Wimbledon 2009 Men’s Final

Having decided before the tournament began that this was Roger Federer’s year, thanks to Rafael Nadal being injured and Federer finally triumphing at Roland Garros, I sat down to see him get his hands on his 15th Grand Slam.

I wasn’t sitting for long….An article littered with superlatives would not do this tennis match justice.

Never before was the stage better prepared for this gladiatorial battle. Fellow warriors placed themselves at different vantage points throughout Centre Court. Pistol Pete Sampras, a King of Wimbledon himself, fulfilled his promise and jetted in fashionably late. Boom Boom Boris and Mac the Mouth were on hand in their respective commentary boxes. The Swedish Maestro Bjorn Borg was flanked by another great, Rod Laver. There must be something about this Federer guy?!

The first set was as close as you can get, both men more than steady on their serves. Neither looking threatened, when suddenly in the 12th game Roddick converted his first set point. The first set was over.

Well at least we have a game on our hands! I thought.

The second set was more of the same. Roddick seemed unaware that he was the underdog, this was supposed to be Roger’s day! Grass is his strongest surface after all, Roddick had only beaten him twice in twenty matches. Hadn’t anybody told Andy the script?! Suddenly the tiebreaker was upon us. Surely Roger would show him who was boss now. Andy was having nothing of it, he raced into a 6-2 lead, four set points for a two sets to love lead! I am sure I saw a pro-American smile on Pistol Pete’s face. Boris was egging Roger on to dig deep and show us something special. Mac the Mouth believed Roddick was executing his game plan perfectly. It was as if Roddick chose this moment to look at the scoreboard for the first time. He seemed to waver, was the moment too big?  What followed was a series of unforced errors, some incredible service points by Federer and six points in a row, all to Roger Federer. At one set all we really did have a match on our hands.

I hoped the third set would bring some ascendancy for Federer, at four games all I realised we were heading for another tiebreak. Pistol Pete looked on unmoved, probably relieved, he wouldn’t have to duke it out with these two lionhearts. Pete was a master server, today that title belonged to Roddick, in fact, I dubbed him Andy the Rock. Boom Boom Boris saw this too, he wanted Roger to try something different, if he wanted to even have a chance of breaking Roddick’s serve. Federer seemed undaunted by the task that lay in front of him, and kept plugging away. Maybe he knew something we didn’t. It must’ve been, as he emerged victorious from the tiebreaker 7 points to 5. Two sets to one, was the Rock finally beginning to crack?

Set four showed us how strong the Rock truly was, Federer seemed tired, and I was beginning to look forward to a fifth set. What a great occasion, I was telling myself, what a fitting way for a great champion to win his fifteenth Grand Slam. Amid my mind’s romantic wonderings, The Rock broke Federer TWICE. The realisation that after four sets, my man Roger had been unable to break Roddick’s serve, weighed on my mind. Six games to three was an emphatic set victory. Was the great champion wilting?

The fifth set produced 30 service games. The commentators were at a loss for tactics, Roddick’s weak backhand was tested for more than four hours, unbreakable. Federer had less sweat on his brow than Sampras. Boy was I witnessing something special and Federer went past the 50 mark for service aces. Two of them in the 17th service game, sent down as he faced two breakpoints, after one of Roddick’s weak backhands! Roddick might have become the Rock, but Roger was reminding us why he is the King. After four hours and fifteen minutes, and in the record breaking 77th game of the match, Roddick uncharacteristically produced two unforced errors , the second on match point, the King had overcome the Rock.

This was a history making final, the King has secured his place in history, the Rock will surely carve out his place too.