AT THE end of one of the wettest Wimbledons on record, it was appropriate that the men’s singles title should go to someone capable of soaking up an inordinate amount of pressure. Roger Federer, more accustomed to winning matches by piling on the agony himself, had to become a virtual human sponge yesterday before defeating Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-4.
It was in no way a classic final, as the defending champion and No1 seed was below his flamboyant shot-making best, and two rain breaks served to dampen the atmosphere on Centre Court. But it was at least a classic demonstration of how to fight back
from a position verging on the hopeless.
Up until the second rain break, which came with Roddick holding a 4-2 advantage in the third set, the No 2 seed was on top, and looking more than capable of adding the Wimbledon title to his US Open crown. But, 40 minutes later, Federer returned to court reinvigorated. He still had a lot to do, but with the sun on his back his confidence grew with every rally.
"I’m just very happy I came out of that rain break as a better player," he said. "Up until then I couldn’t really play the way I wanted to. I’m happy I had such a great reaction.
"I’ve always told myself if I get to finals I just don’t want to lose them. I had a bad record in the beginning of my career in finals, but now it seems like I can get my act together at the right time."
Never the most demonstrative of men, Federer was positively subdued for the first set and a half. Reeling under the onslaught of the fastest serve in the game, he could do little other than roll with the punches and hope the bombardment eased off.
In part it did - not even Roddick can sustain such speed and power over four sets. But Federer also played a positive role in his own victory, principally by remaining calm and patient when his supporters in the stands were on the brink of throwing in the towel.
Unusually modest for such a gifted man, however, Federer was happy to pay tribute to his rival, and to suggest, not only referring to the rain breaks, that fortune played a significant role in what was his third win out of three Grand Slam finals. "He played very, very aggressive," Federer said. "I got surprised. I got lucky today, for sure. He also deserves this title, so I hope in the future we will play many more times at this place."
Roddick may not be quite so hopeful of renewing the rivalry regularly, as Federer’s lead over him in head-to-heads is now 6-1. Yesterday’s victory stretched Federer’s overall winning run on grass to 24 matches, although it should be added that Roddick himself has lost only two of his last 23, both defeats having been by Federer.
At 22 and 21 respectively, the champion and runner-up are set to dominate grass-court tennis for the rest of their careers, and Federer could conceivably approach Pete Sampras’s record of seven titles. Yet, rather than gaze vaingloriously into the future, he preferred to express surprise that he had already achieved so much. "This is still an unbelievable feeling," he stated. "To have won my favourite tournament already twice in my career is just incredible."
For the first hour and more of play, the prospect of a Federer win was becoming less and less credible. In fact, the first two games were a foretaste of what was to come in the first two sessions of the match. Federer stumbled through his, throwing in a double fault: Roddick had a double fault too, but he also slammed down four aces in an unmistakable statement of intent.
The ferocity of the American’s serves and forehand drives was simply too much for Federer to withstand in that first set. He was broken in the third game, and in the next failed to capitalise on four break points. The No1 seed then held to cut the gap to 2-3, but, after only 16 minutes’ play, the rain forced a halt.
Roddick maintained his advantage when play resumed over half an hour later, and closed out the set in style. Having done so, however, he immediately allowed his own high standards to drop drastically, and fell 4-0 behind.
Such a lead should have allowed Federer to take the set with ease, but a piqued Roddick roared back to level at 4-4. The Swiss player stopped the rot, and, at 6-5, turned the tables on the second seed to level at one set apiece.
Federer, however, was still very much on the back foot, living off whatever scraps Roddick allowed him. The champion’s serve had been broken only twice in the six previous rounds, but in the third game of the third set Roddick made it four breaks, taking a 2-1 lead. That had stretched to 4-2 when the rain returned, and this time the Federer who re-emerged from the dressing room was the real thing, the man the rest of the tennis world has learned to fear.
He won three games in a row, pressurising Roddick into errors by somehow getting more services over the net, then won the tie-break in comparative comfort to take a two-sets-to-one lead.
With the balance of power having shifted in the champion’s favour, Roddick had to throw everything he could into the fourth set. He did so, but it was not enough. The American had four break points in the fourth game, and another two in the sixth. His failure to convert any proved demoralising, and he dropped his serve to love to go 4-3 behind.
With the end in sight, Federer scarcely wobbled. On championship point, he served an ace - his 12th of the match. He had been tested as no-one else had tested him here either this year or last. He had come through as no-one else could have done.
