7.08 pm: RAFAEL NADAL WINS, SERVING OUT TO LOVE! WHAT A MATCH!
7.01 pm: Rafa is one game away. Roger fights like a lion to get back to deuce, but nets a backhand to hand Rafa a 5-1 lead. The Spaniard is on the verge of making history.
6.56 pm: Rafa holds to lead 4-1 with the game being won on a disputed call that the line judge allowed but which was way out. Pascal Maria overruled and Rafa is again just eight points short.
6.50 pm: The tide turns – Roger had three BPs to open the set, now Rafa has a prile, handed to him on a plate after Roger serves up a rarissimo double fault. And Rafa dives in and takes it! 3-1!
6.46 pm: Every point is a battle, every shot a winner that the opponent then somehow returns. Rafa holds to 15, leads 2-1.
6.43 pm: Rog holds to 15, after Pascal Maria came down and overruled a Rafa backhand that looked like it just caught the line but missed. 1-1.
6.36 pm: And then Fed comes straight out and carves out three break points to open the fourth! Oh boy. He’s playing astounding tennis at the moment, Rafa shaking his head in disbelief. And then Rafa steps it right up and wins five points in a row! Third break point was saved with an ace, then he held by pushing Rog way back and making him shank one. 1-0 Rafa.
6.30 pm: Amazing! Roger serves out to 15 and takes the third set! He was 2-4 down, eight points from defeat, and look how he’s come back. Amazing! He’ll be regretting that second-set tie-break.
6.27 pm: As the match clock ticks round to three hours, Roger returns brilliantly to carve out three break points, to the delight of Mirka and Ana Wintour in his player’s box. Rafa saves the first but Rog sends him wider, wider, wider and breaks! 6-5 and he’ll serve for the set!
6.23 pm: Rog doesn’t blink, holding to 15. 5-5. That was gutsy. Lots of big services, pressure now on Rafa (not that that’s ever affected him).
6.19 pm: Rafa serves huge, finishing off with a rare ace and leads 5-4. Fed to serve to stay in the match. Rafa needs just four more points.
6.15 pm: Roger serves large, slices and drops deftly and holds to 15! 4-4. Game well and truly back on! Quick chance of racquet for Rog – must be new balls the game after.
6.12 pm: And then just like that, Roger breaks back to love! 4-3, and that was the crucial seventh game. Rafa was, in fact still is, eight points from victory, but that game totally passed him by. What can he do now on the Roger service?
6.10 pm: 4-2 Rafa, then he fluffs one at the net and finds himself 0-30 down. Sniff of a breakback chance? Second service…
6.09 pm: And then Rafa breaks to love, just like that. Every service sits up and asks to be put away, and Rafa does, and even when Rog gets a rally going, he then UEs, slicing a drop into the net and widing a backhand way into the tramlines.
6.04 pm: Despite a double fault to make it 15-30, Rafa gets back to 40-30 but Rog chip-and-charges and takes it to deuce. More chanting. Rafa then serves huge to take the Ad, then so wide to the backhand that Roger is in the front row of the crowd to return. 3-2.
5.59 pm: 2-2 after Federer holds via a deuce. The crowd start to chant, geeing up their favourites and a mixture of “Roger” and “Rafa” floats up to the heavens, which are still quite cloudy. Rog isn’t moving enough, but he held their, painting the corners with some winners. Will that give him confidence? Rafa to serve.
5.52 pm: Rafa races to a 40-0 leads then longs a two-handed backhand after rushing into the net, before widing a backhand. Rog nets on the next point though and it’s 2-1.
5.50 pm: Rog holds to love including an ace and then the deftest sliced backhand from behind the baseline to finish off. 1-1. What can he do on the Rafa service though?
5.46 pm: 1-0 Rafa who holds to 15, the only blip being a double-fault to open. After that he fires shots into both corners withamazing depth.
5.41 pm: Big service, inside-out forehand and Rafa has a two-set lead, taking the breaker 7-3. Roger’s forehand totally abandoned him in that tie-break, after he had stolen the initiative after the rain-break.
5.38 pm: 5-2 as Rog nets a forehand service return after a kicking second. 6-2 as Rog totally dominates then smashes weakly at Rafa, who passes him with aplomb. First set point saved as Rafa wiiides a forehand after – you guessed it – a kick serve. Rafa to serve, two bites at the cherry for a two-set lead.
5.33 pm: Roger nets, mini-break., 1-0. Rafa paints a corner inside-out on the forehand. 2-0. Fed looongs a return after Rafa kicked a second service, 3-0. Fed nets a backhand on the third shot of the rally, 4-0 Rafa. Roger finally gets on the board as Rafa longs. 4-1 Rafa, two service points to follow. Roger pushes Rafa wide, wider, widest on the forehand and gets a mini-break back. 4-2 at the change-over, one Rafa service to come.
5.32 pm: 0-15… will Rafa tremble? No. Four good services, a hold to 15. Tie-break. Oh boy…
5.27 pm: Rog breaks back! Then holds to love, serve-and-volleying like he did for the first half-an-hour! 6-5, Rafa needs to serve to stay in the set! What a turn-around. Rafa must be ruing that break and the set points he missed, one before, one after the 13-minute break.
5.23 pm: We’re back under way. Rafa carves out set point no.2 straight away with a big service, Fed saves it. Deuce.
5.15 pm: Coaches are allowed to talk to their charges during rain delays, and we’ve just seen Paul Annacone and Toni Nadal heading into the respective locker rooms.
5.09 pm: Rog gets everyone out of their seats with two backhands – one down the line, one sliced just over the net – but Rafa fires down three big services. Roger saves set point then at deuce, 5-4, it starts to rain!
5.05 pm: All that effort, and now nothing to show for it. Rog battles at 15-40 with some great inside-out forehands and volleys, but Rafa is relentless, taking the next two points and breaking back up. 5-4, Rafa to serve for a two-set lead.
4.58 pm: We’re in an epic game here. Rafa can’t win from the deuce court, Rog can’t follow it up from the ad court. Third break point for Fed. First service misses (Pascal Maria checks and raises the finger), then Rafa serves a weak second and Roger breaks back! 4-4! Wowzers! That alea ain’t quite jacta just yet!
4.49 pm: 4-3. Two quick holds. Rog served out to love but he’s coming up short on Rafa’s services. Nadal is eight games from another title…
4.41 pm: Rog roars back from 15-40 to hold, but is still a break adrift. 3-2 Rafa, service to follow.
4.37 pm: 3-1 Rafa. It goes via 15-30 but Rog isn’t looking happy out there. He’s got his miserable face on.
4.30 pm: Rog finally gets on the board again with some better serving including an ace. Rafa still leads 2-1.
4.27 pm: Seven games in a row. This has suddenly turned into 2008, with Rog two thousand and late to every ball. The spark has gone. That alea jacta thing I’ve been writing every day? It applies here. The alea is well and truly jacta-ed.
4.24 pm: Six games in a row as Rafa breaks Roger to 15. Rog can’t do anything right – even when he comes into the net with Rafa half-stranded (that guy is never totally stranded) he can’t put him away. 1-0 Rafa.
4.18 pm: Five games in a row and Rafa ROARS back to take the first set! That bandage must have been hampering him! Physically and mentally he was better once he had it reduced. He pummeled Federer’s backhand, as is his wont on clay as it’s tough for Rog to control a kicking shot with a one-handed backhand, and it worked. Wow. Well done that Raf.
4.10 pm: Four games in a row since Rafa had that bandage reduced on his ankle! Two holds, two breaks and he’ll now serve at 6-5. Rog saved a break point with a forehand that just caught the line. Then at deuce at the net, Rog volleys but straight at Rafa who sticks the racquet in front of his guts as much to protect himself but sends a great volley into the corner. Ad Rafa, Rog misses (and disputes) a first service, then nets after the rally which ensues. 6-5 Rafa.
4.06 pm: Rafa holds. It was tense at 15-30 but then Rog longed one. At 30-30 Rafa then served a belter, just when he needed it.
4 pm: Nadal breaks back! At 30-30 Roger nets an easy one, then at 30-40, Rog comes in, fires one into the corner but on Rafa’s forehand side (with hindsight he should have wrong-footed him) and Rafa fires a bullet that Roger can only net at full stretch. Rafa to serve to stay in the set but with the wind in his sails.
3.55 pm: Rafa holds to make it 5-3 but blimey that was close. He had to save a set point and Roger almost got it, slicing a drop on the backhand that was so close to landing in for a pure winner, Pascal Maria had to come down and check. He raised the dreaded finger though and Rafa went from deuce to hold with a lovely backhand crosscourt passing shot to finish the game off. 5-3, Rog to serve for the set.
3.47 pm: 5-2 Rog, serve-and-volley-tastic and Rafa then has a hefty amount of bandage cut off his left foot. Has he been hampered thus far?
3.42 pm: 4-2, Rafa holds to 30 but Rog is still in the driver’s seat.
3.38 pm: 4-1. Rog is holding comfortably for the moment…
3.33 pm: Rafa gets on the board to 30, but the two points Rog got were big Rafa UEs. Rog is stepping in, taking the ball early before the Rafa topspin can kick up to shoulder height.
3.30 pm: Rog holds to 15, doing his “I’ll come in and serve-and-volley” at 40-15 trick again. 3-0. Semi-bagel.
3.26 pm: Huge service, desperation return and then Rafa nets an easy one! 2-0 Rog!
3.23 pm: Roger carves out two break points with some incredible returns, and Rafa saves them both. That’s ominous – Roger created 31 BPs against Nole and only took 5, I think it was, and in their past three finals here, Rog has taken one in six of his break points. He needs to convert today. He carves out a third with another great Western backhand, and Rafa saves again. O-for-3. It’s early days, but the longer this “O-fer” goes on, the more it will play on Roger’s mind. Here comes a fourth chance…
3.17 pm: Roger’s third service clips the line, Pascal Maria comes down and confirms it. At 40-15, Rog serves, comes in and volleys a deft one into the corner. 1-0.
3.08 pm: Manolo Santana, Jan Kodes, Jim Courier and Gustavo Kuerten the guests of honour. Biggest cheer for Guga!
3.06 pm: Pascal Maria performs the toss, Rafa wins it. Rog opts not to change ends, I presume Rafa will serve.
3.03 pm: Here comes Rog, to tumultuous applause! Followed by Rafa. Ditto. Hairs on the back of the neck time. Goose bumps.
2.35 pm: These two have met here four times before, with Rafa taking all four. The first came in 2005 when Nadal was a rising teenager who had already impressed on the clay of Monte Carlo, making people sit up and notice. Fed was the no.1 in the men’s game by a country mile, but Rafa broke him four times in the first five of the Swiss’ service games and won in four sets in what was a semi-final clash. The following three years they were the no.1 and no.2 seeds, and Rafa won each time in the final. 2006 and 2007 were four-set affairs where everyone expected/thought/hoped that Roger would finally win his clay Slam, then in 2008 Rafa absolutely crushed him for the loss of only four games, finishing off with a bagel. What does today have in store for us?
2.20 pm: My lords, ladies and gentlemen, welcome, Wilkommen, bienvenue and benvenidos to the final of the 2011 French Open men’s singles final! Whatsisname and thingy are going to battle it out – can’t remember their names. A couple of unknowns… Oh yeah, Roger Federer, no.3 seed and 2009 champion, versus Rafael Nadal, no.1 seed, world no.1 and 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 champion.
So, who’s going to win? My head says Rafa in three, my heart says Roger in five. What do your hearts and heads say? Write in and let me know.
Oh yes, and more importantly after the diluvian downpours we had last night (rain bouncing off the pavements, quite literally), it’s warm and while the skies are cloudy, it’s blue and white as opposed to grey and black. Good news!
