Roger Federer Beats Andy Roddick in Classic; Wins Record 15th Grand Slam Title

Roger Federer has won his record fifteenth Grand Slam Championship, after defeating American Andy Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon finals, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 in one of the greatest matches ever played. Federer and Roddick both were holding serve well in the first set before Roddick broke Federer's service game to take the set. There were no breaks in the next set, and the second set went into a tiebreak. Roddick was up 4 set points at 6-2 but couldn't convert, and Federer took the tiebreak 8-6 and the set 7-6, to even up the match. No breaks in the third set forced another tiebreak. Federer got two mini-breaks early and held, to win the tiebreak 7-5, and take a 2-1 set lead. Roddick breaks Federer's second service game to go up 3-1 in the fourth set. Roddick held the break and took the fourth set 6-3 to force a deciding fifth set. Federer got his first break in the match in the fifth set to win the match 16-14. A classic played by two great competitors. Federer improves to 4-0 overall against Roddick at Wimbledon and 3-0 against Roddick in Wimbledon Finals (2004, 2005, 2009). Federer also improves to an astounding 19-2 against Roddick in head-to-head matches.

With the victory over Roddick, Federer passes Pete Sampras, who was in the stands, for most grand slams, furthering his claim on being the greatest who has ever played this sport. Sampras is now second with 14 Grand Slam titles.

Even with the loss to Federer in the finals, this tournament was the resurgence of Andy Roddick. Roddick's goal at this year's Wimbledon was to make it to the second week. Roddick beat durable Tomas Berdych in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals. He then beat rival Lleyton Hewitt in five epic sets to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, Roddick was a big underdog against Andy Murray, ranked #3. Murray was a big fan favorite but Roddick prevailed in four close sets, the last two in tie-breakers. Roddick had been playing his best tennis in more than five years, and possibly the best tennis he has ever played. To go with his big serve that can top 155 MPH, Andy has added an array of new shots, including the drop shot and the volley. Let's see how Roddick can carry this momentum into the US Open, where he won his only Grand Slam Championship in 2003.

Federer has benefited from the absence of his main rival, Rafael Nadal. At the French Open, Nadal, who was the 4-time defending champion and has never lost at Rolland Garros, was shockingly defeated by Robin Soderling in the fourth round. Federer's path was made easier and he defeated Soderling in straight sets at the finals to win his first French Open and complete the Career Slam. Nadal was the favorite going into Wimbledon, where he was defending champion after beating Federer in five sets last year, but made a surprise announcement that he would miss Wimbledon this year because of foot injuries. Also with the win in the Wimbledon finals, Federer reclaims the #1 spot in the rankings, Nadal falling to #2.

Federer now has to be regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all time, who has played the game of tennis. Earlier in the week, Federer made his 21st consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, which is a record, as well as his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final. This was Federer's 20th Grand Slam final overall and 16th final in the past 17 major championships. Federer has now won two of the three Grand Slam's this year (French Open & Wimbledon), making it to the finals in all three, and will defend his US Open title later this year.