I remember Nadal-Federer 2008 final like if it was yesterday - Umpire
In an interview to EFE, the French umpire Pascal Maria recalled when he umpired the 2008 Wimbledon final won by Rafael Nadal over Roger Federer for 9-7 in the fifth set.
"My memory is a big one, It was one of the best matches in history", said Maria. "Tennis was very good, the atmosphere around it was special. I perfectly remember it like if it was yesterday. The game was unbelievably good. Players were doing very well, but what I remember the most is that the match lasted four hours, everyone remembers it and no one criticizes me. During the last games the Hawk-Eye Challenge didn't work, players had to accept it but no one now remembers that. Anyways, it was a very special match for me. I stopped umpiring since a while and I wanted to leave it when I was still going through a good time and not when I got bored of it. I played great matches and great finals. As a tennis fan, you always want to be involved somehow. As an umpire I had my best place in the stadium. Regardless that it's a semifinal or final, I would have loved to be part of it", he said referring to the upcoming semifinal between Federer and Nadal. "When you are an umpire, you live your dream live. I miss this feeling. But everything stops one day."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2CaBhCv
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