The Usage of Neuropriming with Athletes Seeking Peak Performance

Neuropriming is a technique that uses electrical stimulation to enhance the brain's plasticity, or ability to change. This can be done in a variety of ways, but some of the most common types of neuropriming include:

• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS): This is a non-invasive technique that uses electrodes to deliver a weak electrical current to the brain. tDCS has been shown to improve cognitive function, motor performance, and pain relief.

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): This is a more invasive technique that uses a magnetic field to induce an electrical current in the brain. TMS has been shown to be effective in treating depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other neurological disorders.

• Optogenetics: This technique uses light to activate specific neurons in the brain. Optogenetics has been used to study the neural basis of learning and memory, and it has the potential to be used to treat neurological disorders.

There are many different types of neuropriming, but some of the most common include:

• Motor priming: This type of neuropriming is used to improve motor performance. For example, tDCS has been shown to improve reaction time and accuracy in tasks such as tennis and golf.

• Cognitive priming: This type of neuropriming is used to improve cognitive function. For example, TMS has been shown to improve working memory and attention.

• Pain priming: This type of neuropriming is used to reduce pain. For example, tDCS has been shown to reduce chronic pain in patients with conditions such as fibromyalgia and back pain.

There are many different types of neuropriming, but some of the most common include:

• Motor priming: This type of neuropriming is used to improve motor performance. For example, tDCS has been shown to improve reaction time and accuracy in tasks such as tennis and golf.

• Cognitive priming: This type of neuropriming is used to improve cognitive function. For example, TMS has been shown to improve working memory and attention.

• Pain priming: This type of neuropriming is used to reduce pain. For example, tDCS has been shown to reduce chronic pain in patients with conditions such as fibromyalgia and back pain.

There are two other specific modalities in which neuropriming is used to enhance: visual neuropriming and auditory neuropriming.

Visual neuropriming involves using images or videos to prime the brain. For example, an athlete might be shown a picture of a successful free throw before taking a shot. This can help to improve their accuracy by priming their brain to expect success.

Auditory neuropriming involves using sounds to prime the brain. For example, an athlete might be given a specific word or phrase to repeat before performing a task. This can help to improve their performance by priming their brain to focus on the task at hand.

Here are some specific examples of visual neuropriming:

• Seeing a picture of a successful free throw before taking a shot.

• Watching a video of a top athlete performing a skill perfectly.

• Looking at a graph that shows your progress over time.

Here are some specific examples of auditory neuropriming:

• Repeating a mantra or affirmation before performing a task.

• Listening to a motivational speech or song.

• Hearing the sound of a metronome or heartbeat.

Here are some specific examples of how neuropriming has been used:

• **In a study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers used tDCS to improve the performance of professional golfers. The golfers who received tDCS showed significant improvement in their putting accuracy.

• **In a study published in the journal Brain, researchers used TMS to improve the performance of athletes with chronic pain. The athletes who received TMS showed significant improvement in their pain tolerance and performance.

• **In a study published in the journal Nature, researchers used optogenetics to improve the performance of mice in a maze task. The mice that received optogenetics showed significantly faster learning and memory.

These are just a few examples of how neuropriming has been used. The technology is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to be used to improve the performance of athletes in a variety of sports.

The latest news in neuropriming with elite athletes is that it is becoming increasingly popular, with more and more athletes using it to improve their performance. One of the most well-known athletes who used neuropriming is Tom Brady, the retired quarterback for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady has said that he used neuropriming to help him stay sharp and focused during games. Other elite athletes who use or used neuropriming include Serena Williams, LeBron James, and Usain Bolt.

A study published in the journal Brain Stimulation in 2019 found that neuropriming can improve athletic performance by up to 45%. The study looked at a group of elite athletes who used neuropriming for 8 weeks. The athletes who used neuropriming showed significant improvements in their strength, power, and speed.

Another study, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in 2020, found that neuropriming can improve motor learning. The study looked at a group of participants who were learning a new motor skill. The participants who used neuropriming were able to learn the skill more quickly and efficiently than the participants who did not use neuropriming.

These studies suggest that neuropriming is a promising new way to improve athletic performance. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine the long-term effects of neuropriming.

Here are some other athletes who are using neuropriming:

• Simone Biles, Olympic gymnast

• Rafael Nadal, tennis player

• Lindsey Vonn, alpine skier

• Stephen Curry, NBA basketball player

• Alex Morgan, soccer player

• Roger Federer, tennis player

• Jordan Spieth, golfer

• Katie Ledicky, swimmer

Here are some specific examples of how neuropriming is being used by elite athletes:

• Serena Williams: Williams uses neuropriming to improve her reaction time and accuracy. She wears a headset that sends electrical pulses to her motor cortex, which helps her to fire her muscles more quickly and precisely.

• Roger Federer: Federer uses neuropriming to improve his focus and concentration. He wears a headset that helps him to block out distractions and stay in the present moment.

• Jordan Spieth: Spieth uses neuropriming to improve his power and endurance. He wears a headset that helps him to recruit more muscle fibers during his workouts.

• Katie Ledecky: Ledecky uses neuropriming to improve her swimming technique. She wears a headset that helps her to visualize her perfect stroke.

• Stephen Curry: Curry uses neuropriming to improve his shooting accuracy. He wears a headset that helps him to focus on the target and release the ball at the perfect moment.

These are just a few examples of how neuropriming is being used by elite athletes. The technology is still in its early stages, but it is showing great potential to help athletes reach new levels of performance.

It is important to note that neuropriming is not a miracle cure. It is a tool that can be used to improve performance, but it is not a guarantee of success. Athletes who use neuropriming still need to train hard and be dedicated to their sport.

For more on mental conditioning, enroll in our new online, self-paced course developed by Psychogenyx:  Strengthening Your Mental Core. 

The Truth about Self-Confidence in Sports

One of the most over-used concepts in sports and performance psychology is self-confidence. Nevertheless, this concept holds considerable legitimacy and power as a key ingredient in success and winning in sports, politics, business, and life.

The limitations of this concept lies in the individualistic nature of its use.  When we think if self-confidence, our view remains within the confines of the individual athlete.  Though some sports are obviously team sports and some are individual sports, the burden to maximize self-confidence lies in the individual performer.

Individually, perhaps no one had more self-confidence that Muhammad Ali, an individual boxer. We consider professional tennis players Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, the Williams sisters, and Maria Sharapova to have supreme self-confidence.  At the team sport level, we have assumed for years that the Chicago Bulls lived off of the off-the-chart self-confidence of Michael Jordan. Most people believe, that the New England Patriots live off the self-confidence of  Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.  Andy Murray, the new men's Wimbledon champion, is the new poster boy for self-confidence.   

Regardless of the sport, mental conditioning coaches and sports psychologist talk about self-confidence and mental toughness primarily in individual terms and typically intervene at the individual level.  Though somewhat effective, perhaps the truth of confidence lies at the group or organization level and beyond.  Even individual athletes in individual sports have coaches, trainers, agents, caddies, families, etc.  

If self-confidence is affected by how unsure an individual feels as a result of each setback or barrier to success, then their individual mindset is the unit of measure.  This maintains the burden to remove that feeling on the individual, and, perhaps, his or her willing to be influenced by others (coaches, teammates, fans, etc,). The ultimate focus and burden lies on his self-confidence and his performance.  

Self-confidence is commonly defined as the sureness of feeling that the individual (even if a part of a team) is equal to his or her task at hand.  The media and the fans as well as coaches and players tend to see the problem of self-confidence to ultimately lie at the individual level.  

A better definition of confidence is one offered by Rosabeth Moss Kanter.  It is the ability to envision a positive outcome.  This definition of confidence does not contain the limits of the individual but focuses on the outcome.    

But let's look at this systemically.  What if confidence were not placed at the feet of individuals to be collected individually like bowling scores?  What if the real burden of confidence and success were shared by all of the major stakeholders of the team, the players and the coaches as a collective entity?  

What if there were a greater collective score, called Collective Team Confidence, multiplied by the alchemy of all stakeholders in the outcome of a practice session, a game or a season?  Then, confidence would not be held in small buckets with little influence or interaction with other amounts in other buckets. Confidence would be free to interact, to influence the entire team, as a whole through their collective sense of confidence.    

With this new mindset, the responsibility for the level of confidence and, therefore, performance, could placed at a higher level, a more effective level:  at the system level, the social or community level. What if we really begin locate, measure, and hold the larger entity with the responsibility and burden of performance?   Then, confidence would no longer be held at the level of the individual athlete.

For example, if an individual athlete were no longer the locus of confidence, he would also no longer individually responsible for exihibiting, maintaining, and evaluating their level of confidence at a micro level. What if their swagger or the vibe they project was no longer the measuring stick. What if their individual play, through the ebb and flow of individual performance, mistakes, missteps and moment-by-moment was no longer the unit of measure or all to praise or ridicule. What if confidence were managed at the macro level.    
Experts in the field have concluded that Confidence is effected by six factors:  

• Performance Accomplishments
• Involvement in the Success of Others
• Verbal persuasion
• Imagery Experiences
• Psychological States
• Emotional States

Performance accomplishments are the strongest contributor to sport confidence. However, if we only see this happening or only evaluate this factor at the individual level, through individual scores, individual statistics, and individual accomplishment, we leave much to chance and leave much collective confidence on the table. Particularly, only team success should breed confidence, while only repeated team failure should diminish it. Individual self-confidence would then have little to do with it.   

Individuals who experience success while being involved with the success of others can also significantly bolster collective confidence.  It is contagious, regardless of the individual talent levels of the teammates.  

Verbal persuasion involves attempting to change the attitudes and behavior of those around us, and this includes changing their self-confidence. In sports, coaches often try to boost confidence by convincing individual athletes that the challenge ahead is within their individual capabilities: ‘I know you’re a great player so keep your head up and play hard!’  However, if confidence is not centered on the individual but the collective group, the task is more manageable and, once again, relies on contagion.  

Imagery experiences have to do with athletes recreating multi-sensory images of successful performance in their mind. This imagery also should be team rather than individually focused. Imagery that is focused on the team is more likely to be successful and less dependent on the abilities of accurate evaluation by the individual. Through creating such valuable team mental representations, mastery of a particular team task is far more likely. 

If the responsibility for confidence mistakenly lies with the individual, then, the physiological state of anxiety can quickly reduce feelings of confidence.  This anxiety in turn can affect performance through phenomena such as muscular tension, palpitations and butterflies in the stomach.  The psychological and emotional states that negatively affect performance at the individual level can be controlled more easily if the responsibility for confidence lies with and is shared by the team and the entire organization.

When we look closely at the concept of confidence in this way, it is much easier to manage and master.  

Next time you consider Self-Confidence in sports, consider Collective Team Confidence instead.  

  


  

The Mental Conditioning of Tomas Berdych

“What I’ve been really trying to work on is mental strength and preparation for every single match. They are very important aspects of today’s game. Especially now. Everybody can play a good forehand and backhand. There is no difference at all. It’s really just about the small details and one of them is the mental preparation, which I’ve been trying to improve. I believe I did so, but you can improve these aspects a lot. I hope this is something that can take me higher.

“There’s a lot you can say about that really. It’s concentration in the match. It’s also what you do around: how you deal with the situations on court and off court. It’s not only about once you step on the court. It’s been the work of my team. Part of it has definitely been my tennis coach. He can help me with that as well. I’ve also been working with one guy, not a sports psychologist as such, but a mental coach, which is a little bit different than a psychologist. It works, quite well. I’ve been working with him for two or three years.” 

--Tomas Berdych, tennis pro, who is improving ever year and becoming a force on the professional tour. 

Berdych beat Roger Federer and Roger Federer en route to the 2010 Wimbledon final, only to lose to Rafael Nadal. Since then, Berdych has become a Top 10 tennis player. This year, in 2013, he has reached back-to-back ATP World Tour finals at the Open 13 in Marseille (in which he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga) and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, (in which he lost to Novak Djokovic). He has won 14 of his 18 matches. His goal is to continue to close the gap on the likes of the big 4, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.

Can he do it?  Will mental conditioning help?

Let's look at the general techniques often used in mental conditioning:

Autogenic Relaxation – autogenic also known as self-generated training has the power to actually alter your neural pathways as you change your behavior. Autogenic relaxation is a kind of self-hypnosis that enables you to root positive phrases and mental images in your unconscious. It brings your mind and feelings into harmony with your body as you take on and adjust to new behaviors.

Visualization – visualization is your ability to imagine in your mind certain situations. It not only includes visually seeing the events happening but also allows you to feel like you are almost in the situation. All five senses are present in the visualization including sound, smell, touch, etc. Visualization is a powerful tool when used in a positive matter. However, in many cases athletes replay negative events causing a negative effect on performance. The more vivid the visualization the more it attaches to your memory.

Affirmations and Positive Self-Talk – Affirmations are positive statements that you can use to replace your negative mind-chatter. Using affirmations can be a powerful way to transform many of your old attitudes and expectations into positive and vibrant ones.  These affirmations will allow you to take control of your self-talk and internal dialogue that can contribute to your performance.

Neuromuscular Coordination – muscle/brain imprinting through controlled plyometrics, body and motor control training helps "train the brain" to react naturally and unconsciously when brought into a real playing situation. Slow motions that imprint movements that are consistent with the sport will improve overall efficiency.

Do you do any of these techniques regularly?  There are more and more studies that suggest that these techniques are very valuable to the young athlete.  

For more information, contact us now.  404-357-7335. 

Excerpt from "Tomas Berdych:  The Mental Game,"  by Robert Davis," ATPworldtour.com (February 5, 2013).

Roger Federer Gets in the Zone in Comeback Win

“I do go into a trance-like state I guess at times. I did feel that midway through the third set on Friday, things were clicking for me.  And I knew that it was going to be hard for him to come through."

 
--Roger Federer, talking about his ability to get in the zone during a match against Julien Bennetaur at Wimbledon last week.  

Federer came back from two sets down in the match to stay alive at Wimbledon in this second round match.  He went on to win two more matches to set up a rematch with Novak Djokovic in one of the semifinals.  Federer has won Wimbledon six times.   



Excerpt from http://www.thesun.co.uk (July 1, 2012).

The Wimbledon Diary: Novak Djokovic, A Peak Performance Case Study

"When my streak ended in Paris it was kind of a relief as well, because it's been a very successful five, six months, but it's also been long and exhausting. I needed some time to relax and I'm happy to see that I'm playing well again and I'm mentally really fresh to have more success."

--Novak Djokovic, whose streak of 43 matches won recently came to an end.

Over the past year, Djokovic has been playing his best tennis:  in addition to "The Streak," three consecutive wins over Roger Federer, a Grand Slam win at the Australian Open, a first-ever win for Serbia in the Davis Cup, and back-to-back wins over Nadal and Federer to win the BNP Paribas Open.  


Is Novak Djokovic positioned to win at Wimbledon?  Let's look at various aspects of a winning mentality.   




Realistic Confidence

"Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer] are the two biggest favourites," he said, "because they've been so dominant the last couple years, especially on grass. They are the only two players who have been winning this tournament for quite some time. Obviously, there is Andy Murray, who is home favourite. He's playing really well on grass courts and Wimbledon last couple years.

"It's true there is a different approach to this year's Wimbledon from my side because I'm playing, I think, the best tennis of my life in the last six months. That's why I believe in myself much more on the court and I know I can perform well, equally well, on this surface as I do on the other ones."

Maturity and Perspective

""We grew up in the worst time for our country (war-torn Serbia).  But it made us stronger, made us fight for what we want to achieve, made us people who appreciate life more.  We have been through difficult things in our career, and we appreciate success much more, even though we are still young."

"This is a difficult sport. It just depends where you grow up. It's a matter of luck in the end, but that's life. But probably this hunger for the success which we all have and still have, you can see it in the girls like [Maria] Sharapova and the Williams sisters and the girls and guys from Serbia.
"You see how much they appreciate to be in that position and how much energy and emotions they put on the court. It's quite amazing. I know for myself I play with a lot of emotions, positive emotions, negative emotions. But this is how I feel and how I am. I'm a guy with alot of temperment, becuase I know how much it means to me to be in that position."



--Novak Djokovic, discussing the new wave of young players whose desire to succeed is born of economic hardship and cultural upheaval, particularly in Eastern Europe.



Focus:  Competition, Learning and a Continuous Improvement Mentality


When discussing his toughest competition, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Djokovic says that they help him focus and develop.


"They're always lifting the limits.  In each event--literally each event you're playing--you have to play at least semifinals or finals. It's ridiculous how successful and how consistent they are, how mentally strong.  It's a big challenge, something that makes you grow up.


"When I step on the court, especially with Federer and Nadal, I believe I can win against them.  That's what's different about me.  Before I was just trying to play my best tennis, but now I want to win."


Mindset


Djokovic has been more emotionally balanced this year.  In the past, his performance was a source of frustration.


"He was more up-and-down, and physically, he wan't ready--he'd get more aggravated.  Emotionally , he's settled down," says his coach of the last five years, Marian Vajda.

"Think positive.  LIfe is too short to think otherwise" says Djokovic.


From a mental standpoint, it appears Djokovic could go deep into the Wimbledon draw, perhaps come out with the title.  He seems mentally prepared.


Are you mentally prepared for the challenge, unknowns, turbulence and competition of the future?  






Excerpts from the New York Times 1/29/08, Tennis magazine (June 2011) and Reuters (June 21, 2011).

A Very Focused and Grounded Rafael Nadal Wins 6th French Open

"A big personal satisfaction, especially when you started [the tournament] without playing your best.  Finally, I was able to play my best when I needed my best.

"[The French Open] always is the tournament where I feel that I have more chances to win. This is my biggest chance of the year [to win a Grand Slam]. I know if I win this tournament, my season is fantastic. I then can play with more confidence and less pressure." 

--Rafael Nadal, after winning the 2011 French Open over Roger Federer.  

Nadal beat Federer without playing his best tennis throughout the tournament.  So, he had to deal with it and accept his less than stellar playing.   

"The real Rafa is both the Rafa who wins and the Rafa who plays well, and the Rafa who suffers and doesn't play that well," Nadal said. "You have to face this situation."

Typically, Nadal is exceptional at Roland Garros in Paris -- 45-1 for his career, and the same number of titles there as Bjorn Borg -- but the Spaniard already also has shown that he is much more than the King of Clay. And Sunday's victory only will raise more questions about whether Federer truly deserves to be called the Greatest of All Time if he is not even the Greatest of Right Now.

Nadal leads their head-to-head series 17-8. That includes a 6-2 advantage in Grand Slam finals and a 5-0 edge at the French Open (in the 2005 semifinals, and the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011 finals).

Nevertheless, this is not what drives him.  

"When you talk about these statistics, when you try and make these comparisons, really it's not very interesting to me," continued Nadal, who would have ceded the No. 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic with a loss Sunday. "I'm very happy with what I have, with who I am. I'm not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I'm among the best. That's true. That's enough for me."

But, does Nadal have Federer's number?  Toni Nadal, Rafael's uncle and coach, spoke plainly after Sunday's match.

"The game of Rafael is not too good for Roger," Toni said, adding that Federer's "mentality against Rafael is not the best."

On Sunday, Federer raced to a 5-2 at the outset, but blew a set point by missing a drop shot that landed barely wide.  That seemed to unnerve Federer and open the door for Nadal. 

Nadal then won seven games in a row. Later, when Nadal went up a break in the third and led 4-2, the match appeared over, until Federer charged back to force a fourth set.

But Nadal once more assumed control, winning the last five games, then dropping to his knees and leaning forward with his hands covering his eyes.

"I was able to play my best when I needed my best," Nadal repeated. "For that reason, today I am here with the trophy." 

Excerpts from ESPN.com (June 5 & 6, 2011).

The Tenacity, Determination & Focus of Roger Federer

"Sometimes it takes a loss to make you strong. As you can see, I reacted, I've come back."

--Roger Federer, discussing his tenacity and determination in returning championship form and winning the Wimbledon men’s singles title.

A back injury hampered Federer early this year, and many were predicting that Federer was on the way down.

"Australia was pretty tough. It's huge that he loves tennis. That helps him a lot. Otherwise, he would maybe need some time off afterwards. But he loves tennis, so he went on. He was practicing hard, he was staying focused, and everything paid off now."

--Severin Luthi, the Swiss Davis Cup captain who acts as a part-time coach for Federer, who believes the comeback was fueled by Federer's passion.

Excerpts from ESPN.com (July 9, 2009)

For more on Peak Performance, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.

Roger Federer: Wimbledon Champion Already Planning the Future

“I definitely have to regroup after this victory and put my mind in the right frame of mind for the rest of the season. I definitely want to finish the year at No. 1.”

--Roger Federer, discussing the future after winning his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon on Sunday.

Federer said he felt the “defining moment” of his "comeback" this summer came when he was practicing in April of this year.

“I’ve always been pushing myself in practice, but I told my team that we needed to do something completely extreme.”

Federer has played in 39 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, and he has won the last two after being forced to take a break in February because of lower back pain that affected him during his loss to Rafael Nadal in the 2009 Australian Open final.

Excerpts from the New York Times, 07/07/09. For the original article, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/sports/tennis/07wimbledon.html?ref=sports

For more about Peak Performance, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.

Roger Federer Wins His 15th Grand Slam Singles Title

"The great ones, at the end, they have just a little bit more.”

--Pete Sampras, referring to the resolve of Roger Federer, who beat Andy Roddick, to win the 2009 Wimbledon championship.

WIMBLEDON, England — Andy Roddick made Roger Federer work hard, but Federer won another Grand Slam tournament for a record 15th singles title.

Roddick played the match of his career. But Federer was a little better.

Federer breaks his tie with Pete Sampras, who is now second on the career list with 14 major singles titles.

Federer, who has won Wimbledon six times, held off Roddick by the unprecedented score of 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14.

Federer served a personal record 50 aces in a match that took 4 hours 18 minutes. But Roddick was the better server: holding 37 times in a row before finally being broken in the last game.

“It was a crazy match with an unbelievable end, and my head is still spinning,” Federer said after the match. “But it’s an unbelievable moment in my career.”

Rivalry or Respect: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal

"People forget it's not only about forehands and backhands. Both these guys display character you don't always see in big-time athletes. Look at Michael Vick and the steroid-users in baseball to see how poorly some represent their sports. Tennis is lucky to have this duo at the top."

--Chris Evert, publisher of Tennis magazine and former championship woman tennis player, discussing the significance of the mutual respect within the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Excerpt taken from Tennis.com (April 2009).

Trying to Improve by Overcoming Emotions

At the Australian Open in January of 2008, Janko Tipsarevic extended Roger Federer, then the No. 1 player in the world, to the brink of defeat before losing, 10-8, in the fifth and last set.

In the process, he was able to reveal weaknesses in Federer’s game that other players, included Novak Djokovic, who defeated Federer in Melbourne, and others have since gone on to further expose and fully exploit.

“I would like to think that that match helped some of the players see this guy is vulnerable. Even though I lost, it helped me realize I can beat anybody. My first problem is myself. I’m not blaming anybody else.

“I’d love for my progress to go a little bit faster. I’m in my prime. There are no excuses that I’m young or something like that.

"You will have good results when you see these top players are not as good as you think they are in your head.”

--Janko Tipsarevic, who after finishing 2007 ranked #52, rose to a career-high #33 in May of 2008.

Nonetheless, thus far, Tipsarevic has not yet mastered the skill of "mind over matter." He sustained an injury in the first round of the 2008 U.S. Open and had to retire.

Excerpts from the New York Times, 8/28/2008.

Professional Tennis: Pressure to Stay on Top

"In tennis, they don't consider anyone ranked 10. If you're the 10th-best baseball player or pro football player, you're considered pretty special. If you're the 10th-best tennis player, you're nothing."

--Gardnar Mulloy, member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, referring to the talk about Roger Federer and the chances of him "coming back."

Excerpts from the New York Times 8/25/08.

Nadal & Federer Play A Classic at Wimbledon

"It is impossible to explain what I felt in that moment. Very happy to win this title, my favorite tournament. It's a dream to play in this court."

--Rafael Nadal, 2008 Wimbledon men's champion, after a 4-hour, 48-minute marathon.

Nadal won 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, in the longest men's singles final on record at the All England Club, going back to 1877.

Nadal, the 21-year old Spaniard, won the first two sets, then lost back-to-back tiebreakers before winning the final set in extra time. Federer, who found himself in some horrific holes and kept managing to escape -- saving three match points -- finally hit the wall in the 16th game of the ultimate set. First, Nadal hit an unreturnable serve, then Federer hit a weak forehand into the net to end a spectacular era.

NBC broadcaster and three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe called it the greatest match he's ever seen. It certainly was one of the best. It included rain delays, which took the match into evening darkness.

Because of Nadal's determination and unrelenting tenacity, Federer failed to win his sixth consecutive title at Wimbledon. Federer will remain tied forever with Bjorn Borg at five in a row. Federer's 65-match winning streak on grass and a 40-match winning streak at Wimbledon also ended, one short of Borg's record.

By beating Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal joined Borg as the first man to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same summer in 28 years.

Excerpts from ESPN.com, 07/06/2008.