Nadal Wins Epic Match At Wimbledon

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ANDREA SEABROOK, host:

Another record fell today, this one on the grass at Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played historic tennis. The best men's players in the world scared off - squared off for four hours and 48 minutes. That's the longest men's final ever played at Wimbledon.

(Soundbite of Wimbledon Match)

SEABROOK: The five-set epic ended near dark this afternoon. In the end, Nadal won, ending Federer's five-year reign at Wimbledon.

Joining me now is Jon Wertheim. He's covering Wimbledon for Sports Illustrated. And Jon, what a match.

Mr. JON WERTHEIM (Sports Illustrated): What a match is right. This was just sensational. I mean the match has been over about an hour and everybody here, the ground are still filled with some people and it's just, you know, it's hard to sort of steer clear of cliché, but it was just one of those goosebumps sporting events, it was just perfect.

SEABROOK: Right, Nadal wins the first two sets, then Federer won the next two sets, so they're even, and then finally Nadal picks up the last one after more than four hours of tennis.

Mr. WERTHEIM: Four hours interrupted by rain, but Nadal had match point so he was a few points away from winning this championship and he squandered those to push it to a fifth set. You know, these two had played together in the past two finals. Federer had won them both, they'd also played in the French Open final a few weeks ago, so there was so much context too. And then, I mean it's cliché but this not only lived up to the expectation, this was the rare match that surpassed them. It was just a terrific day for tennis.

SEABROOK: Right. It's the fifth - so Federer won five Wimbledons, right? And then - and the last two of them he won over Nadal, the same guy he played today. So I mean it's really just one of those great face-off kind of sports stories.

Mr. WERTHEIM: Yeah, exactly. And they are - I mean it's a great study in contrast to start with, but he was going for a record and Bjorn Borg was sitting in the front row behind the court; the man who has held the record. It just had everything. It ended about two minutes before darkness. Just, you know, you hope a match like this really gives tennis some relevance because it was just a special, special day.

SEABROOK: And then the guys themselves, they were just dripping from playing like this. I mean they must have been exhausted.

Mr. WERTHEIM: It was - well, they might've been dripping from the remnants of the rainstorm, but no, part of what also makes it nice, there's a real authentic, I mean it goes beyond respect. I mean there's a real fondness between these two guys. So they have a friendly relationship to these fierce rivals, as you said, they're both exhausted, they've been playing this match.

It's emotionally draining, and then they still have the presence at the end to embrace at the net, wait for each other before they leave the court. It was just sort of everything right about the sport in about a five-hour window.

SEABROOK: And so Jon, going forward now, does Nadal seem to have the edge just in the next 30 seconds?

Mr. WERTHEIM: Yeah, he really does. I mean this is a guy who won on clay and everyone said, well, that's his preferred surface. But now to come in here and beat Federer on grass, the five-time champ, I mean I think, you hate to be too hasty about this, but you really get the feeling there's a new king in tennis right now.

SEABROOK: Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated. Thanks so much for talking to us.

Mr. WERTHEIM: Thank you.

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