There were no visible cracks anywhere along the Plexicushion surface that covers Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night.
But a seismic shift took place in men's tennis when Rafael Nadal capped a stirring fortnight by holding off Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3),
3-6, 6-2 to win the Australian Open - the Spaniard's first Grand Slam on a hardcourt.
The 4-hour, 23-minute victory denied Federer a record-tying 14th major and was the top-ranked Nadal's fifth consecutive victory against his
rival, including last year's Wimbledon and French Open finals. Federer sobbed during the trophy presentation and had to stop and back away
from the microphone.
"Roger, sorry for today. I really know how you feel right now," Nadal said on court before lending him an arm around the shoulder. "Remember,
you're a great champion, you're one of the best in history."
Nadal, though, might be better.
At 22, he owns six major titles. Only Bjorn Borg, who was six months younger, won so many Slams at such a tender age when he captured
Wimbledon in 1978 for his sixth major. Federer, by contrast, had two at Nadal's age.
The only major to elude him is the U.S. Open, where last year he reached the semifinals.
Justin Gimelstob, the recently retired player now serving on the ATP Tour board and commentating for Tennis Channel, said Federer might well
tie or break Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles. "But there is no telling, if Nadal stays healthy, how far he can go."
"Unlike Sampras and Federer, he has a legitimate chance of winning the French Open and Wimbledon every year - and the other ones," Gimelstob
added. "He's proven that he can win on any surface."
Fit as he is, no one was sure how the Spaniard would respond following his five-set, 5-hour, 14-minute marathon defeat of compatriot Fernando
Verdsaco in the semifinals - the longest match in Australian Open history.
Nadal, who had one less day than Federer to prepare because of the alternating schedule, said he did not feel well in practice Saturday.
Despite a slight pull in his hamstring - for which he twice received massage during the final - the indefatigable Mallorcan never stopped
digging for balls and firing his own arsenal of weapons.
With Federer blasting forehands, Nadal held his ground with his biting lefty forehands, deft touch around the net and bullet crosscourt
backhands. Down the stretch, he was the more composed player.
"Words can't describe what kind of competitor and athlete he is to come back and do what he did after playing such a brutal semifinal,"
marveled ESPN analyst Darren Cahill.
Even so, Federer had his chances. He led 4-2 in the opening set and squandered six break points in the third, both sets Nadal eventually
won. After stealing the momentum in the fourth set, the Swiss star could not maintain it and played a flat, mistake-filled final set as the
Spaniard's relentless defense wore him down mentally and physically.
Federer converted only six of 19 break point opportunities and struggled with his serve for all five sets, making just 52% of his first
serves.
"I definitely played a terrible fifth set," Federer said.
"The key difference in the match was that in the final set Roger's level fell and Rafa was able to maintain his level," said Toni Nadal,
the Spaniard's uncle and coach.
Nadal now leads their rivalry 13-6, including the last three finals in majors they have played.
Considering the physicality of Nadal's game, health could be a big variable in how far Nadal takes his considerable talent. He has struggled
with small and more serious injuries and often has seemed worn out in the latter part of the 10-month tennis season.
His game, however, is never tired. His movement on all surfaces is better, his serve is bigger and his backhand, particularly crosscourt,
more dangerous.
"He's forever improving," Cahill said.
Federer now has to deal with the psychological blow of having his backyard taken away from him at Wimbledon and seeing Nadal surpass him on
cement, where he has dominated almost as much as grass.
"There is going to be collateral damage from this loss," Gimelstob said.
Mats Wilander, who also won back-to-back five-set matches when he captured the 1988 Australian Open, said that Federer has a "mental block"
with Nadal and needs to alter his game and throw different looks at the Spaniard, whose game has continued to evolve from year to year.
Too often, Wilander said, the 27-year-old Swiss ends up frustrated by the southpaw's topspin-laden balls that bounce high to his one-handed
backhand.
"He needs to give Nadal a problem to solve, and he doesn't," Wilander said. "This is a serious rivalry that has become one sided, and not
because Nadal is winning all the time but because all the same things seem to be happening."
Federer has not worked with a full-time coach since splitting with Tony Roche in 2007. Wilander's advice: "It's time to get a coach."
With Nadal so dominant on clay - he is undefeated in four attempts at Roland Garros - and now clearly a force on hardcourts, he could soon
supplant Federer as the most man most capable of winning all four majors in a single season - if his body holds up.
On Sunday night Nadal accepted the winner's cup from Rod Laver, who was in Melbourne to mark the 40th anniversary of the last Grand Slam
season in 1969.
Afterward, the Australian legend, who also won a Grand Slam in 1962, had to admit that Federer wasn't the only one with a shot.
"Yes," Laver answered when asked if Nadal could win a Grand Slam. "He's got the first leg in."
