Future Imperfect.....: Rafa Wins - Behind Enemy Lines.

"Rafa" became the first man to claim the Wimbledon - French Open double since Bjorn Borg in 1980 and is now laying siege to Federer's coveted number 1 ranking. Nadal won a five-set battle 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 in 4 hours and 48 minutes to win his first Wimbledon title.

A day before the clash, Federer said, “It’s my time of the season.” But, Nadal proved that time wasn’t right for him, and once again Federer was overpowered, but this time in his own territory, The Wimbledon.

A combination of factors had led to Nadal claiming favoritism for the tournament despite Federer's dominance of the event for five years. Nadal's stunning performance in losing last year's final; Federer's flat start to the 2008 season [due to illness]; Nadal's crushing victory in the recent French Open final; and the Spaniard's improvement on all surfaces this year had caused authorities as respected as Bjorn Borg to favor Nadal before the tournament.

The result has many consequences, most notably; a proof that Nadal is currently the best player in the world and Federer only just holds the #1 ranking. Here are some glimpses of the cliffhanger.

The defending Champion