A second helping

He closed the victory with a swinging volley for a winner, then collapsed to his back and rolled over, covered in the clay he loves.

8220;He8217;s a fighter and he8217;s a grinder, and he deserves to win here,8221; Federer said.

Federer8217;s first loss in eight Grand Slam finals came at the only major he has yet to win, and at the hands of nemesis Nadal. He fell to 0-4 against Nadal this year; he8217;s 44-0 against everyone else.

It took Nadal awhile to really start swinging. He lost 16 of 18 points during one stretch, and played 35 minutes and 46 points before he won a game after falling behind 5-0.

But Federer couldn8217;t sustain the fast start. Content to duel from the baseline 8211; a questionable tactic against the king of clay 8211; Federer had 51 unforced errors to 28 by Nadal.

In short, Federer looked flat, frustrated and even fragile, remarkable for a player who had won 27 consecutive Grand Slam matches.

Federer took a 40-love lead at 0-1 in the second set and appeared to win the next point, but the chair umpire overruled a line call and ordered a replay, and Nadal rallied to break.

Nadal pulled ahead in the third set. He saved four breakpoint chances to hold for 2-all, then broke in the next game on four errors by Federer, and served out the set from there.

In the fourth set, Nadal was two points from the title serving for the match at 5-4, 30-15, but Federer rallied with some of his best tennis to break. Nadal made a save in the corner for a 5-2 to lead in the tiebreaker and served out the final two points.STEVEN WINE