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“But today was, yeah, one of these matches you gonna remember long time, no? Well, the emotion was big, because in the last game with the Love‑40 I start to cry. Was too much tension, no?”

So said Rafael Nadal after his epic semifinal against fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

What a match! Such a show of firepower, fitness and mental fortitude from BOTH players. I was shocked that Verdasco could hold up as long as he did – honestly, I went to bed after Nadal took the third set (it was 4:15 a.m. in Los Angeles, so I held out as long as I could!) I figured that after the physical beating Fernando had endured, the fourth set would go to Rafa 6-2. I’m watching the fourth set now and still can’t believe that Fernando found a way to win it.

Verdasco didn’t end up the surprise finalist this year, but he played in such a way that he’ll never be considered a surprise again.

And Rafa! What can I say about this seemingly unbeatable force of nature? How can anyone be so good? So strong? So absolutely sure of himself in the end? Forget tennis, this guy should rule the world.

I don’t even want to speculate on the men’s final. There’s the whole timing controversy, since Roger’s had an extra day of rest. I think tennis.com writer Tom Perrotta said it well in his great piece on last night’s match: “Could (Rafa) possibly have enough energy to win the title? If we were talking about anyone else, I would say no. Nadal, amazingly, just might.”