Federer's fourth Wimbledon win over Roddick was the most dramatic of them all.
Some players have vision; Roger Federer has foresight. But even he couldn't have seen career circularity coming so dramatically on tennis' most prestigious Centre Court.
On the same court where he collected his first Grand Slam title, Federer made history capturing his record-setting 15th major in front of tennis royalty, including 14-time Grand Slam champ Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, and Rod Laver. The second-ranked Swiss broke a resolute Roddick for the first time all day in the last game of the longest-ever fifth set of a Grand Slam final. In the process, Federer claimed his sixth Wimbledon crown and regained the world No. 1 ranking.
"It was a crazy match and it was an unbelievable end," Federer told the crowd after four hours and 16 minutes of play. "My heads still spinning, it's an unbelievable moment in my career."
Federer's first Wimbledon final was a showcase for his free-flowing grace; the gripping 2009 duel demanded his grit. The artist became the fighter, withstanding a barrage of blasts from Roddick and responding with a career-best 50 aces.
"He gets a lot of credit for a lot of things, but not a lot of the time is how many matches he kind of digs deep and toughs out," said Roddick, who had lost 18 of his prior 20 meetings with Federer, but came within a few points of a monumental victory.
Roddick nearly took the racquet out of Federer's hands in an imposing serving display that saw the American hold serve an astounding 37 straight times. Throwing down thunderous serves, Roddick, who entered the match with a 26-4 tiebreak record on the season, held four set points in the second-set tiebreaker for a two-set lead.
While Roddick's serve seemed indestructible, Federer's spirit was unbreakable. Facing a 2-6 deficit, Federer hit a slick backhand volley angled winner, followed by a serve winner out wide punctuated with a quiet "come on." Slicing an ace out wide, Federer erased the third set point for 5-6. On the fourth set point, Roddick, catching his opponent leaning slightly to his left, attacked behind a forehand down the line and was in prime position to knock off a volley for a two-set lead. Then, in a moment the American may rue the rest of his days, he botched a backhand volley well wide and with it went his best chance of the day. Moments later, Federer erupted in a lion's roar, snatching the second set after his sixth consective winning point.
Federer's 2008 final with Nadal was a running duel with spectacular winners after several rallies spanning 10 or more shots. The 2009 final was a throwback to grass-court shoot-outs of the past: Each point came at a premium and suspense heightened with every swing. When Roddick framed his final shot on championship point, Federer soared in the air in exhilaration and landed as the Grand Slam king.
"Today it was a serve and return game, which is more classical for grass," Federer said. "It's frustrating at times because I couldn't break Andy till the very, very end. So satisfaction is maybe bigger this time around to come through, because I couldn't control the match at all."
Wearing a t-shirt with the slogan: "There is no finish line. Far From Done," Federer spoke like a man thoroughly enjoying his journey while reflecting on his record-setting triumph.
"It feels amazing but this is not why I am playing tennis, to break all these records, but it is definitely one of the greatest ones to have," Federer said with a smile.
Federer's Most Memorable Wimbledon Moments
—No. 5: Toppling the top seed, and his idol (2001, vs. Sampras)
—No. 4: First Championships, first major (2003, vs. Philippoussis)
—No. 3: Bending but not breaking, for five straight (2007, vs. Nadal)
—No. 2: The greatest loss of all time (2008, vs. Nadal)
—No. 1: The king's coronation (2009, vs. Roddick)
