Nadal (grand) slams Berdych in final

By LINDA ROBERTSON

Miami Herald

Wimbledon, England

The gentlemen’s Wimbledon final on July 4, 2010, will be an occasion worth remembering among milestones in tennis. It could mark not just the coronation of Rafael Nadal but the beginning of a long empire.

For the first time in eight years, Roger Federer was not on Centre Court for the Sunday climax. But he was hardly missed, so pulsating was Nadal.

Nadal mowed down Tomas Berdych, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, with nary a grass stain on his white shorts. He dirtied them only when he collapsed onto his back after his winning cross-court forehand, then did a somersault that delighted the crowd.

The first time Nadal won at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, in 2008, he beat Federer in a five-set, four-hour, 48-minute rain-interrupted marathon, the longest Wimbledon final in history. Last week, John Isner outlasted Nicolas Mahut in the longest match in history, a three-day, 11-hour five-minute epic that ended with a 70-68 final set.

No endurance records were set Sunday. Nadal devoured Berdych. He played with urgency, as if he couldn’t wait to prove that he deserves the No. 1 ranking. He slashed forehands, belted backhands, backed Berdych up to the Royal Box with his serve. When the Spaniard was done, after 2 hours and 13 minutes, he danced on the grass as if he was warming up for the Champions’ Ball.

“Having this trophy in my hands is just more than a dream,” Nadal said. “For sure after not an easy year for me. To be back in my favorite tournament and play well another time, and not only play well, but finish with the trophy is amazing for me.”

Last year, Nadal had to withdraw from Wimbledon to let his tendinitis-wracked knees heal. From his sofa in Mallorca, Spain, he watched Federer win a sixth Wimbledon title. He felt helpless. He had been on the ascendancy for more than a year against Federer when his knees said “No mas.”

So this Wimbledon was special, and not only because the sultry weather was similar to that of midsummer Spain and there was no rain during the tournament for the first time since 1995. It was a settling of unfinished business. It was confirmation of Nadal’s return. It was a warning to tennis that Nadal could one day be even better than Federer.

Nadal has a long way to go, but in winning his eighth Grand Slam, he tied with Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall on the all-time list. Federer, 28, has won 16. But Nadal is on a faster pace, having won No. 8 a month after he turned 24 while Federer won No. 8 — at Wimbledon 2006 — a month before he turned 25.

The interplay between the two men who have given men’s tennis another golden era will be fascinating. How many more Slams can Federer win? How much more fury can Nadal’s knees withstand?

Federer gave an uncharacteristically sour and self-pitying farewell after being bounced by No. 12 seed Berdych, the Czech who made his first Grand Slam final. Federer has slid to No. 3, behind Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Maybe in the back of his mind he’s concerned that the gig is up — although we have heard that before.

Nadal, meanwhile, is better than ever. His game has more nuances. He used to play the role of wall, staying behind the baseline, getting everything back and driving his opponents into an exhausted state of frustration.

He kept the final short and sweet. But he could be in for a long ride at Numero Uno, no?