For once in my professional tennis-watching life, I agree emphatically with the ever-exuberantly hyperbolic bud collins when he declares that this year's wimbledon finals were probably the best he's ever seen.
I wasn't able to agree (emphatically) until i'd actually seen both Finals since, being Tubeless, I've been reserving my early mornings to the play-by-play audio coverage at Radio Wimbledon 87.7 fm (speaking of... check out radio w.'s "best of the press conference '08" clip!).
I finally caught the epic Williams final, which turned out to be a marvelously played family affair during which winners were abundant and the match's statistical winner (serena) did not end up hoisting the champion's silverware. All the naysayers, skeptically cynical about a possible "fixed" match, were silenced by the Sisters Williams and their magnificent play. This is what the All England Club (and the WTA) has been waiting to see!
I'd barely descended from my spectator high when the rain-delayed Gentlemen's Final was set to begin. In one corner: the muscular, biceps-baring Mallorcan powerhouse. In the other corner: the man with the legacy, the footwork & skill, the finesse and on-court calm... and the burden of being Number One.
Surely this match could not live up to its pre-match expectations, right? Well... Mr. Collins and I both emphatically disagree.
After a brief weather interruption, which delayed the start of the match a half-hour, tennis enthusiasts were treated to an "Instant Classic." I'll spare the detailed analysis (since ESPN, Fox Sports and the Wimbledon Press Room have already done the work).
As painful as it was to watch Federer end the longest match (approx. 4 hrs 48 min) in Wimbledon history as Runner-up, I am still marveling the play of two above-the-cut men playing each point as if it were the most important point of Wimbledon's Greatest Match Ever ... most of the time, it really was. Hats off!
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