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The Federer-Roddick final was long and dramatic, but at no time was it as interesting as the Federer-Nadal match the year before. This year’s last set went to 16-14, but not because neither player gave an inch in battle. No, it was simply that neither could handle the other’s serve. The problem with tennis is that a big serve compensates, or overcompensates, for a lack of those other qualities by which athletes ought to be measured. Nadal doesn’t have an overwhelming serve. He usually holds serve but he rarely aces, let alone putting together a string of aces to win a game in the time it takes to comb your hair. He’s in constant danger of being broken.
Not that he often is. Federer converted just one break point against both Nadal and just one against Roddick. But Federer had 13 opportunities against Nadal and only seven against Roddick. Roddick won two of five break points against Federer. A year earlier, Nadal won 4 of 13.
