Wimbledon: The End of an Era?

With this exciting championship point 22 year old Rafael Nadal earned his first Wimbledon Championship at the All England Club on Sunday.
The final point, a culmination of several incredible volleys with Roger Federer, led to the five time champion’s inconceivable break in the fifth and final set. After Federer battled back to even the match at two sets apiece, it seemed apparent that he would win his sixth straight title on the legendary grass court. To the surprise and chagrin of many, Nadal wasn’t having it.
In the first two sets the Spaniard displayed his growth on the grass surface- anyone with any knowledge of tennis already recognizes his dominance on clay- but the final set proved to be an example of his gained mettle in championship play.
Overcome with emotion, Nadal collapsed to the grass and shed tears of joy rather than those of disappointment that seemed to follow him to the English championship for the past three years. So with this victory comes the inevitable question, is this the end of Federer’s aura of invincibility? Or perhaps does this signal the beginning of a perennial exchange of grand slams from the world’s two best players?
Seeing as though Federer is but 26 years old, I have to believe that the champ will be back sooner than everyone thinks.
The ATP now rolls into hard court season where Federer is still the undisputed favorite for the U.S. Open championship in New York. Paraphrasing, Nadal has said that Wimbledon is his main goal and now that he has reached that pinnacle, the world waits in wonder to see what more the explosive prodigy can produce on the third and arguably his weakest surface.
Federer, winner at last year’s U.S. Open, will be as focused as ever to maintain his standing as the No. 1 player in the world. This said, the ‘X’ on his back has grown every larger and Nadal will be hungry to overtake his rival’s distinguished position.
Although it appears that there is an inevitable changing of the guard on the horizon, look for the brilliant Federer to remind us why he is the holder of 12 grand slam championships.
Nadal is hungry to be regarded as the best and Federer is reluctant to relinquish his title to the young Spaniard. It should be an Open for the ages with the outcome unknown, but one thing remains certain: these two men remain head and shoulders above any potential challengers.