Wimbledon men put on a wonderful show

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If you read Monday morning’s sports headlines, you learnedthat Rafael Nadal “dethroned” and “shocked”tennis champion Roger Federer at Wimbledon.

He won, in other words. But barely, barely.

If, on the other hand, you actually watched the Sunday match, youknow that though one player prevailed, both men won. You also awokeMonday morning physically exhausted and emotionally spent.

To watch this Wimbledon was to endure, to sweat, to grip the armsof your chair through a four-hour, 48-minute white-knuckle contestbetween two giants of grace and beauty, and that other thing.

Ah, yes, class.

Some rare days, the performances of others inspire and uplift.Sunday was one of those days. The match also provided a welcomereprieve from the coarseness of our culture, the pile-driving paceof our perpetual politics, and offered a glimpse of whatsportsmanship — on and off the court — ought to looklike.

To those who don’t care whether the little ball gets over thenet, as a friend of mine once described her lack of interest intennis, Wimbledon may not have made the radar screen. ButSunday’s contest transcended a single sport and entered therealm of surpassing spectacle. It was a gripping contest of willand spirit.

Federer at 26 is the leading man of tennis. He hadn’t lostWimbledon since 2002 and was poised to tie another record —six straight titles. Nadal, just 22 and holder of four French Opentitles, was positioned to become the first Spaniard to winWimbledon since 1966.

Otherwise, this was no ordinary encounter. Between the vagaries ofweather and the clash of these titanic talents, the match isunmatched in tennis history. Twice rain forced the players to stop,while wind gusts altered shots and points. Break points bouncedmaddeningly between deuces and ads. Finally, on his fourth matchpoint, Nadal was able to wrest the championship from Federer.

Throughout, both men were mesmerizingly fierce and yetimperturbably calm. At crucial points they were like gladiatorsplaying chess. Notably missing were the tantrums, histrionics,profane outbursts and end-zone antics we so often witness in sportsthese days. At a time when adults bemoan the paucity of rolemodels, Wimbledon provided a banquet of riches.

Tennis has always been a gentleman’s (and lady’s) game,though in recent years standards have sagged. Manners aren’tas fashionable or as rigorously enforced as once upon a time.Attire has evolved from traditional whites to duds of one’schoosing. Yet Wimbledon still requires players to dress in white.

Nadal wore knee-length “shorts” and a sleeveless shirt,while Federer was dressed more conservatively. We moderns like topretend that clothes don’t matter, that personal style issimply another function of freedom of expression. Yet we stilljudge others by how they present themselves, and Federer’spresentation on the court bespoke a higher level of respect for thegame.

The men’s playing styles are equally different. Nadal isSylvester Stallone to Federer’s Baryshnikov. Nadal enters thecourt like a steeplechase stallion, jogging in place, aching to hitthe track. Federer is a Zen master — centered, calm, patient.
By the end of the first three sets, however, all such distinctionsevaporated. I am probably not alone in saying that by the last set,I no longer cared who won. I wanted neither to lose. Both werevictors who demonstrated how to win and how to lose.

After the finale, Federer, layered in long pants and sweater,looked as if he’d just stepped out of the shower to accepthis second-place silver tray. Affectionately cuffing Nadal on theback of the neck, he posed for fans and kept his remarks brief:“I tried everything. ... But Rafa is a deserving champion.... It’s a pity I couldn’t win it in the circumstances,but I’ll be back next year.”

For his part, Nadal — sweat-soaked and choking back emotion— climbed the stands to embrace his parents. It was atouching moment that needed no commentary.
Afterward, Nadal raised the gold trophy and was gracious invictory.

“I’m so proud because I feel I am playing against, andnow beating, the best player in the history of tennis. The fight heput up against me was unbelievable and I congratulate him for that.I also have to say that he is a credit to our sport whether he winsor he loses.”

It doesn’t get any better than that. Would that life imitatedSunday’s Wimbledon.

Kathleen Parker is a member of The Washington Post Writers Group.Her e-mail address is kparker@kparker.com .