Wow - this rivalry is intense. Nadal benefits from Federer's earlier domination; its easier to strive to be at the top than to stay at the top. Federer was so dominant he hasn't needed a coach (I hope he gets one now). Commentators talked about Federer like he was a winning machine. He always had another gear to shift into if he was in trouble.
Until Nadal came along. To me, the mind shift from indomitable tennis champion to focused competitor is taking some time and adjustment for Federer.
Nadal is a pleasure to watch. He's always improving.
The trophy presentation was touching. I'm glad both players are kind, generous, gracious, and warm. Its easy to like both of them.
This is my favorite tennis rivalry ever. I hope Roger Federer figures out what he needs to do to maintain the rivalry. Love it, love it, love it. This is life - - Focus, drive, awareness. Fantastic!
Update: From Patrick McEnroe about Roger Federer: "The problem for him is that he's never had to really adjust to anything. He's always been so good and so talented, he could just rely on his game and kind of figure it out when he gets out there. All of a sudden, he's playing a guy he can't do that against. … He doesn't get on top of the guy when he's down, and he thought he was going to go away physically."
