Rafael Nadal crushes Tomas Berdych to win second Wimbledon crown
Rafael Nadal has for the second time in his career completed the French Open and Wimbledon title double, crushing Tomas Berdych in straight sets in the final of the grass court Grand Slam today.
Today’s victory marks the eighth time in his career that Nadal has been crowned a Grand Slam champion, and means the Majorcan stretches his unbeaten run at the All England Club to 14 straight matches, after knee tendinitis denied him the chance to defend his title last year.
Nadal, as all great champions do, proved more able to lift his game in the crucial moments of the match as he claimed a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over the man who had, two matches earlier, defeated defending champion Roger Federer in SW19.
The combination of Nadal’s formidable forehand with his almost unparalleled ability to conjure winners from all corners of the court, and points where most mere mortals would struggle even to land their shot in the court, in the end left his much-improved opponent to contemplate just how much further there is to go if he’s to one day join the exclusive club of Grand Slam champions of which Nadal is a VIP member.
The Czech began the match playing like a man with the intention of taking the fight to the world No. 1; the Spaniard like one who has been here before and could afford to patiently wait for the right moment to impose his will on the match.
The first of them arrived at 0-30 in Berdych’s fourth service game, after the first six games of the match had resulted in comfortable service holds, where Nadal threaded the needle with a forehand down the line to create a triple break point opportunity and two points later a backhand crosscourt return ensured the second seed had edged in front of his challenger.
Two games later and Berdych - who finished the set with a poor first serve percentage of 48% - was facing two set points and while he saved one with an ace, the set was over with the next.
The first set may have got away from Berdych, but it was the 12th seed who gained three break point opportunities in the near 10-minute opening service game of the second set, as in swirling wind on centre court Nadal double faulted twice and produced more unforced errors than could be counted on one hand, but the world’s top ranked player still managed to claim the vital hold.
As the set headed towards what looked to be a tiebreak, it was the 2008 Wimbledon champion who reinforced his ability to string together winning points at the decisive moment to set up triple set point against Berdych’s serve; the 2-0 lead in the match sealed when the first-time Grand Slam finalist sent a forehand wide.
It was a lead that, while not quite Czech-mate for Nadal, left Berdych in the near impossible position of winning the last three sets of the match to claim the title against an opponent who last lost a match at the All England Club in the 2007 final.
The 6ft 5in player, having already defeated two of the top three seeds this tournament in Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, refused to lie down, however, creating his fourth break point opportunity of the match in the third game of the third set, but again Nadal had the answer to his challenge and at the end of the game remained unbroken for the match.
It was again Nadal’s ability to shift up a gear in the crucial stages of the set that handed the 24-year-old championship point against Berdych’s serve in the ninth game of the third set, a vintage crosscourt forehand passing shot sealing the title for the Spaniard.
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