Rafael Nadal's wait to return to the
Wimbledon final lasted two years, which probably seems like the
blink of an eye to local fans.
Thanks to Andy Murray's semifinals loss Friday, their wait for a
homegrown champion drags on: A British man hasn't won the title
since Fred Perry in 1936; one hasn't even reached the final since
Henry "Bunny" Austin in 1938.
About an hour after Nadal beat Murray 6-4, 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the
semifinals, a reporter began a question in Spanish this way:
"One year later, another final ..."
The reporter quickly was cut off. And corrected.
"No," Nadal said, "two years later."
The way Nadal's playing at the moment, it seems like he never
left. Still, don't forget that he missed Wimbledon in 2009,
sidelined by sore knees that made him only the fifth player in the
history of the tournament unable to defend his title because of
injury.
Which is why, 12 months ago, the men's final at the All England
Club went on without him for the only time in the past five years.
"I watched at home," Nadal said. "On the sofa."
Now the Spaniard is front-and-center on Centre Court once again,
on top of his forehand-whipping, every-shot-retrieving,
foe-demoralizing game. The No. 1-ranked and No. 2-seeded Nadal will
be bidding for his second Wimbledon championship and eighth Grand
Slam title overall Sunday, when he plays No. 12-seeded Tomas Berdych
of the Czech Republic in the final.
"For sure, that makes (it) more special," Nadal said, "because
I worked a lot to be back, playing my best tennis. I did, so that's
very important. Personal satisfaction, no?"
Murray, who also lost in the semifinals last year and appeared on
the verge of tears at his news conference.
"I obviously want to win for myself. I want to win for the guys
I work with. I want to win for, you know, the U.K," he said. "A
little bit more disappointing than other Grand Slams, because this
one is, you know, the biggest one of the year for me."
Nadal has won his last 13 matches at the grass-court major, and
25 of 27, with the only losses coming against Roger Federer in the
2006 and 2007 finals. Nadal beat Federer in the epic 2008 title
match, which ended at 9-7 in the fifth set as darkness descended.
This time, a new foe will be across the net: Berdych, who
followed up his quarterfinal upset win over six-time champion
Federer by ousting No. 3 Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3
Friday.
This will be Nadal's 10th Grand Slam final; Berdych's first.
Might Berdych feel some pressure because of that?
"I hope so," Nadal said with a smile, "but I don't think so."
With English football star David Beckham seated in the front row
behind Murray's guest box at Centre Court, and about 15,000 others
cheer for the Scotsman, too, Nadal was a picture of perpetual
motion.
He repeatedly sprinted from one corner to another, tracking down
strokes that would be clean winners against anyone else. A few
times, members of the eager-to-roar crowd would applaud, thinkng
Murray won a point, only to be hushed by other spectators as play
carried on.
"His backhand's good. His serve's good. His forehand's good. His
movement is good," Murray said afterward. "He does everything
really, really well."
Two qualities Murray neglected to mention: Nadal's all-out
intensit, and his propensity for coming up big at the biggest
times.
"In the crucial points today, Rafael was really good," said
Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni, "and Murray was not too good."
Nadal faced a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, but won the
last three points. Then he trailed 4-2 in the third se, but reeled
off the final four games of the match.
Afterward, Murray said something Berdych might want to ponder.
"You're not going to be able to play every single point on your
terms against the best player in the world, one of the best players
ever. You can't," Murray said.
Nadal has won seve of his 10 matches against Berdych, with
victories in their past six matches. But the 24-year-old Berdych
never has played with the confidence and patience he's displayed
while becoming the first Czech man to reach the Wimbledon final
since Ivan Lendl in 1987.
"The feeling is absolutely amazing. It is realy tough to
describe," Berdych said. "Every young kid, from the first time he
hits the ball and thinks to be a tennis player, this is the dream."
He showed promise at age 18 by upsetting Federer at the 2004
Athens Olympics, but has taken a while to develop as an elite
player. His booming serve and forehnd, though, carried Berdych to
the French Open semifinals a month ago, past the top-seeded Federer
on Wednesday, and past No. 3 Djokovic on Friday.
The toughest test of all remains.
"I'm looking forward to the next one," Berdych said, "and
definitely not (fearing) anybody."
Berdych's major finl debut comes in his 28th try, the
second-most major tournaments anyone has played before reaching a
title match.
Nadal, meanwhile, won his fifth French Open last month, regaining
that title after losing in the fourth round a year ago. He later
would say his knees were hurting, part of a tough 2009. Nadal missed
Wimbledon, began a drought of 11 months without a title, gave up the
No. 1 ranking, and had to deal with his parents' separation.
"A very difficult year. Many problems with the knees. Then our
loss in Roland Garros. Altogether, it was a bad year," Uncle Toni
said.
Rafael Nadal's coach sighed, then broke into a wide grin.
"Now," he added, "life has changed."
