THE mesmeric skills of Roger Federer spiked the world’s most potent serve yesterday as the Swiss champion retained his Wimbledon crown in dramatic fashion.
Federer countered a frenzied Andy Roddick’s bone-jarring ferocity with an artistic, balletic display to triumph 4-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-4 and hold on to the most glittering prize in tennis.
It was an extraordinary match of many parts and one which gave
Federer his third grand slam title in as many finals at the age of 22.
Certainly there was a moral in there somewhere, one of which Aesop would have been proud, regarding the Swiss’s steady, deliberate progress overcoming Roddick’s whiz-bang fireworks and general uproar.
"I was surprised, even though everybody knows about Andy’s power," Federer said. "I got lucky today I guess, a set down...I got lucky."
US Open champion Roddick, who has now lost six of the pair’s seven matches, was stumped.
"Just too good," the American second seed shrugged. "I was throwing the kitchen sink at him, but he went to the bathroom and got his tub.
"I am going to have to start winning some of these matches if we are going to call it a rivalry."
For a good set-and-a-half, Roddick had looked as though he was going to do just that.
The sheer teeth-rattling power of his tennis rendered Federer’s Swiss timing redundant on an overcast Centre Court.
The American’s game plan was devilishly simple: power, power and more power.
Trembling with adrenaline from the start, he hopped from foot to foot, unable to stay still for even a split second.
He smashed three aces in his very first service game, finishing with a 145 miles per hour screamer which was no more than a blur and a thud into the backdrop.
The owner of the world’s fastest serve at 153mph, Roddick seemed intent on setting one for the hardest return as he welted the ball with shuddering pace, breaking the champion for only the third time in the tournament.
But Federer was too skilful, too wise. He may have lost the first set, but he did not panic and used the rain breaks to his advantage and won the next three set to win the title.
It was a victory which earned him £602,500 and underlined his status as the world No1.
He became only the fourth man since tennis turned professional - behind Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors and Stefan Edberg - to win his first three grand slam finals.
"I kind of like it, the 100 per cent record in the finals of grand slams, because these are the ones that really, really count," he said. "To have won my favourite tournament already twice in my career is just incredible."
