Peytonallen gets a nod for his two insightful comments in the Beginning of an Era post after Rafael Nadal's historic and sea-changing victory over Roger Federer. I've edited them slightly for context:
I've ripped Fed for a year for dressing up for the ceremony after he won last year. No more. To his credit, the man dressed up for the Runners-up trophy as well.
Greatest match I've ever seen. Both men played so well. Nadal is just a monster. Everything his fans in this blog have said he's had to do to improve and win on a fast surface he's done really over the past two months.
Increased depth in his returns and ground strokes. More aggression when he has a play, and finally a better serve. Nadal may never hit 15 aces in a big match, but he outserved Roger today.
[John McEnroe] giving Fed a hug, nearly bringing a sob from Fed was classic. You did feel bad for Fed. He tried so hard. Most of the time he's class. But, somebody had to lose. But both of them were going to sob.
Rafa played better. He deserved to win. If he had lost after losing that 4th set breaker, I would have been sick, can't imagine how he would've felt.
I thought it was over at 5-2 in the 4th set breaker. A choke, but after the choke he didn't turn back. Fed played brilliantly to save the [matchpoints].
Roger's serve was the only thing really keeping him in the match. He got on a streak after the first rain delay and served too well in the 3rd set tiebreaker. Midway through the 4th his service games were there for the taking, but he came up with big serves when needed for literally a set and a half. 0-30 three big serves, etc.
[What] cajones by Nadal to keep fighting after he choked the 4th set. When facing a break point in the 5th, [he] just wearing Roger down with darkness coming. He earned that one.
I can't think of anything else to say. The Roger is done talk can be saved for another day, but it's clear he's no longer the best player in the world.
And who could have seen this coming? In the fall Nadal was waxed by Roger and then you hear stories coming from Rafa's doctor that says his foot is damaged and career nearly over. Then Uncle Toni rebuts.
He gets blown off the Aussie Open court.
And now... the light switch has come on, Nadal entered his prime years.
Beating hardcourt heartaches in [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga] and [James] Blake, and then boom! He's here.
I hope he doesn't play a silly, meaningless clay court event before the [Masters events] this summer. He deserves/needs a 3-4 week break.
[He heard you, peytonallen. Rafa pulled out of Stuttgart with an unspecified knee injury today.]
For both men we move to New York, Fed's last shred of dominance. And Rafa looks to solve the next puzzle.
Again, those saying Fed's the GOAT need to start considering he's not the greatest of his era.
And then peytonallen returned a few hours later to write this:
Someone also took a swipe at Fed's family not applauding good shots, and then a bit about "entitlement vs. blah blah." That's unfair. Fed's dad was nearly as happy for Rafa as his own family was at the end. Look at how he cheers for Rafa when Nadal walks through the crowd. Even Mirka, as heartbroken as Fed, reached up and gave him a polite pat on the back of the leg.
The mutual respect between families and camps is a nice change from Novak's mouth and family and Fed telling people "Be quiet, okay?" I mean, that's good for tennis, too, believe it or not, but only Rafa/Roger and the respect between them has transcended this rivalry past Borg/McEnroe.
I can't see Fed NOT winning two more majors, but now that 3rd one for the record probably has Pete thinking (though Sampras has been nothing but gracious with the impending breakage of his record).
I've said all year Fed is king until he loses in London or New York. Now, we have a new ball game.
Is he finished? No, but much like 1980 when Mac was turned away then came back to send a message to Bjorn [in 1981], Fed got the same message today. His younger rival has come of age. And while that doesn't mean Fed won't ever beat him again, or can never win a major again, it does mean his best against Nadal may never again be good enough.
For Rafa, have we seen a champion let alone player improve so much?
Fed had to improve his backhand and serve (Agassi's observations on Fed becoming the Fed we all know). Pete had to decide he hated losing and cared enough before taking off. Andre needed a tennis brain.
Rafa strengthened his backhand, serve, he changed the way he played the game. How many players LIKE to change their court positioning? Not many. Just ask Andy Roddick. Just ask Richard Gasquet.
That Nadal has been such an apt student, that he has wanted to learn, to change, to be a champion is why this moment is so big. He fought to be better, to not just be a claycourt wonder and because of it, the Rafael Nadal era may be better than the one that preceded it.
He may not play with the grace of Fed, but he is no less an artist. He just paints with a different brush.
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