For the past two weeks, I have been waking up earlier than normal. Not because I am still recovering from the jet lag incurred by a trip to the East Coast, and not for a summer job. It was to watch Wimbledon.

I thoroughly enjoy watching tennis, especially on the grass courts at the All England Club. I love the aura, the purity of the all-white players’ outfits and the rich tradition. I always enjoy the two weeks of championships at Wimbledon, from the first round to the final. But the 2008 version of the classic competition might have been the best two weeks of tennis I have ever seen.

To start, there were plenty of upsets. Of the 10 top-seeded players on both the men’s and the women’s sides, only half of them made it to the third round. That, itself, is unprecedented, and it made for exciting tennis because you never were sure that the favorite was going to win.

The unpredictable early rounds set up the ladies’ singles final, which featured the long overdue Williams sisters duel.

Venus and Serena were the most consistent players over the two weeks, with neither one of them dropping a set the entire tournament. The final matchup was a return to the women’s tennis game of the early decade, when it seemed like the sisters were always playing each other in the semifinals or finals of every Grand Slam.

This year’s version was hotly contested, with Serena firing out of the gates, only to have her older sister come charging back. Screams issued from both of the sisters with every swing of the racket, and you could tell that each wanted to claim sibling dominance for that day. Ultimately, Venus was better for those couple of hours, good enough to claim her fifth career Wimbledon Championship.

And who could ultimately be surprised at that? The woman seems to enter into some other dimension when she plays on grass. Venus admits that she absolutely loves everything about Wimbledon, and it shows. Her size, her serve (a women’s tour record 129 miles per hour in the final), and her ground stroke always shine at The All England Club, and this year was no exception.

What might have been even better than the battle of the Williams sisters, though, were the post-match quotations from Serena, which clearly showed her frustration and disappointment at not playing better. Though she gave deserved credit to her sister for playing well, she also gave short, quick and sometimes snappy answers. It was a fitting interview after such an intense match.

In any case, it was great to see the Williams sisters back and dominating the opposition. As much as many people say they cannot stand them, I, for one, enjoy watching their game and success. Their emotion and passion for the sport couldn’t be clearer, and they both bring a fantastic intensity to the court as they clearly want to win every single point they play. Is it any wonder that tennis fans everywhere just can’t look away when the Williams sisters are playing the game they love?

And let’s face it, love them or hate them, we will probably remember this clash between Venus and Serena more than any other final in recent history. Amelie Mauresmo over Justine Henin in 2006? No thanks.

Saving the best for last was the Gentleman’s Final. Federer-Nadal. Champion versus Champion. Grass versus clay. Whatever you want to call it, the matchup was great on paper and delivered on the court.

We were blessed last year to have seen such a great final when Federer won his fifth straight Wimbledon in a five-set thriller. Some thought this year’s final would live up to its predecessor. Some thought Federer’s horrific loss at the French Open would still linger and he would give way to a new Wimbledon champion.

Others countered that Federer hadn’t won 65 straight on grass for nothing, and he would continue his dominance in the Finals this year. And after seven hours of everything good there is about sports, Nadal dethroned Federer in a match for the ages.

I was watching with my family and some friends and none of us missed a point. We were simply glued to the TV. We cheered for shots by both players and were amazed at the quality of play as well as the finesse that the two displayed during the match. Federer’s and Nadal’s respective talents had emerged in full force, and both players were near brilliant the entire time.

It had all the makings of an instant classic — the underdog surging ahead in the beginning and the favorite and dominant player slowly coming back with beautiful shots, all while his opponent hung in there. There were moments when the match looked as if it was over, and those same moments became some of the match’s greatest highlights as the best shots of the evening were hit. And finally, a deserving, unlikely, truly great champion, Rafael Nadal, was crowned.

Nadal could possibly have broken the ground for a new generation of men’s tennis stars and fans with his victory, but that is a conversation that can be saved for another day. For now, I am sad to see Wimbledon go, and will be waiting until the U.S. Open starts in August. I only hope that the American hard courts will bring out as much in the players — old and new, known and unknown — as the London grass did.

Danny Belch is a new columnist for The Daily who was blown away by the incredible Wimbledon finals. Email him your comments at dbelch1 "at" stanford "dot" edu.