Federer-Djokovic was a match for the ages

That may have been the most significant, dramatic and damn enjoyable match since the 2008 Wimbledon final. There was so much context here. Would Djokovic attain the top ranking and continue his streak? Would Federer make a stand against the New King? Would Federer’s diminishing results continue? No matter how this broke, it was going to tell us an awful lot. For Federer to come out and play a match of this quality was such an eloquent response the murmurs that his time was over that the keg was tapped. And credit Djokovic, for rebounding from a two-sets-to-none deficit and putting himself in a position to serve for a fifth set. Trite as it sounds, tennis was a big winner today.

Also, at least in the U.S., tennis was treated shabbily by the network “partner.” The platform kept changing, different time zones received windows, the planned taped delay was, blessedly, scrapped at the last minute. A real slap in the face and precisely the kind abuse that relegates the sport to the vicious cycle of niche status. (Of course the ratings will be low when you need an MIT engineering degree to figure out how to watch matches!) For the sport to serve up such a gripping and captivating day — Twitter going nuts, people crowding around TVs in bars — was tremendously gratifying to those of us who care about the sport.

What specific things did Federer do today that 43 previous opponents didn’t?

Federer is Federer. And if the magic comes less consistently than it once did, there’s still magic. He served well. He was early to the ball. He hit over his backhand. He moved as well as I’ve seen him move this year. Also, Federer had the good fortune of playing Djokovic on this stage. There’s a world of difference between a Wednesday night match at a garden-variety event and the semifinals of a Grand Slam with the No. 1 ranking on the line.

Now that it’s over, put Djokovic’s streak in historical perspective.

In some ways today’s match puts it in perspective. To win more than 40 straight matches — on different surfaces, in different conditions, in different continents — against such high-caliber opponents is really such a formidable feat. That it took an off-day at the office and a vintage performance by the Greatest of All Time to snap the streak (barely, at that) says plenty about Djokovic’s game. Inasmuch as there’s an unfortunate part of Djokovic’s streak, he only has “only” one major to show for it. The cynics will say: “A lot of players have won one Slam in a row.” But I think people who know tennis realize just how astronomically well you have to be playing to go a half year without losing, what a tremendous ride this was — especially when the train runs Nadalville and Federerburg, against whom Djokovic racked up seven of the 43 wins.

If Federer beats Nadal on Sunday, Djokovic will be No. 1 on Monday. Would Friday’s loss compromise the luster of Djokovic’s achievement?

To some extent. I’m sure this isn’t how Djokovic envisioned becoming No. 1. But the ranking is cumulative and who can deny Djokovic what’s rightfully his?

What would it mean for Federer’s legacy to defeat Nadal in the French Open final at 29?

Federer’s legacy is Fort Knox secure. The guy has more records than an AM radio station (sorry) and has achieved everything imaginable. There were, though, so many swirling questions about him. How much longer will go on if he’s not winning? (It had been almost 18 months since he even made the FINAL of a Slam.) How will he deal with being No. 3? Even, how has fatherhood blunted his motivation? Winning another big prize at this stage of his career — and going through a red-hot Djokovic and a five-time champ Nadal to do so — would be so sweet, such a testament to his continued drive and well as his native talent. Of course after today, many of those questions have already been answered.

Nintendo

Nintendo


A Japanese company called Nintendo rekindled the electronic-game business in 1985 when it introduced its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the United States. With more powerful computer chips allowing for advanced graphics and faster game play—exhibited in games such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda—Nintendo brought new excitement to the market. Nintendo would go on to sell more than 30 million NES machines in the United States and more than 90 million worldwide.

Xbox Video-Game System Microsoft launched the Xbox video-game console in 2001 to compete with industry giants Sony and Nintendo. The Xbox system features a hard drive to save games and other information and a port to connect to the Internet.Kathleen Green

Nintendo also brought new market savvy to the industry. Realizing that game hardware soon becomes obsolete, Nintendo pioneered the practice of releasing new consoles every five to six years. The NES, for example, was followed by the Super NES and then by the Nintendo 64. Nintendo further expanded the video-game market in 1989 by launching its Game Boy handheld system. Nintendo sold an astonishing 120 million Game Boys from 1989 to 2001.

Nintendo faced serious rivals for the home market, however. In the late 1980s the Japanese company Sega introduced a popular system known as Genesis. In 1995 Japanese electronics giant Sony Corporation launched its PlayStation line of game consoles. Sony dominated the console market after 1995, selling more than 90 million PlayStations worldwide by 2002. In 2001 Nintendo released the GameCube platform and software giant Microsoft Corporation entered the fray with Xbox. These systems featured a variety of advanced capabilities such as a hard drive for saving games and the ability to connect to the Internet or local area networks (LANs). Such connections enabled players to download more advanced levels of play and additional characters, and to play with other users. Some systems even sell additional equipment so online players can speak to each other and verbally help (or taunt) other players during play. The three major console manufacturers used such technological advances to try to gain market share in this fast-paced, lucrative business