Customer Reviews

Australian Open 2009: Mens Final

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This match had a pretty phenomenal backstory: Nadal crushed Federer at the 2008 French Open, then went on to beat Fed at Wimbledon in the most dramatic match in modern tennis history. Federer was widely considered by the tennis intelligentsia to be past his glory days, but surprised everyone by taking the U.S. Open. At this tournament, Fed cruised into the final, annihilating Juan DelPotro in the quarters and waltzing past Andy Roddick in the semis. Nadal had played an unearthly 5-hour semi-final against Fernando Verdasco and looked tired early on. This match was *supposed* to be a cakewalk for Federer, but Nadal had no intention of rolling over for his more rested rival.

The quality of tennis is actually outstanding through the first four sets, reminding you of just how fantastic these two players are, especially when facing each other. The action is about on par with their 2007 Wimbledon final (another five-set classic). Sadly, the fifth set turned into a mess for Federer, and it was Nadal who finally cemented himself as the undisputed #1 tennis player in the world. As it stands, it's likely this match will be remembered more for Federer's post-match emotional breakdown than the quality of tennis. Of course, given how the rest of 2009 played out for both of them (Nadal's injury and shocking upset at Roland Garros, Federer completing the career Grand Slam and surpassing Sampras' record at Wimbledon), the emotions around this match seem odd, if not silly, in retrospect.

Still, a worthy addition to the collection of a die-hard tennis fan.