Wimbledon # 7

What can I say?

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are my favorite tennis players for a reason.
Tomorrow is yet again another Federer/Nadal final! In the last two years, these two men have played in four of the last eight finals! They are far above their peers in ATP rankings and their skill is seemingly unattainable. The rankings are determined by the number of points they acquire after advancing and winning matches. (Federer has 7290 points; Nadal 5225 and Roddick behind with 3055. As you can see, Federer and Nadal are way above other players).
The fact of the matter is that Federer and Nadal can play badly and still beat even their toughest challengers.

Before I talk about the Women's Final and the Upcoming Men's Final.

This is for those who do not understand anyone's fascination with tennis.
I've never been a girl into sports. But through this love for tennis I have come to respect other sports and its players. Tennis, at times, can seem like a game for only the affluent traditionalists, but there is more to it than that…much more.

Unlike most sports (football, hockey, baseball, basketball, etc) tennis is a one-on-one sport. While the Dallas Cowboys, or any other football team, may win several Super bowls in a relatively short amount of time, the fact that Roger Federer is about to play in his 10th consecutive Grand Slam final is remarkable.
If I'm not mistaken, though I could be wrong so please let me know, a football team has never played in 10 consecutive Super Bowls nor has a baseball team competed in the World Series for 10 straight years.

Don't you see the skill these tennis players have to possess to advance so far?
It's every man, or women, for themselves.

Back to the results
Venus Williams won her 4th Wimbledon title today! It's quite exciting. She was actually down-right giddy, well deserved though considering she is only the 23rd seed player (this means she is ranked 23rd in the world) at the moment though this is sure to change after today's win.

I didn't get to watch the game but I know she played her best.

Men's Final
I was genuinely sad to see Andy Roddick go. Though he is probably ranked 3rd on my list, I like him, and I think he is working hard, hoping to one day beat Roger Federer and become No. 1 once again.

But as it usually goes, other players fell to the rackets of Nadal and Federer.
Tomorrow will be a game for the record books.

The Stakes:
If Federer wins it will be his 5th consecutive Wimbledon title. He will tie Bjorn Borg (who will be at the final) for this honor.

It's funny because it was in 2003 when Federer won his first Wimbledon, keeping Pete Sampras from winning his 5th consecutive Wimbledon.

While I don't think this has anything to do with tomorrow, it is interesting.

So who do I want/think is going to win? This is one of the hardest calls I've had to make. I mean I really adore Federer and I want him to achieve this goal, on the other hand, Nadal has goals of his own he needs to achieve.

Common sense tells me that Federer is going to win but I'm not convinced.
I truly believe 100% that next year is Federer's year, I mean really his year. I think Federer may lose Wimbledon and/or the U.S. Open but will come back next year to win every Grand Slam in a single year and with the greatest of attitudes and spirits. This will give him a Calendar Year Grand Slam (something only one man has ever accomplished: Rod Laver). I want this very much for him.

Still, Rafael Nadal has proved that not only is he the King of Clay, he is the Prince of Grass and one of the most humble stars I have seen.

Playing tennis is his job, his career, his life…but it's also his love. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't believe his is playing just for money and fame (in fact, he doesn't handle the fame well) I think he genuinely loves the game, he loves tennis. What more could you ask for?

So I hope this wasn't confusing. I know I didn't give a definite answer because I don't know and I haven't decided who I am going for yet. In the end the one who genuinely wants this the most and plays his best is going to win. I pray for both of their successes.

Come back tomorrow! I will likely let you know who I'm going for and then of course I'll blog about the aftermath.

This is going to be a great match! I hope I've convinced you by now that there is more to tennis than meets the eye, if not, don't worry, there is still time. I know this is long but if you made it this far I greatly appreciate it! God Bless.