The pair toyed with perfection on centre court, threading shots through the tightest of spaces and imparting spin which at times seemed to defy the laws of physics.

Federer was broken in the opening game but he broke straight back and that set the tone for the rest of the contest.

Outrageous Angles

Nadal sought and found outrageous angles with his two-handed backhand. Federer found that difficult to handle with his classical, clean single-hander.

But he did put his extra reach to great effect, cracking winners past the Spaniard.

Nothing could separate the two and the set inched into a tiebreak which Nadal won when his Swiss opponent double-faulted（两次发球失误，双误）.

Federer again hit back and levelled in the fourth.

It appeared as if he was playing like the best tennis player of all time, but statistics speak louder than rhetoric in sport and they were on Nadal's side in the fifth set.