee and Horna, a true clay courter, took his spot.