Bud Collins

LONDON - Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were playing to make history in the Wimbledon final.

Federer to equal Bjorn Borg's mark of five straight Wimbledon titles set from 1976 to 1980. Nadal to become the first player since Borg in 1980 to win titles at Roland Garros and the All England Club in the same year.

History goes to Federer.

For the first time in the last five years at Wimbledon, Federer was taken to a fifth set -- one in which he fought back to save two break points in both the third and fifth games, and broke Nadal in the sixth and eighth games to complete a 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 triumph. If Nadal had won any of those break points, he would probably have become the Wimbledon champion.

Pushed to the limit and on the ropes in the final set, Federer responded with heart of a champion who has now won 11 majors. When they met at the net upon the conclusion of the match, Federer told Nadal that the Spaniard deserved to win as much as he did. It was that kind of special match, one for the ages, and one which clearly showed why Federer and Nadal have separated themselves from the rest of the men on tour.

A Centre Court classic
Federer put his greatness on display in this match, especially in the fifth set after looking like he was out of it in the fourth set. For him to escape those break points was terrific stuff -- the stuff of champions. Federer fighting off those break points is as good as it gets in tennis.

I've not seen anything quite like this match on Centre Court, and it definitely puts Federer in a different realm. Both Federer and Nadal take responsibility for how the fifth set played out. Federer held on to his cool, after losing it a bit in the fourth set when he thought the video replay technology was getting the calls wrong. And Nadal was a bit nervous on those break-point opportunities.

Thinking back to some of the great matches I’ve seen at Wimbledon that might somewhat compare to this match the one that comes to mind was the 1982 five-set final that Jimmy Connors won against John McEnroe 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. That duel was also an exciting, really well-played contest. The last five-set final at Wimbledon was in 2001 when Goran Ivanisevic beat Patrick Rafter. Nothing against those guys, but the quality of tennis they played was nowhere near as high as that of Federer and Nadal.

This title tilt was a fantastic match, and I believe the match of the year so far. The shot-making was phenomenal, and it stood you on your head as you watched. Gosh, I honestly thought it was going to be curtains for Federer in the fifth set, but he proved me wrong. It was wonderful tennis played by two men who fight so hard to win. They are to be as much admired for their relentless commitment to battle as they are for their abundant talent.

Federer builds upon his legacy
Federer was the oldest player of the four Wimbledon finalists, and this was his ninth straight title match at a major. He has won 34 matches in succession at Wimbledon, seven short of Borg's record. Overall on grass he's won 54 straight tests. In his stretch of 34 Wimbledon wins he's dropped only eight sets.

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He did say that maybe he was dominating less at Wimbledon this year than he did last year, but he felt good heading into his championship clash with Nadal. And why shouldn't he have felt that way? Federer may have the best hands of any player in the history of the game. He has a tremendous serve that produced 24 aces in the final. It came up big for him at critical points. He also possesses the best forehand in the world. That forehand played a big part in his piling up 65 winners in the title match. Nadal had 50 winners.

Federer reigning supreme on the lawns of the All England Club for the fifth consecutive year continues to grow his legacy. Given his greatness he's at the point in his career where he seems to be constantly chasing history. At Wimbledon 2007 it was equaling Borg's mark. Next year at Wimbledon he'll aim to match Willie Renshaw's six consecutive titles at the grasscourt major -- a string Renshaw put together from 1881 to 1886.

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And with each Grand Slam event he wins, the Swiss court magician moves closer to surpassing Pete Sampras for the most majors won in a career. Sampras captured 14 so it might not be much longer before Federer breaks that record.

Later this summer Federer will seek his fourth straight U.S. Open title. Wimbledon is special to him, but so is the U.S. Open. They are the two biggest stages in professional tennis, and over the last half decade Federer has played them better than anyone. He aims to keep doing so. It will be up to Andy Roddick, who lost to the Swiss in last year's U.S. Open final, or Nadal, who made it to the quarters a year ago in New York, or maybe a quickly rising star like Novak Djokovic to deny Federer his third major of the year. Talk about a daunting task.

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