Wimbledon notes: An unexpected men’s final: Rafael Nadal vs. Tomas Berdych

Reporting from Wimbledon, England — 

Well this will be odd.

For the first time in eight years Roger Federer won’t be playing the Wimbledon men’s single final Sunday.

Rafael Nadal, the world’s No. 1-ranked player and seeded second in the draw, will play first-time finalist Tomas Berdych on Centre Court.

The day will be especially appreciated by Nadal, who won his only Wimbledon title in 2008 and then wasn’t able to defend it last year when he was sidelined because of tendinitis in both knees.

While the knees still give him pain sometimes, Nadal has found himself getting stronger and stronger during this event. He was pushed to five sets in the second and third rounds but he was a dominant straight-sets winner over fourth-seeded Andy Murray in the semifinals.

Nadal said he was not going to fall into the trap of believing his work is done just because six-time Wimbledon champion Federer was knocked out of the draw.

Federer, after all, was beaten by the 12th-seeded Berdych, a 24-year-old from the Czech Republic.

“Roger’s been there all the time for the last seven years and that’s amazing,” Nadal said. “But no opponent can be more difficult than Tomas to play in this final.”

Nadal, also 24, has won 30 of his last 31 matches, and Berdych, who has lost seven of the 10 matches he’s played against Nadal, said one of the keys for him Sunday will be to play aggressively.

“He plays really aggressive as well,” Berdych said. “You need to not give him too many chances to be strong yourself.”

Representing Long Beach

With one Long Beach Poly grad in the stands watching, another won a Wimbledon doubles title Saturday.

Vania King, 21, and her partner from Kazakhstan, Yaroslava Shvedova, 22, beat singles finalist Vera Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina, 7-6 (6), 6-2. In the stands was former Wimbledon singles, doubles and mixed doubles champion (and Long Beach Poly grad) Billie Jean King.

Zvonareva, who has historically had trouble keeping her emotions in check, openly wept after she and Vesnina lost the first-set tiebreaker and again at the end of the match.

“We’re so shocked,” Vania King said. “We weren’t thinking about winning the tournament.”

King’s first reaction to having a Wimbledon title?

“Kind of scary. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

King, no relation to Billie Jean, has an apartment in Boynton Beach, Fla., where she trains with coach Tarik Benhabiles. But, she said, “I’m still a California girl. I don’t really like Florida, but for tennis it’s the best.”

diane.pucin@latimes.com

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