ohtani's jacket
State Vice-Captain
Federer didn't play his A game, but I don't agree that he lost it more than Nadal won it. Federer played some unbelievable tennis when he was in a hole, but couldn't hold serve. If he'd held serve on the break in the second set, he would've won in four (like I predicted), but Nadal is so good defensively and just as mentally tough as Federer. Federer's net approaches weren't the greatest and that cost him early and in the long run.
Federer is used to playing weaker opponents, who he breaks down. Nadal never broke down. In the fifth set, Nadal was holding serve, while Federer was fighting his way back from 15-40 or 15-30 nearly ever game. Federer had the advantage of serving first, but after he missed the break opportunity, he was more or less serving to stay in the game. I thought after he won the 9th game in that set, he'd win (since that was his bogey point in the first two sets), but Nadal was too strong on the baseline.
For as many unforced errors as there were, there were a tremendous amount of winners. Unforced errors don't necessarily mean that Federer would've gone on to win the point or that he missed a clear winner.
But if Federer had played his A game, it wouldn't have been a classic Wimbledon final. You can't win Grand Slams by simply playing your A game -- sometimes it's a grind, sometimes it's pressure points. Federer showed that behind his A game is some true grit.
