Well done

Roger's raised finger to his box may have been wishful thinking. But even Rafa was happy to congratulate him for a job well done:

Besides, the boys look so much happier when Roger wins:

Great playing by Roger yesterday. Lovely drop shots, attacking tennis, serving and persistent backhands down the line. And he showed good nerves when down two breakpoints in the final game.

Here we go

Finally Roger and Rafa play their first slam final on hardcourts. It is hard to imagine it living up to the Wimbledon final in terms of the suspense and the drama. But with Roger in top form, and the surface encouraging both shotmaking and defense, there is great potential for the actual tennis, in the sense of the quality of the points, to be better. This should be good.

whoo hoo!

As good and as telling as Roger's "be quiet, okay?" in the semi was his "whoo-hoo!" in the final.

it happened at 4-0, with Rafa serving at 30-15. It was a moment that ended up being the turning point of the match.

Roger's reaction seemed to indicate just how much he was enjoying the match -- varying his shots and fighting back from a tough first set. Part of enjoying it was appreciating just how hard it is to get a point off Nadal on clay.

Steve Tignor offers a great write-up of the match, and appreciation of Nadal's mastery of the dirt.