Watchdog

Bud Collins, tennis historian, journalist and personality and the man who literally wrote the history book on tennis - namely the newly-released book "The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book," not surprisingly called Sunday’s epic Wimbledon men’s singles final between Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerland the best Wimbledon final in history.

"This was the heavyweight championship in the world of tennis - a singular match in Wimbledon's history,” said Collins. “I have covered 41 finals, including the classics of 1980 and 1981 with (Bjorn) Borg and (John) McEnroe, but this 4 hour, 48 minute final is No. 1.”

In the longest Wimbledon men’s singles final ever played, Nadal ended the five-year title reign of Federer, defeating the world’s No. 1 player 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, avenging his losses to Federer in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals. Nadal is the first Spaniard to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title since Manuel Santana in 1966. Federer is denied his opportunity to win a sixth straight Wimbledon singles title, an unprecedented feat in the modern era of tennis. Nadal, who has won the last four French Open titles, becomes the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back in the same year.

“They fought so ferociously,” said Collins of Nadal and Federer. “I thought Nadal would crumble a little after losing the two match points, but it did not faze him and he became the first player to win the Cross Channel double, the French followed by Wimbledon, a feat thought impossible since the last time it was done in 1980 by Borg."