.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
"I would just like to say it's a great tournament for Rafael. It was awfully tight and I was getting awfully nervous in the end too." (Roger Federer, The Guardian, 2006)
The arrival of the Wimbledon Championships was greeted with palpable excitement by tennis fans across the globe. The past year had seen the development of what promised to be one of the sport’s greatest rivalries - between Roger and Rafael Nadal. In 2006, prior to Wimbledon, Roger had won five titles, including the Australian Open and lost only four times, on each occasion to the Spaniard.
The most notable example had been at the previous month’s French Open final, with Roger requiring a victory to complete the unique achievement of holding all four majors at the same time and the rare feat of a career Grand Slam. Once again, it would be Nadal who would end the dream for another year, prevailing in four sets. However, by reaching his first Roland Garros final, Roger had shown incredible progress on clay. The question on everyone’s lips was whether Nadal would be able to show the same adaptability against the ‘King of Grass’.
The road to the 2006 final proved to be business as usual for Roger as he advanced without dropping a set, defeating Tim Henman in what would be the Briton’s penultimate home Championships. Nadal, almost in a mirror image of the French Open, advanced to his maiden Wimbledon final, but succumbed to his Swiss rival in four sets, the score 6-0, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. The rivals weren’t to know at the time, but their battle in these two finals would be played out annually over the following two seasons. Victory in 2006 made Roger just the fourth man to win a quartet of Wimbledon trophies and continued his dominance on his favourite surface.
The arrival of the Wimbledon Championships was greeted with palpable excitement by tennis fans across the globe. The past year had seen the development of what promised to be one of the sport’s greatest rivalries - between Roger and Rafael Nadal. In 2006, prior to Wimbledon, Roger had won five titles, including the Australian Open and lost only four times, on each occasion to the Spaniard.
The most notable example had been at the previous month’s French Open final, with Roger requiring a victory to complete the unique achievement of holding all four majors at the same time and the rare feat of a career Grand Slam. Once again, it would be Nadal who would end the dream for another year, prevailing in four sets. However, by reaching his first Roland Garros final, Roger had shown incredible progress on clay. The question on everyone’s lips was whether Nadal would be able to show the same adaptability against the ‘King of Grass’.
The road to the 2006 final proved to be business as usual for Roger as he advanced without dropping a set, defeating Tim Henman in what would be the Briton’s penultimate home Championships. Nadal, almost in a mirror image of the French Open, advanced to his maiden Wimbledon final, but succumbed to his Swiss rival in four sets, the score 6-0, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. The rivals weren’t to know at the time, but their battle in these two finals would be played out annually over the following two seasons. Victory in 2006 made Roger just the fourth man to win a quartet of Wimbledon trophies and continued his dominance on his favourite surface.