Wimbledon final was an instant classic

I don’t know how many of you who read these blogs are into tennis, but I just had to write something about Sunday's Wimbledon final.

First, let me say that I am very much into tennis. It’s one of my favorite sports, not only to watch but also to play. As I get older, tennis seems like something I can still do without waking up the next day feeling like I’ve just been run over by a bulldozer. That’s how basketball, my true No. 1 sports love, often makes my body feel these days.

I know there have been some great Wimbledon finals over the years, and I’m old enough to remember some of the true classics, especially the one in 1980 featuring Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.

But I can’t imagine anything topping the show that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal put on Sunday.

Matching one incredible shot after another, the top tennis players of their generation waged a five-set thriller that was one for the ages and is already being called perhaps the greatest ever at Wimbledon.

I watched every point of the first four sets, then headed over to Capaha Field to cover the championship game of the National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional.

Much to my surprise and delight, one of the TV sets in the Capaha press box was able to pick up WPSD out of Paducah. There isn’t cable in the press box, so the picture was a bit fuzzy. Still, it was better than nothing as I caught most of the deciding fifth set while also following the action on the Capaha diamond.

Nadal finally edged Federer 9-7 in the fifth set to deny Federer a sixth consecutive Wimbledon championship, but that was really beside the point.

The exceptional quality of the match is what made it stand out so much.