By DPA,
London : Wimbledon trophy heartbreak, which ended in darkness, didn’t draw a complaint from Roger Federer as he lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7 Sunday to Rafael Nadal.
Twice interrupted by rain, the thriller was stretched to the limits as Federer saved three match points in two different sets before finally falling victim to a loose shot made almost in the dark after a late match start.
“(I) kept on playing. I didn’t argue,” said the sombre Swiss after his first grass-court loss since 2002.
“I guess I would have said something if I would have broken back to go, what was it, 8-all (in the fifth set). I mean, it wasn’t possible to play anymore, so …”
With television making light on the screen look brighter than in real life, Federer said he knew that coming back to finish the high-voltage contest – one of the best in Wimbledon history – would have been a tough call.
“It would have been brutal for fans, for media, for us, for everybody to come back tomorrow. But what are you gonna do?” he asked.
“It’s rough on me now, obviously to lose the biggest tournament in the world over maybe a bit of light. But it’s not the first time anyway against Rafa. I lost to him in Paris, so it’s not a whole lot of fun, but it’s the way it is. I can only congratulate Rafa for a great effort.”
Federer fired 25 aces to save his skin at numerous tense points but was only able to convert one of 13 break points.
“I was definitely struggling in the wind a little bit. It was very gusty early on. It was tough conditions,” he said.
“Rafa keeps you thinking, and that’s what the best players do to each other in the end. Rafa also missed many opportunities later on. You always make it hard for the opponent, and that’s what we both do to each other.”
The Swiss superstar will hang onto the top ranking for at least a few more weeks.
“I’m happy we put in a great effort, Rafa and myself,” he said.
“It was a fair battle, which was tough with the rain delays. We had some great points. Really I just think we both played tough till the very end. In tennis, unfortunately, sometimes there has to be winners and losers. There are no draws.”