Roger Federer vs. Andy Roddick!
Thats definitely a final one would not want to miss. A person even with a little bit of tennis in his/her blood too would not have missed the scintillating final that took place yesterday in the Centre Court of the Wimbledon.
As reported in the Guardian newspaper,
Everything was extraordinary. “It was a crazy match and my head is still spinning,” said Roger Federer, minutes after defeating Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 to win his 15th grand slam title and make tennis history. Four weeks ago he had equalled Pete Sampras’s record by winning his first French Open title, thereby becoming only the sixth player ever to capture all four majors. This evening, with Sampras watching from the royal box, he topped that in amazing fashion.
Roddick, twice previously a runner-up to the Swiss at Wimbledon in 2004 and 2005, served 10 times to stave off defeat in the longest last set ever in a grand slam championship final before succumbing on the 11th occasion. It was impossible not to feel hugely sorry for him. The American had given his all, played the game of his life and it still was not good enough.
The overall moment, of course, belonged to Federer. It had to for everything bows to genius. This was his seventh successive Wimbledon final, another record, and his sixth win. Last year, in a final thought by most to be the best ever, he lost in five sets against Spain’s Rafa Nadal. The quality could not match that but the last-set drama was almost unbearable. Federer had the advantage of serving first, and did so beautifully, with 50 aces overall, and 22 in the last set, an astonishing statistic. Yet the American, who had lost 18 of his previous 20 matches against the Swiss, refused to give in until fatigue finally caught up with him and his ground-strokes, earlier more reliable than Federer’s, fractured and frayed.
Not only is Federer the greatest champion of the modern era, he is also one of the fittest. Before that last game Roddick trudged off his chair, a towel over his shoulder, head down, while Federer did a single squat, as if preparing for another 20 or so games. A tired Roddick backhand and a mistimed forehand gave Federer the opening, only for the American to draw level and take a 40-30 lead. But this was his final effort; fatigue overtook him and after three more tired shots, the Championship and history belonged to Federer.
He leaped into the air, roaring with delight, though in deference to Roddick’s huge efforts there was no collapse on to the Centre Court turf nor any tears. The two embraced and exchanged words. The American must have been tempted to say: “Ok, you’ve gotten the record; now retire and give everybody else a chance.”
There had been a moment at 8-8 in the gargantuan final set when Roddick, who had beaten Andy Murray in the semi-finals, was one point away from breaking the Federer serve, as he had in the first and fourth sets, and might have served out for the title. The most pressure Federer had managed to apply on the Roddick serve, prior to the final 30th game of the last set, had been late in the opening one, when the American saved four break points. But the champion showed his real mettle in both tie-breaks. “Sorry, Pete, I tried to hold him,” Roddick said, turning his eyes to Sampras at the close. “I still hope that one day my name will be up there with the champions.” But this may have been his last chance.
In terms of games, 77, this was the longest major final, though half an hour shorter than last year’s colossal contest. When Federer won the second-set tie-break after saving four set points, it had appeared the Swiss would put his foot on the American’s neck and finish him off quickly, despite having not broken the Roddick serve.
If ever a player could be forgiven for having an inferiority complex when playing Federer it was Roddick. Time and again previously he had stood on the opposite side of the net and shaken his head in admiration and awe, recognising that here was a player of such supreme skills that even his best efforts were nowhere near good enough.
This time it was different. Roddick, whose one major win came almost six years ago at the US Open when he was a 21-year-old, has been working assiduously all year under his new coach, Larry Stefanki, improving his volley, so effective against Murray, and transforming his backhand into a genuinely potent shot.
“I thought Andy played great,” said Federer. “It was so different to what I have experienced in the last few years against Rafa. Today it was a serve-and-return game which is more classical for grass. It’s frustrating at times because I could not break Andy until the very end. So satisfaction is maybe bigger this time around, the fact that I came through after not being able to control the match at all.”
This was never Federer in his grass- court pomp. There were moments of scintillating brilliance but the sheen and translucence were missing, as they often have been over the last 18 months, even though he has won three of the last four majors. No matter. History belongs to him, all the more sweet with Rod Laver and Sampras looking on.
And soon he will be a father too.
Pete Lundgren, Federer’s coach in his formative years, believes he can now go on to win 20 majors or more. The Swiss will be 28 later this month and clearly has the time.
Fatherhood may change matters, to say nothing of the renewed challenge from Nadal, assuming the damage to the Spaniard’s knees does not prove to be career-threatening. Sampras reached four major finals after he was 28, winning two, so it is clearly possible Federer can extend the record. Time will tell.
Re-living Passions 
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