The Wimbledon tournament culminated with a spectacular finale, reports Nashwa Abdel-Tawab Roger Federer looked somewhat shocked when his final unstoppable serve won him a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles, while Venus Williams could hardly contain herself, leaping into the air with delight at the moment of her third victory of this Grand Slam. In the men's singles finals, the world number one Roger Federer was supreme throughout the tournament, with his latest victory culminating in a jaw- dropping final display against Andy Roddick. After semi-final defeats at the Australian and French Opens, Federer has proved -- beyond any doubt -- that he truly is the world's best. He made the world's number two Lleyton Hewitt look toothless in the semi-finals, and then made a mockery of Roddick's much- vaunted power in the final. Wimbledon seems set to witness a long and glorious Federer reign, but it would be nice if someone could at least make it difficult. While Roddick and Hewitt have time on their sides, it seems to have run out altogether for Tim Henman. For Henman's Wimbledon campaign ended just as it started out -- with a whimper. The British number one struggled from two sets down in his opening match and when he went out to Dmitry Tursanov, it was telling that no one was all that surprised. But just as a downcast Henman was trudging off Centre Court, 18-year-old Andy Murray was preparing to push his defeat off the back pages. After destroying 14th seed Radek Stepanek in the second round, the teenager went on to light up the Championships with a remarkable Centre Court debut. Murray left a capacity crowd in awe of both his talent and competitive spirit as he threatened another seismic shock against former finalist David Nalbandian. His body ultimately let him down but as Murray took the subsequent hype and hysteria in his stride, the Scot indicated that when Henman retires, he may not be missed as much as it was first feared. But Murray was not the only teenager to star at Wimbledon. The two French youngsters Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet gave a good account of themselves in reaching the third and fourth rounds respectively. Rafael Nadal went out in the second round, but the genial Spaniard has vowed to work on his grass-court skills and mount a challenge for the future. Nadal has hogged the headlines in his home country all year, but once he went out, his doubles partner Feliciano Lopez grasped the opportunity to step into the limelight. Lopez's sublime serve and volley skills removed title contenders Marat Safin and Mario Ancic as he became the first Spaniard in 33 years to reach the last eight. Fernando Gonzalez was another to make a welcome appearance in the quarter-finals. The flamboyant Chilean racked up four straight-set victories before running into Federer. But while there were plenty of characters to entertain the Wimbledon crowds, there were precious few memorable matches. Roddick's semi-final against Thomas Johansson was probably the highlight in terms of quality on both sides of the net, while Murray's five-set defeat to Nalbandian definitely wins the prize for best dramatic exit. But in the end, the final game in the Wimbledon men's singles tournament provided a very predictable, yet awe-inspiring, climax as Federer played the best match of his life and joined greats like Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and Fred Perry in winning three in a row. "The first was the first," said Federer, "the second was a huge relief -- it made it seem like today I was playing flawlessly. In a way this one will take me longer to realise. It's going to take days, weeks, months... This was a big one for me. I knew the importance and was pretty tense at first, but after the first set I felt really good." "I played a fantastic match, the best in my life," he went on, "and I consider this bigger than the US Open final I won. When you win three Wimbledons you think, 'What have I done right in my career for this to happen to me?'" Reflecting on the way in which he has cemented his position at the top of the game, Federer admitted: "I'm amazed myself how incredibly I use my talent to win and basically dominate the game. Obviously for the next few years I'm going to be a huge favourite at Wimbledon but that doesn't mean I'm going to win them all." And he revealed that, with victory in sight in the third set, he had to keep his excitement in check. "At 4-3, I thought: 'Eight more points on serve. It's all in my hands now.' I felt my arm shaking and was really getting nervous and once it all happens you don't know the reactions. At 4-3, I'm thinking of the trophy and the presentation and have to think, 'No, it's not over yet.'" Federer insists that he still feels challenged by the likes of Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt despite his overwhelming record against them. "I feel they push me but I played such good tennis today I didn't allow him to come into the match. All of them are trying as hard as they can and at the French and Australian Opens it worked, but most important of all is Wimbledon because this is what means most to me." And there is no sign of the world number one taking his foot off the gas as he goes in search of more major titles. "So far I've been lucky to play at this level and not have any injuries, and I hope to continue next year," he said. As for the women's event, Venus Williams became Wimbledon champion for the third time with an epic win over Lindsay Davenport in the longest-ever women's final. The American regained the title she won in 2000 and 2001 with a 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 9-7 victory over the world number one. Davenport served for the match at 6-5 in the second but was broken, and had a match point in the third. But Williams fought on and, as Davenport struggled with a back strain, broke in game 15 to win in two hours and 45 minutes. Williams went into the match on the back of a stunning win over defending champion Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals but could not repeat that form early on in the game. Davenport was soon 5-2 ahead and held her nerve to serve out despite losing one of the breaks. In a nervous second set, Davenport angrily questioned a call in game nine and faced a set point in the following game, but held on with a big serve. At 5-5 the pressure became too much for Williams, who opened with two double- faults before netting a forehand and slipping over on break point. But it was not over, as Williams stunned Davenport by breaking back to love and then surging through the tie-break. Davenport made the first breakthrough in the decider with a break in game six and went on to lead 4-2, 40-15, before Williams came roaring back. The top seed then left Centre Court for treatment on a lower back injury and on her return soon got to match point on the Williams serve. Still the drama continued as Williams dug deep to find a backhand winner, and five games later it was the 14th seed who broke with a rasping forehand winner. This time there were no more twists and, after double-faulting on her first match point, Williams clinched the title when Davenport netted a forehand. The ecstatic champion could hardly contain herself, leaping into the air in delight at the moment of victory. "Lindsay played so well," Williams commented. "There were so many times she was trying to stay in the match and I couldn't have asked for a better opponent." She added: "I have to say thanks to Serena. She was so encouraging to me. You never know what life is going to throw at you, so every day I just expect the sun to come up, that's all." Davenport agreed that she had experienced a memorable final on Centre Court, even though she settled for the runner-up honour. "Even after I lost the second set, I thought, 'This is a great match,'" said Davenport. "Obviously I'm extremely disappointed but it was exhilarating and I felt like I played great and got really close." She said she believed she did herself justice after losing the battle to fellow American Williams for the Wimbledon title. "I don't really feel sitting here that I have anything to hang my head for or be ashamed of," Davenport said. "It was really fun to play, even though I lost, but who wouldn't have the opportunity to go through that?" As for other competitors, the player that most stood out among a great women's competition was Amelie Mauresmo, who blew a lead in her semi- final. The French Open champion made an early exit. And despite the fact that the women's competition was simply astounding, in some ways, Wimbledon 2005 was like stepping back in time. For a start, women champions still receive less prize money than their male counterparts. But look a little deeper and there have been signs that the women's game is moving towards a bright future. The subject of equal prize money has been a thorny one at the All England Club for many years. And whatever the rights and wrongs, there has always been a strong argument that the men have served up greater quality, for longer, and more regularly. But that is a difficult line to take after what we saw over the last two weeks. While Federer has made mincemeat of all-comers, the women produced the best three matches of the fortnight. Davenport against Kim Clijsters was a treat in the quarter- finals; Williams against Maria Sharapova was frightening both in terms of intensity and quality. And the final? Davenport and Williams played the longest women's title decider in Wimbledon history, with drama building up every step of the way. On the face of it, the fact that the two finalists had not won a Grand Slam between them in four years made the final seem on the surface like a step backwards in terms of quality. But in fact, the new-found depth in women's tennis has forced the "veterans" to seriously work on raising their level. Both Williams and Davenport have made much of the work they have put in at the gym and on the court to keep pace with the new generation. Indeed, it is now the turn of others to play catch-up. Even the Williams' father has admitted that Serena needs to take a leaf out of her sister's book and dedicate herself totally to tennis if she is to get back on top. And while Sharapova looks set to be a Grand Slam contender for years to come, the likes of Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova have some way to go if the prophecy of Russian domination is to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, the Belgian pair of Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters have been hugely impressive on their return to action in recent months. The former looks particularly capable of threatening for the number one spot, but the question of fitness will hang over both of them for some time to come. Some things never change, and the British effort this year was as woeful as ever. Seven women were entered in the main draw, all as wild cards, and only Jane O'Donoghue made the second round, where she took just three games off 14th seed Nathalie Dechy. There are signs of rankings improving but the harsh fact is that in the annual shop window for tennis in this country, the women have failed again. Women's tennis as a whole has only benefited from this year's championships though. The old guard is fighting back, the new generation remain a growing force, and the likes of Sesil Karatantcheva, Ana Ivanovic and Nicole Vaidisova are leading an even younger wave of talent. And at the very top level, the return of a former champion has added yet another name to the contenders for next month's US Open. At this point, making a case against Federer on the men's side seems well-nigh impossible. But picking a clear favourite from amidst the ranks of Venus, Serena, Davenport, Henin-Hardenne, Sharapova, Clijsters, Kuznetsova and Mauresmo is just as hard.
