This past weekend was one of the better sports weekends I can remember with a classic Australian Open mens final between top rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and a really exciting Superbowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. The womens final was pretty anticlimactic but still good nonetheless with Serena Williams reclaiming the top spot on the WTA Tour by dismantling Dinara Safina.The Aussie Open final was the first time that Nadal and Federer had met on a hard court grand slam final. Federer was sure to have the advantage with his experience on hard courts and the fact he was trying to tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14 grand slam titles. However, it was not to be as Federer blew several chances, especially in the third set. Federer had three break points at 4-4 in the third set and Nadal was able to fight them off and then Federer had another two break points at 5-5 in the third and was still unable to capitalize and he went on to lose the tiebreaker after no doubt-suffering mentally.Watching Federer playing Nadal is one of the most frustrating things to watch if you’re a Federer fan. It’s as if Federer forgets how good he is and Nadal totally has the mental advantage over him as he just wilts under the pressure. Roger had so many opportunities to win Saturday night and just played tight when it mattered the most. He never plays like that against any other player except for Nadal who to his credit played brilliantly and is an exceptional talent and the strongest mental player I’ve ever seen-perhaps in any sport with the exception of Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. He is also amazing in 5 setters, having won so many memorable matches in the past few years and he currently deserves to be number one in the world. He has now beaten Federer in 5 grand slam finals on three different surfaces and again, to his credit, he has been the underdog at both Wimbledon and the Aussie Open.
The thing about Nadal is it’s just tough to beat the guy. If you watch him play, he just gets to every ball and makes very few unforced errors. Where do the points come from? It’s amazing to watch the guy play. It must be incredibly frustrating for a guy like Federer to hit amazing shots and repeatedly have Nadal run them down and come up with amazing shots time after time. Nadal is just so tough to beat on the biggest points, he is so focused.
Nadal now has six grand slam titles at the age of 22. Federer had zero at age 22 so perhaps in the end it will be Nadal to supplant Sampras’ record afterall or perhaps Federer’s if he eventually gets the record. I don’t see anyone but Nadal winning at Roland Garros and Federer obviously has a great chance at Wimbledon and the US Open but again if he has to play Nadal-the advantage is always with Nadal mentally.
On the other end of the sports spectrum, the Superbowl was a great game last night with a very exciting fourth quarter and one of the most improbable interception returns I’ve ever seen and certainly the best and longest in Superbowl history which was the difference in the game.
Santonio Holmes was also excellent while winning MVP. Big Ben Roethlisberger was as good as he had to be as usual while Larry Fitzgerald showed why he is the best receiver in the NFL. Kurt Warner also played very well but that interception at the end of the half will go down in Superbowl history as one of the biggest blunders by a Quarterback in history. I still can’t believe he threw that pass under pressure like that on the goal line. That pick six was a 14 point turnaround and eventually would become the difference in the game and cost Arizona a shot at their first Championship.
Santonio Holmes was also excellent while winning MVP. Big Ben Roethlisberger was as good as he had to be as usual while Larry Fitzgerald showed why he is the best receiver in the NFL. Kurt Warner also played very well but that interception at the end of the half will go down in Superbowl history as one of the biggest blunders by a Quarterback in history. I still can’t believe he threw that pass under pressure like that on the goal line. That pick six was a 14 point turnaround and eventually would become the difference in the game and cost Arizona a shot at their first Championship.
Pittsburgh set themselves apart from every other NFL team by picking up their 6th Superbowl Championship and second in the past 4 seasons. Congratulations to the Steelers because as is their way, they just find a way to get it done. It’s not always pretty or in fact never, but they find a way to get it done. Luckily for me of course, I had Arizona at +6.5 so I was happy either way!
LEE ABBAMONTE
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