RE: A Final Before the Final
That's a good write-up, Broken, given how difficult a match it is to review. It's very easy to lapse into superlatives and stereotypes about these matches. For me, what stood out was that after Nadal held to get to 2-3 in the fifth, he was in "the calm" as he calls it, and so he always had a shot. Once he levelled the service breaks, I felt Nole would blink first. I no longer feel that Nole has a hold on him. It's four out of five now for Rafa, to repel Nole on clay, anyway, and dispel any myths about Novak being somehow superior to him on the dirt. Nadal was out for seven months and Nole was a long time preparing for this match, and still it should have been done in four sets.
As they got deep in the fifth, both players hit some extraordinarily abrupt winners. Both served great too, until Nole cracked in the final game. I was most impressed with Rafa, the way he rises to the challenge and stays focussed. His levels of concentration in the fifth were awesome. He's truly set the bar in these matches. And Nole was a great opponent for him in this masterpiece of fifth set attritional tennis...