【按】《洛杉矶时报》的赛前展望写得非常不错，尤其是文章最后的一句话值得令人玩味。兄弟将全力为Nadal加油，希望他在草地上“尽情撒野”，拿出Bruce Willis那种"Die Hard With A Vengeance"的玩命精神。顺便在此提一下"die hard"这个词组的中文译法，《英汉大词典》的释义有两条：

(1) 难改掉，难消灭：The old authoritarian structure of the family dies hard.

(2) 顽固到底，难断气: The old politician died hard.

综合这些释义，兄弟在1995年看完Bruce Willis那部影片后将"die hard"翻译成"冥顽"，很是得意了一把---“冥”字完全对应"die"，“顽”字完全对应"hard"，居然达到汉英之间的形与义完全一一对应(bijective mapping)。而"Die Hard With A Vengeance"这部影片就可以译为《冥顽不化》，呵呵。

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It's Nadal vs. Federer again

By Chuck Culpepper

2:57 PM PDT, July 7, 2007

WIMBLEDON, England — Roger Federer reached the Wimbledon final at 1:55 p.m. today, and Rafael Nadal reached the final at 1:56 p.m., and there's a metaphor in there somewhere.

For while Federer trumps Nadal and the 6.6 billion other earthlings in the fine art of grass-court tennis, there's a sense that the rest of the planet finally has yielded one young man who's growing in Federer's rearview mirror.

Nadal seems just behind Federer's shoulder blade now.

While Federer wiped out Richard Gasquet by 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, Nadal achieved last-obstacle status by beating Novak Djokovic when Djokovic retired with an infected foot blister at 3-6, 6-1, 4-1. Only Nadal remains in Federer's zooming five-year path to the five straight Wimbledon titles that Bjorn Borg hoarded from 1976 to 1980, an Open-era record.

Borg, 51, might even feel familiar pangs as he watches from the Royal Box, because the second straight Federer-Nadal Wimbledon final might show Nadal gaining on Federer the way John McEnroe once gained on Borg. Two straight finals means one grass apprenticeship has concluded.

"Lot of things change, no?" Nadal said. "Is another year. Well, this year I am playing so much better than last year, no? Sure, for all the reasons I am playing so much better. Sure, he's the favorite. No one have any doubt about this. But I going to try my best, no?"

On that, the world can count, with this Wimbledon just the latest tournament rife with cases of Nadal's blast-furnace effort. He withstood a third-round, five-set match that lasted five days and seven rain interruptions. He withstood a fourth-round, two-set deficit.

Some of history's — and Spain's — clay-court maestros have treated Wimbledon with indifference, but Nadal has a striking lack of the indifference chromosome. Federer's 33 straight Wimbledon wins with only six lost sets and zero five-set matches will run up against a newfangled definition of Spain-at-Wimbledon, with Nadal the first Spaniard to reach two finals.

"If I want to win here any day, I need to continuing improving my serve, my volley, my slice, my aggressive game, everything," Nadal said. "Anyway, I play two finals. That's very good.... But I have to improve. I just have 21 years old one month ago."

That astronomical will already made a hairy occasion out of the 2006 final, which Federer won by 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3, after Nadal served for the second set even as a debutant.

"I felt he totally changed his game for last year's final," Federer said. "He played way more aggressive. He hit his backhand, his forehand. I was very surprised, you know, but handled it pretty well. So we'll see what kind of an approach he's going to come out with."

Further, it's hard to tell which of their divergent paths to the final of this wacko Wimbledon will prove more beneficial.

Nadal played at least a chunk of a match on every single day of the second week, and entire matches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Fatigue might visit him.

Federer, whose fourth-round opponent Tommy Haas withdrew with a torn stomach muscle, did not play a match from the first Saturday to the second Thursday, then played only for 10 games before rain resumed. A mild rustiness might visit him.

Their fates grew similar only in the semifinals. Both played guys with frail feet. Both played guys who played protracted quarterfinals, Djokovic for 4 hours, 59 minutes and five sets against Marcos Baghdatis, Gasquet for 3 hours, 34 minutes and five sets against Andy Roddick.

Gasquet had to play at noon after finishing at 8:01 the night before. Djokovic had to play after a bleeding foot infection kept him up all night and hollered for a pre-match withdrawal.

So rain and pain abetted another Federer-Nadal convergence just four weeks after Nadal beat Federer in four sets at Roland Garros. "On clay I always feel like he is in the driver's seat," Federer said, "whereas on grass, I feel like I'm in the driver's seat."

It's just that Sunday, the driver's seat might get crowded.

Collins: Federer's heart lifts him to title

Swiss star digs deep to prevail in an all-time great Wimbledon final

By Bud Collins
Updated: 4:24 p.m. ET July 8, 2007

LONDON - Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were playing to make history in the Wimbledon final.

Federer to equal Bjorn Borg's mark of five straight Wimbledon titles set from 1976 to 1980. Nadal to become the first player since Borg in 1980 to win titles at Roland Garros and the All England Club in the same year.

History goes to Federer.

For the first time in the last five years at Wimbledon, Federer was taken to a fifth set -- one in which he fought back to save two break points in both the third and fifth games, and broke Nadal in the sixth and eighth games to complete a 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 triumph. If Nadal had won any of those break points, he would probably have become the Wimbledon champion.

Pushed to the limit and on the ropes in the final set, Federer responded with heart of a champion who has now won 11 majors. When they met at the net upon the conclusion of the match, Federer told Nadal that the Spaniard deserved to win as much as he did. It was that kind of special match, one for the ages, and one which clearly showed why Federer and Nadal have separated themselves from the rest of the men on tour.

A Centre Court classic

Federer put his greatness on display in this match, especially in the fifth set after looking like he was out of it in the fourth set. For him to escape those break points was terrific stuff -- the stuff of champions. Federer fighting off those break points is as good as it gets in tennis.

I've not seen anything quite like this match on Centre Court, and it definitely puts Federer in a different realm. Both Federer and Nadal take responsibility for how the fifth set played out. Federer held on to his cool, after losing it a bit in the fourth set when he thought the video replay technology was getting the calls wrong. And Nadal was a bit nervous on those break-point opportunities.

Thinking back to some of the great matches I’ve seen at Wimbledon that might somewhat compare to this match the one that comes to mind was the 1982 five-set final that Jimmy Connors won against John McEnroe 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. That duel was also an exciting, really well-played contest. The last five-set final at Wimbledon was in 2001 when Goran Ivanisevic beat Patrick Rafter. Nothing against those guys, but the quality of tennis they played was nowhere near as high as that of Federer and Nadal.

This title tilt was a fantastic match, and I believe the match of the year so far. The shot-making was phenomenal, and it stood you on your head as you watched. Gosh, I honestly thought it was going to be curtains for Federer in the fifth set, but he proved me wrong. It was wonderful tennis played by two men who fight so hard to win. They are to be as much admired for their relentless commitment to battle as they are for their abundant talent.

Federer builds upon his legacy

Federer was the oldest player of the four Wimbledon finalists, and this was his ninth straight title match at a major. He has won 34 matches in succession at Wimbledon, seven short of Borg's record. Overall on grass he's won 54 straight tests. In his stretch of 34 Wimbledon wins he's dropped only eight sets.

He did say that maybe he was dominating less at Wimbledon this year than he did last year, but he felt good heading into his championship clash with Nadal. And why shouldn't he have felt that way? Federer may have the best hands of any player in the history of the game. He has a tremendous serve that produced 24 aces in the final. It came up big for him at critical points. He also possesses the best forehand in the world. That forehand played a big part in his piling up 65 winners in the title match. Nadal had 50 winners.

Federer reigning supreme on the lawns of the All England Club for the fifth consecutive year continues to grow his legacy. Given his greatness he's at the point in his career where he seems to be constantly chasing history. At Wimbledon 2007 it was equaling Borg's mark. Next year at Wimbledon he'll aim to match Willie Renshaw's six consecutive titles at the grasscourt major -- a string Renshaw put together from 1881 to 1886.

And with each Grand Slam event he wins, the Swiss court magician moves closer to surpassing Pete Sampras for the most majors won in a career. Sampras captured 14 so it might not be much longer before Federer breaks that record.

Later this summer Federer will seek his fourth straight U.S. Open title. Wimbledon is special to him, but so is the U.S. Open. They are the two biggest stages in professional tennis, and over the last half decade Federer has played them better than anyone. He aims to keep doing so. It will be up to Andy Roddick, who lost to the Swiss in last year's U.S. Open final, or Nadal, who made it to the quarters a year ago in New York, or maybe a quickly rising star like Novak Djokovic to deny Federer his third major of the year. Talk about a daunting task.

Proving the skeptics wrong

Nadal was seeded second, but there were doubters that he could make a second-straight Wimbledon final (he lost last year's title match in four sets to Federer). But not only did he repeat the feat, he did so by enduring a slew of rain delays and postponements over the two weeks. All the rain meant that against Federer Nadal was playing for the seventh straight day. In stark contrast the near-constant wetness resulted in Federer having a six-day layoff during the fortnight.

It was just two years ago that Nadal exited from Wimbledon in the second round. Look at how far he's come so quickly. Amazing, and a credit to his drive and determination to become a top contender on grass. The Spaniard was dead on when he said he was playing much better in London this year than he did last year. He was much better at this Wimbledon -- so much better that he came about as close as one can come to winning the title.

With the impact of all the bad weather there really wasn't a time when Nadal had the opportunity to rejuvenate his body and mind. Yet by far his performance against Federer was Nadal's best match at Wimbledon. He served well, volleyed well, hit excellent groundstrokes, and had magnificent touch on his shots. He played high-percentage tennis. He played precision tennis.

Nadal has unbelievable ability, and he works incredibly hard at bettering his game. The 21-year-old has to be admired for how much his serve has improved. He has more pop on it than in the past. Federer certainly found that out. Nadal can hit a winner from anywhere on the court. Against Federer he was aggressive from the baseline and at the net. He didn't win Wimbledon this year, but he left little doubt this grasscourt major could hail him as king one day in the not-to-distant future.

A rivalry that just keeps getting better

The Federer-Nadal rivalry has come of age. Federer rules on grass -- although anyone can see Nadal is closing fast on that surface. Nadal does the same on clay. Federer owns the rest of those on the men's tour, but not Nadal. Against opponents not named Nadal, the Swiss has a record of 278-12 since 2004. Against Nadal over that same stretch he is 5-8.

This rivalry is great for the sport. It really makes people take notice of tennis. Even casual fans of the game are drawn in. Nadal has had his way with Federer in the last three French Opens. Now Federer has come through this close encounter of a five-set kind on grass at Wimbledon. So these two stars will be feeling pretty competitive for the next few months. They may meet up over the summer, and come the U.S. Open I suspect that Nadal will be after some revenge for his losing in London. If they clash in New York, it will be fireworks long after the Fourth of July.

Federer and Nadal give tennis fans something great to look forward to for not just the rest of this year, but for years to come. Federer has still not captured the French Open -- the only major he has not won. Nadal stands in his way, and as such presents to him the same sort of challenge the Swiss presents to the Spaniard at Wimbledon. One rules on clay, the other on grass. Who will be first to win on the other's most dominant surface?

Federer continues to work hard at his tennis despite playing at a level of greatness. Nadal is still developing his overall game, and as we've seen from him on the grasscourts the past couple of years he's quick on the learning curve. Neither one is coming back to the pack. If anything, they are both moving further ahead of it. That should only fuel their rivalry even more, and tennis will be most fortunate to have these two great players vying to be No. 1 in the world for years to come.