You can over-hype a match ...but you just can’t over-hype THIS one
McEnroe on how world is going crazy for re-run of Federer v Nadal epic
TICKETS for Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer were being offered for sale for £7,600 a pair on the official Wimbledon debenture site with the pair meeting at SW19 for the first time since the 2008 final.
Secondary sales are permitted for the tennis, and long-term seat holders were cashing in on the guaranteed box office of a sequel to ‘the greatest match you never saw again’.
For years, the British public were brought up on replays of the classic 1980 encounter between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, which were broadcast whenever live coverage from SW19 was interrupted by rain. But, with the introduction of a Centre Court roof in 2009, the shame was that Nadal’s thrilling 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 victory was not needed by the BBC for archive action to fill the rain delays again.
McEnroe said: “It was the best match I’ve ever seen in my life. I was lucky enough that people used to talk about the match I had with Bjorn in 1980 but this one, everything surrounding it, the way it ended, the quality of tennis, to see Rafa finally get his first Wimbledon, was amazing.”
Boris Becker, three times men’s champion in the 1980s, agrees. “I think it’s the one match where every tennis player alive is going to tune in. Two ultimate warriors. One with 20 majors, the other 18.
“Everybody remembers the final of 2008 and history in the making is something we want to see.”
McEnroe even believes today’s semi-final could surpass their previous encounter, saying: “You can over-hype a match but I don’t think we can over-hype this one. Centre Court is Roger’s court, like Paris is Rafa’s. But Rafa is playing unbelievably.
“This has got so much importance historically as well as just a classic match-up, their styles, everything about it is amazing.”