Reuters
It's not often a photographer catches a glimpse of Rafael Nadal looking quite like that while hoisting the Coupe des Mousquetaires. Such a look almost requires nothing further from me.
But I'll oblige, albeit briefly, and say that while the outcome of the match was never in doubt (Roger Federer is simply not going to beat the world No. 1 at Roland Garros), the stretches of the match I witnessed were more intriguing than I could have ever expected.
Most intriguing was Federer's fight back from 2-4 in the third set. I'm simply not used to seeing Raja fight like that down two sets to love or even two sets to one against Rafa in Paris. He usually folds. Not this time. A fighting Federer is one that intrigues me because sometimes he plays tennis as though he's above all of that. But after ending the streak of the Unbeatable One, he seemed to believe he could actually beat Rafa as well. Ultimately he couldn't, but fighting like he believed made the end of the third set so intriguing.
As for Nadal. Well, what can you say? The Unbeatable One knocked the shellac off his confidence but that didn't stop him from claiming his 6th Roland Garros title, tying Bjorn Borg in the process, and setting himself up to land in London with some new shine.
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