WIMBLEDON 2010: Men's Final Preview

Tomas Berdych CZE (12) vs. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). For the first time I will be watching a grand slam final live, on site. Sadly, it is also the first time in 8 years that my favorite male player Roger Federer will not be in the Wimbledon men's final. It's also doubtful that this year's final will be as monumental a battle as the 2008 classic now called "the match of the century" won by Rafael Nadal or Federer's 2009 triumph of will over Andy Roddick.

I have previously predicted the results of the quarterfinals (1 of 4) and semifinals (0 of 2), so clearly I've not been having great results in predicting the men's matches this year. It's also difficult to pick a winner between Tomas Berdych and Rafael Nadal. On paper, Nadal should win since he has a 7-3 career head-to-head record against the young Czech. However, clearly Berdych is not the same player who has lost to Nadal 7 times.

Berdych is playing in his first Grand Slam final, which very few people win (Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Robin Soderling have all failed to do so. Juan Martin del Potro is the exception which proves the rule.) The great ones (like Federer and Nadal) do. Will Berdych be following in the footsteps of his countryman Ivan Lendl and become a late-blooming great?

[Correction by Craig Hickman: In addition to del Potro, Rafa and Raja, Andy Roddick (USO 2003), Lleyton Hewitt (US Open 2001), and Gaston Gaudio (Roland Garros 2004) are all active players who won their first Slam final. Of the recently officially retired, Gustavo Kuerten (Roland Garros 1997), Marat Safin (US Open 2001), Thomas Johansson (Australian Open 2002) and Albert Costa (Roland Garros 2002) did as well. Some of these players are great, some are not.]

If Berdych wins today, he will become the first player to beat the World #3, World #2 and World #1 to win a slam. This would definitely be an indication he is on his way to a Lendly-like career, instead of a Soderling-like career.

If Nadal wins today, he will have completed the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double for the second time, will have a 14-match undefeated streak at Wimbledon and will have claimed his 8th Grand Slam title, just 8 behind Roger Federer, despite being 5 years his junior.

MadProfessah's prediction: Nadal (in 3 or 4 sets).

History or Predetermination?

by Savannah


I watched the Men's Final with the sound down. I never watch tennis with the sound down but somehow I knew today that would be required.

There are two ways to make history - create your own moment or have it handed to you. It's no secret the Monogram is not my favorite male tennis player for reasons too numerous to go into now yet I always try and maintain an air of neutrality on this blog so that one fandom or another doesn't feel slighted. I'm going to try today but if I don't succeed just don't read the post. I'm sure there are other places you can go where the Monogram's win will be celebrated. I hope to put that win in some perspective.

Anyone who was paying attention saw that all the competition -- men who don't quake at the sight or name of the Monogram -- were in the top half of the draw. All of the seeds, everyone of them, in the bottom half of the draw could be counted among the worshipful, those who genuflect before the Presence as he walks on court. With the 2008 Champion injured the task fell to one of the men from the top half to step up and represent. Andy Murray found the hopes and dreams of his country too much to bear and in an amazingly passive match lost to Andy Roddick in their semifinal match. I'm not a big fan of Mopey Murray either but I felt that he had the best chance at making sure a headache inducing celebration didn't take place on Centre Court today.


As our mothers have always told us there is no use crying over spilt milk. Roddick played two of the best matches of his life. He believed he could beat Murray. In the end he still doesn't think he can beat the Monogram. Don't get me wrong. I was pulling for Andy every step of the way but I knew his record of 2-18 was in his head. When he lost that second set tiebreak after having four set points I was worried. When he lost the second set tiebreak I figured four sets for the Monogram. When he won the fourth set I thought maybe, just maybe, he'd hold it together.

I think the Monogram served a record number of aces today. How ironic that he said earlier in the week, in belittling Ivo Karlovic, that serving your way through a match is not tennis. I guess if your name is Ivo Karlovic that's the case. If your name is Roger Federer it's a different story.

I don't know what happened in that fifth set. Nerves? The shadows? Mental fatigue? The sense that no matter what he did his opponent would win? Whatever it was Roddick did not look comfortable or play all out the way he did before he fell hard on his right hip after slipping on the dirt on the baseline. The man who had held his serve throughout a marathon match was broken thanks to a few mishits. It was the first break the Monogram got and it won the match for him.

Whatever. Pete Sampras finally stopped the running conversation he was having with his wife long enough to watch the end of the match.

I'm not going to call the Monogram any names. That is not what I'm about. The fact that some on Twitter are calling him a "Pompous Jacketass" is totally Nike's fault. I turned the television off when I realized they were going to run congratulatory commercials ad nauseam.

I'm also not going to say much about the condescending words he directed at Roddick when the match was over. What he said was kind of like a rich man telling a homeless man he knows how he feels. I know the worshipful will defend his comments as trying to be nice. I ask them to put themselves in Andy's place.

I know I should be saying "Congratulations" because of the "historic" event that just took place. I hope the Monogram gives nice bonuses to the folks who make sure his way to semi's and finals is paved with gold. The powers that be have been working hard for this moment for a couple of years now. I'm glad they're happy.

End Note

Andy is holding his presser now. He is being described as "visibly shaken" and to have said "I was trying to survive."

It's being reported on Twitter that Bud Collins was in the room and asked that the press let Andy leave. The assembled press gave Andy a round of applause when he left the press room after five minutes.
@DrewLilley @newballsplease