Another epic Wimbledon comes to a completion with an eagerly awaited result but my heart goes out to Andy Roddick for the class he showed, the match he played and the grace with which he accepted defeat.
Ap photos
It is almost heart-wrenching that the way it ended overshadowed the fine result and when the big moment arrived, one was actually feeling sorry for Andy more than relishing the history that had just been created. Was that felt by everyone? Even by Fed himself as he did not break up into his customary tears when it got over - for it did not seem over, it loomed there for a bit before one saw Roddick drop his head and Fed jumping up in victory. French Open finale was a milestone that everyone reacted and genuinely felt for. Why? - Is it because Roger had come out of his slump and claimed something we all knew he deserved, yet had been denied time and time again. And now that Rafa's absence was haunting the Wimbledon and Federer was sailing too smooth, the crowd did not grasp the measure of the achievement he had so effortlessly pulled. It could be anything and yet, it remains his historical 15th.
AP photos
It is a fact that Federer was far from his poignant and elegant displays, bleeding UFEs at unfortunate times. In fact, he had a tough time reading Andy's serves and he rarely had a 0-15 lead. And when he did, he usually squandered it with a unforced error. However, where he really pulled the plug was sheer determination and tenacity. As a commentator remarked - "Any time is a good time to pull out 6 straight points but to do that 2-6 down in Grand Slam final tie break is what differenciates a genius". And after he two controlled firm shots to save the 2 break points (could have been the match points for Andy) in final set, I couldn't help asking, "What is he made up of?" I would refrain from calling him inhuman since he has shown the signs of nerves against one man - Nadal. Well, thanks Rafa for showing us that Roger is human but too bad for Andy! I thoroughly enjoyed the finale and in the end it was a well deserved victory for either player who would have won. I guess I am a sentimentalist at times, so I would have felt more for the loser - Roddick in this case.
And there goes my final piece for Wimbledon at MTF -Federer holds.
No write up can describe the level of the game played, tension created and the drama that unfolded at SW19. With Roddick's impregnable serve in the first 4 sets, it only seemed fair that Wimbledon doesn't allow tie-breaks in the decider set. Had it been US Open, we would have missed the tension wrought 5th set where Federer had to break A-Rod to win.
For those hungry for stats-
- Federer hit a career-high 50 aces and an amazing 107 winners, leavened by only 38 unforced errors. Roddick had 27 aces and 74 winners.
- The match required 77 games, the most ever in a Wimbledon final.
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