I don't think that I could come up with better summary of today's match that these song lyrics (and if you think it's corny, duh, feel free to skip):

This final did really drive it home, didn't it? There was a sign that some fans were holding, that said "Return of Roger of old" or something to that effect. But that's an illusion, isn't it? He won't be returning, and the final showed exactly why - Roger's back to whatever level he's capable of playing at, currently. His movement is the same, his forehand's just as murderous, his serve is better than it was two years ago - the question is, can he hold it together consistently throughout a match? And the answer to that question is "no". The damage was done, the trials of the last year - be that mono or whatthefuckever, took their toll, and Roger just can't play consistently well throughout a match any longer (that of course, if an opponent doesn't roll over for him). There will inevitably, inevitably come a moment when his return of serve will be dropping meekly mid-court, and his forehand will start leaking errors, and his volleys will bounce in unexpected directions, and he will start challenging every other call with a constipated look on his face. And to beat Nadal in the best of five, he mustn't afford any of that, must play at the highest level consistently, without any dips, because Nadal will be right there to exploit them. And Nadal most definitely won't roll over.

In all honesty, it's hard to feel sorry for Fed, 'cause yeah. 13 slams. And in all honesty, he shoulda lost to Berdych in the 4th round, so hell's bells, a final is not that bad. I'm just feeling bitchy right now, 'cause this tournament was such and unmitigated disaster for me (with the notable exception of Murray exit - keep it up Andy!).

As for Nadal, I'm grateful for him at least for two great matches back to back - the semi vs. Verdasco and this one (although I missed the  sets 3 and 4, some rallies in the first two sets of the final were to die for). His new outfit is really cute, sparkly shorts and all - don't let anyone convince you otherwise, a vast improvement over the Son of the Jungle look. But I just can't enjoy his game - not on grass, not on hard, most certainly not on clay. The new era is here, and I'm not looking forward to it.
 
Off to watch Vicky Christina Barcelona now.

Too sleepy to do full match reports, so I think I'll go with bullet-points this time, as I remember them.

 

Now, re: Murray