Bud Collins

WIMBLEDON, England - I’ve spent over four decades covering tennis. I’ve been to the All-England Club 41 times to witness the world’s best tennis players wage war for the right to be crowned the best on grass.

Lady and Lord Supreme on the lawns – the challenge to earn those titles in a given year is always a tremendously grueling task -- so mentally and physically taxing that it’s only natural superb tennis is played in pursuit of claiming these honors.

We’ve all heard that good things come to those who wait. I’m revising that phrase. It’s now great things come to those who wait – at least as it applies to men’s tennis -- because in my 41st-year at Wimbledon I witnessed the best final I have ever seen at The Championships. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer gave the sport a title tilt tennis may have to go another four decades or more without coming close to repeating.

In this final – the third year in a row these two players have vied for ultimate Wimbledon honors in men’s singles – the tennis world saw two men who would simply not relent to any tricks their nerves were attempting to play on them.

Instead, they both choose the warrior’s path. That’s the one where they kept fighting and fighting and fighting -- trying to prevail in what became the longest Wimbledon men’s final ever -- four hours, 48 minutes. And when the last ball was struck as near darkness crept over the court at 9:16 p.m. London time, it was Nadal, the Spanish sensation, who had won his first Wimbledon title by upending the five-time defending champion Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7.

It was great drama -- two rain delays mixing with pummeling battles from the baseline. Nadal was unable to take advantage of two match points in the fourth- set tiebreaker. So the match proceeded ending up the latest finishing final in Wimbledon history. That was only fitting given the incredible showdown waged on Centre Court.

It was such superbly high quality tennis that it kept the crowd cheering throughout the marathon -- even as it got dark and cold. No one left their seat because they knew they were seeing something great and why miss a moment of it.

Isn’t it ironic that Federer, who could have the best forehand ever, ended the match on a routine forehand into the net. That, of course, told the story of the match as Nadal is the type of guy who always makes an opponent hit one more ball than that opponent wants to hit.

So off this epic duel arise some key questions that will get their share of buzz.

Let’s look at them:

Q: With Nadal having beaten Federer in both the French Open and Wimbledon finals this year, shouldn’t the Spaniard be viewed as the best player in the world?

A: Yes. Any way you look at it and no matter what the computer might say, Nadal is the best player in the world. His winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year makes him the third man in the Open Era to achieve that feat behind Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg, who last did it in 1980.

The fact that Federer ranks ahead of Nadal makes the computer rankings look silly. And Federer -- great player that he is -- has not reeled in a major title this year and that further supports the belief that Nadal is the best player on the men’s tour. But be aware there isn’t much difference between Nadal and Federer – there is not a great gap between where they rank in the men’s game.

Q: What were the chief deciding factors in this classic match?

A: Nadal won this Wimbledon final because he was able to keep up his high level of play for a slightly lengthier period of time than Federer. Nadal hit some unbelievable balls – shots that just took the breath away from the fans. He faced one of the best players in the world and didn’t flinch. Federer lost the match because Nadal proved just a little better in the most important moments.

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