It took 13 matches and more than three years to come alive but on Sunday Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal finally produced a riveting battle that proved a genuine rivalry in men's tennis was now established.

Before Sunday's

Spain's Rafael Nadal (left) congratulates Switzerland's Roger Federer after Federer wins the men's singles final at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London on Sunday. Reuters
 
Wimbledon final, the duo had locked horns 12 times, with Nadal emerging the victor on eight of those occasions.

While two of their previous matches had gone to five sets, none had been on the grand slam stage.

Sunday's three-hour 45 minute classic changed all that.

"I win my share. He wins his. It's a good rivalry, I think," world No 1 Federer said after he beat his Spanish bogeyman 7-6 4-6 7-6 2-6 6-2.

"We've been at the top for over a hundred weeks together. It is like building up to one of the great rivalries.

"But we sometimes haven't lived up to the expectations in the past, in our matches in majors especially. I think that was maybe a bit of a problem.

"But you can't always play five set match thrillers. I'm happy it happened today. I left as the winner. Was perfect."

Since Federer is only 25 and Nadal is four years younger, the duo's rivalry could go on for years.

They have now contested four of the last six grand slam finals and are split at 2-2. While Nadal has denied Federer the French Open crown over the last two years, the Swiss has quelled the fire and fury of Nadal on his favorite turf at Wimbledon over the same period.

Fans would love to see more five-set thrillers between the two but Federer was relieved that at least this time, he emerged triumphant and joined Bjorn Borg as the only men to have won five successive Wimbledon titles.

"It's my first grand slam final where I won in five sets.

"That obviously alone is going to get emotions out of you because you're drained towards the end, you know, mentally and physically."

Sights on Sampras's record

Federer has set his sights on equalling his hero Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles after picking up his 11th at Wimbledon on Sunday.

"I'd love to equal his record," he told a news conference.

"Pete Sampras is maybe the greatest player we've ever had. It takes me five Wimbledons and three Australian Opens and three US Opens to just get close to him. So it just shows you what a great player he was."

Like Sampras, the only grand slam title to have eluded him so far is the French Open - which Wimbledon runner-up Rafael Nadal has won for the last three years.

A Roland Garros title is on Federer's 'to do' list and he said that at 25 he still had several years in which to keep trying for that one and a few others that he has his eye on.

"I haven't won Paris, Davis Cup, the Olympic Games, many other tournaments I'd like to win again," the world No 1 said.

"But, you know, if I don't win them all, it's okay, too. I'm having a great run."

That run included picking up his fifth successive Wimbledon trophy on Sunday, equalling Bjorn Borg's record, which the Swiss stopped Sampras also matching in 2001 when he defeated the American in the fourth round.

But Sampras still has two more titles from the All England Club to his name, winning seven in 1993-95 and 1997-2000.

"To be on the same level as Pete Sampras, my former hero in a way, is already very nice, but I'm not there yet," acknowledged Federer.

Red over Hawkeye

Federer questioned the success of Wimbledon's experiment with the Hawkeye ball tracking system on Sunday after several flashpoints at critical moments in the marathon final.

The normally serene Swiss was agitated by some of Nadal's challenges and completely lost his cool in the fourth set when a Nadal forehand that appeared to land beyond the baseline was shown to have clipped the line on the Centre Court screens.

"What can I say?" Federer said, when asked about the call at 0-2 30-30 in the fourth set that led to him being broken for a second time in the set.

"If I'm going to go against it, people will always say he doesn't agree whatsoever. I don't know how they developed this machine, if they took all possibilities into account: the way the ball travels, the way it bounces, 3D, the whole thing.

"I told the umpire I was happy Nadal was going to challenge because I knew the ball was out. Then to see that it was in on a 30-all point, which was such a huge point, I was shocked."

The Swiss, who has raised doubts about Hawkeye in the past, was heard using an expletive during the changeover after saying the system "is killing me".

"I was frustrated because already I got broken and then to be broken this way was very irritating.

"The umpire told me, too, he saw the ball out. He couldn't believe it was in. I was like, all of a sudden, anything you challenge now is just going to go against me."

Nadal also criticized Hawkeye after his semifinal victory over Novak Djokovic on Saturday. "I think the Hawkeye has mistakes sometimes," he said.

Wimbledon used the Hawkeye system for the first time this year on Center Court and Court One, joining the Australian Open and US Opens that have already employed it.

(China Daily via Agencies July 10, 2007)