Roger Federer brings down curtain on his career with a defeat, but still dazzles alongside longtime friend and rival Rafael Nadal, who was playing without losing the least in the four-setter from his Wimbledon quarterfinal.
When he hit a forehand in the closing moments to seal victory over fellow Swiss Roger Federer on Tuesday night’s men’s singles final at Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal was left with his worst memory on the court.
He would have to wait two hours before he would see his Wimbledon quarterfinal opponent on television again and would eventually say his final goodbyes with Federer at his locker after Tuesday’s final.
“I was in shock and I was very emotional,” said Nadal, who was defeated by the Swiss, in their fifth meeting on grass of the season. “I never want to lose or retire from any match in my life on the court. It was very difficult.”
On a night where Federer finally ended his four-match losing streak and put himself back on the Wimbledon top 10, Nadal saw another milestone reached.
He did not lose his temper, but was furious not to score a single point on either occasion – the first time it has happened since he turned pro in 1992 and the first time since he returned after knee surgery in 2009.
As he and Federer had earlier in the week before the final, Nadal had looked so far in advance of the opponent he was playing that he was unable to respond to Federer.
Nadal was all too conscious of that, which he said was the reason he was so frustrated, but he still saw that he had no choice but to try.
“I will say it a few times if I need to: my last match, I was always so far behind him, so it was always easy to think, because I always have a good chance to close the match. That’s what happened,” Nadal said.
Having dropped the first two sets against Federer, “I knew he was too strong, too strong to lose this match,” he added.
But the Swiss, who was playing with his new racket after it was dented by a racket in the last set, kept playing to avoid falling behind.
That was all Nadal could ask, but he was unable to respond either to Federer
