What a match!

5th July 2009 WIMBLEDON MEN'S FINAL
Roger Federer (2) vs. Andy Roddick (6)
1500 hours GMT

As I write this, Roddick and Federer are all even at one set apiece and one game all. This Wimbledon final as been a display of some fantastic tennis so far. Roddick has definitely put up a much greater fight than Federer or any of the other legends present in the Royal box on Center Court had expected. All those who were polled have predicted Federer the winner. But this is turning out to be tougher than expected for Fedex. After more than 2 hours and over 2 sets, he hasn't been able to break Roddick's serve even once yet. The first set was an unexpected show of consistently superior tennis from Roddick. His big serves got even bigger, with the fastest one clocking 143 mph! Federer had a tough time reading A-Rod's serves and even took a few in the stomach of what will now be iconic as Roddick body-blow serves! Federer had 3 breakpoints at 5-5 in the first set but couldn’t convert them. Roddick converted the only chance he had to break Fedex to win the first set 7-5.

Aces have rained from both racquets - Federer getting a bigger share off his. To make up for his fewer aces, A-Rod has blasted down some pretty accurate and fast-as-lightning serves which seem to baffle Federer. The second set continues on the track of near-perfect tennis, with Federer flicking his wrist to get graceful cross-court volleys and Roddick alternating between powerful baseline and feathery drop shots. Both hold serve with elan.

At 6-6 in the second set and going into a tie-break, the glow of Federer's genius seems to be fading. The skies seem to be turning black as Federer trails 2-6 in the 2nd set tie-break. Will Federer get overpowered by the American’s super-confident play? Will this be the turning point in the match? Pushed into a corner and struggling to escape the gagging serves, Federer still manages to shine through with 2 aces and some amazing backhand slices and mini-breaks to turn things around and win the second set 7-6. Sublime tennis, this.

Federer has had to make a monumental effort to come back from 2-6 down in the 2nd set tiebreak and win it with grit, and not just that, win the 3rd set 7-6. That was definitely a huge confidence booster for him. The Roddick serve,however, seems to be living up to its reputation - After 3 sets, Fed still hasn’t broken Roddick! Not just that, he is finding many of A-Rod's serves un-returnable as they blast down from the turbo-charged racquet of Roddick. Roddick has also proved better at net play, getting in some nifty volleys and slices across the net. The 3rd set was an even show of genius from both sides - Fed with his silky backhand crosscourt slices and brilliant forehands up the line, A Rod with his supreme serves and fantastic placement. All in all, both players made it well worth a classic wimbledon final. Absolutely fantastic to watch.

Halfway through the 4th set, Roddick has broken Federer for the second time in the match and leads 4 games to 1. At this point, I guess no one has a doubt in their minds that this is going to be a marathon five-setter going down to the wire. Nothing seems to faze Roddick – he just keeps blasting bazookas from his racquet and goes on to win the 4th set 6-3.

In hindsight, losing the 4th set without breaking Roddick’s serve when he was 3-5 down was possibly the best strategy Roger Federer could have used. This way, he started the 5th set serving first and held serve with style and determination.

No one could have imagined what happened next.

3hours and 21 minutes and still no break of serve for Roddick. This is turning out to be a nail-biting 5th set with both players holding serve after some classic rallies. It is imperative that Federer breaks Roddick's serve to move forward here but his forehand errors seem to creep in at every critical point.

A couple of games into the 5th set and no one has a doubt in their minds that both Federer and Roddick are playing the tennis of their lives and in no way, look fatigued. Each service game draws gasps of admiration and disbelief from the audience. The backhand volleys, drop shots, canny passes and aces from both racquets keep everyone on the edge of their seats. Both Federer’s and Roddick’s serves look like stone fortresses – completely impenetrable. There being no tie-breaker in the final set, the match moves from game to game with no drop of serve till it seems like only a miracle can turn the match in Federer’s favour. Since Federer started the set serving, he was under lesser pressure during his service games and that probably, wasn’t the case with Roddick, who had to fight even harder to prevent a break of serve. Almost imperceptibly, Federer is closing in on his opponent’s serve, reaching 30-40 and even deuce on Andy’s serve. Is Roddick tiring? One couldn’t say. The bazookas keep coming. At 14-13, with Roddick serving to stay in the 5th set, the miracle finally happens. Roddick hits a baseline volley wide and lobs the next return long to cede his tremendous serve. The moment is surreal. It is almost as if the audience can’t believe it has finally happened. There is a roar of applause and cheers from the Centre court spectators, as Roger leaps up in a release of ecstasy. Federer’s relief and Roddick’s shock clash on Centre Court in a rising crescendo.

There are no tears this time for Federer as he holds the golden trophy aloft to beat Pete Sampras’ 14 Grand Slams record in half the number of years that Sampras took, and go one up. He is back to being World Number One. Truly an inspirational champion and an icon who stands for the highest values in his sport. This is glory that Raphael Nadal can’t take away from Roger by his presence or his absence. What an achiever!