Wimbledon 2009: Roger The Great!

What can I say?  Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player ever and once again he proved that today by beating American Andy Roddick, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14. in the longest match, in games, in Grand Slam history.  The final score in the fifth set was an unprecedented 16-14.

In addition, this sixth Wimbledon win gave Federer a total of fifteen Grand Slam titles, more than any man in history.

But man, spare a thought for poor Andy Roddick.  He was broken only once in the entire match and that was for Federer to take the fifth set and the championship.  As in the match against Andy Murray, Roddick played the best I've ever seen him and it really appeared in that fifth set that Roger would be the one to get broken to set up a game where Roddick could serve for the match.

After all, he only needed to break Roger once in the first set and once in the fourth.  The two tiebreaks in the second and third sets went to Roger though in the second set, Roddick was up 6-2 before Roger came back to win it. 

The point that will probably give Roddick nightmares is the backhand overhead volley he missed at 6-5.  Roddick had an open court between him and a two sets to love lead and he pushed the shot wide.

To his credit, he hung tough in the third forcing it to a tiebreak, but Roger shut him down.  Throughout the match however, Roddick served like a dream and hit backhands down the line as if they were the easiest strokes in the world.

With Academy Award winner Russell Crowe watching in the audience, this match had everything and it wasn't until those three last loose groundstrokes by Roddick that it looked like the match might go Roger's way.

On match point Roger let out a yell to the heavens and took a well earned leap in the air.  Roddick looked understandably stunned, and also understandably snapped at Roger during Federer's on court interview.  Roger said something about knowing how Andy felt because he felt the same last year after he was beaten by Rafael Nadal.  Andy snapped back something about how Roger had already won five titles when that happened, so really, it wasn't the same.

He said it with a half-grin, but he definitely looked pissed.  I would have been pissed too.  He also understandably bypassed the off court NBC interview with John McEnroe.

Maybe Roddick and Elena Dementieva can get together for drinks and commiserate.

So a big too bad to Andy Roddick, but let's see he you can put that new game together at the US Open.

And a big congratulations to Roger Federer! 

On another happy note, the Williams sisters won the women's doubles title.  It was a nice consolation for Venus Williams who'd been beaten by little Sis for the women's singles title earlier in the day.

Congratulations Ladies!