| Three
championship
matches,
three
victories
_
Roger
Federer
is
a
master
of
the
Grand
Slam
final.
The
top-seeded
Swiss
star
overcame
Andy
Roddick's
brute
power
game
Sunday
to
win
his
second
straight
Wimbledon
title
and
cement
his
status
as
the
game's
No.
1
player. |
| |
| The
top-seeded
Swiss
star
withstood
Roddick's
huge
serves
and
forehand
winners,
winning
4-6,
7-5,
7-6
(3),
6-4
for
his
third
Grand
Slam
title
and
24th
consecutive
victory
on
grass. |
| |
| Federer,
who
won
the
Australian
Open
in
February,
is
the
fourth
man
to
go
3-0
in
his
first
Slam
finals
since
the
Open
era
began
in
1968.
He's
in
pretty
good
company,
joining
Bjorn
Borg,
Jimmy
Connors
and
Stefan
Edberg. |
| |
| Those
three
greats
all
lost
in
their
fourth
major
final.
Federer,
22,
will
get
a
chance
to
make
it
4-0
at
the
U.S.
Open
beginning
in
late
August. |
| |
| "I
kind
of
like
it
_
the
100
percent
record
in
the
finals
of
Grand
Slams,"
he
said.
"These
are
the
ones
that
really,
really
count.
Grand
Slam
titles
put
you
just
a
step
higher.
To
have
won
my
favorite
tournament
already
twice
in
my
career
is
incredible." |
| |
| After
a
rain
delay,
Federer
came
from
a
break
down
at
2-4
in
the
third
set
and
took
charge
by
playing
a
brilliant
third-set
tiebreaker.
He
saved
six
break
points
in
the
fourth
set,
broke
Roddick
at
love
in
the
seventh
game
and
finished
the
match
with
his
12th
ace. |
| |
| When
his
final
124
mph
serve
flew
past
Roddick,
Federer
dropped
to
his
knees
at
the
baseline
and
arched
all
the
way
onto
his
back.
He
got
up
and
smacked
a
ball
into
the
crowd.
Roddick
came
around
the
net
and
the
players
hugged.
Federer
appeared
to
be
in
tears
as
he
sat
on
his
courtside
chair. |
| |
| After
receiving
the
trophy
from
the
Duke
of
Kent,
Federer
kissed
it
and
raised
it
over
his
head
to
a
huge
ovation
from
the
Centre
Court
crowd. |
| |
"Somehow
I
feel
even
more
joy
this
year
because
I
had
so
much
pressure
going
into
this
tournament,"
he
said.
"Now
to
see
my
name
on
the
board
enjoyment
I
kind
of
get
more
joy
out
of
this."
|
| |
| Roddick,
the
U.S.
Open
champion,
gave
Federer
full
credit. |
| |
| "Roger
just
played
too
good
today,"
he
said.
"I
threw
the
kitchen
sink
at
him,
but
he
went
to
the
bathroom
and
got
a
tub." |
| |
| Federer,
who
beat
Roddick
in
the
Wimbledon
semifinals
last
year,
is
now
6-1
against
his
top
rival. |
| |
| "I'm
going
to
have
to
start
winning
some
of
them
to
call
it
a
rivalry,"
Roddick
said. |
| |
| Federer,
22,
is
the
first
men's
champion
to
successfully
defend
his
title
since
Pete
Sampras
won
his
seventh
and
final
championship
in
2000.
His
24-match
grass-court
winning
streak
is
the
second-longest
ever,
behind
only
the
41
consecutive
matches
won
by
five-time
Wimbledon
champ
Bjorn
Borg. |
| |
| "He
definitely
has
an
aura
about
him,
there's
no
doubt,"
Roddick
said.
"He's
an
unbelievable
tennis
player.
People
know
that." |
| |
| It
was
the
first
Wimbledon
men's
final
in
22
years
between
the
No.
1
and
No.
2
seeded
players,
and
it
featured
a
contrast
in
styles
between
the
cool,
versatile
Federer
and
the
brash,
power-hitting
American. |
| |
| "I
proved
that
Roger
is
not
quite
invincible,"
Roddick
said.
"He's
pretty
close,
but
I
proved
a
lot
to
myself
today.
I
thought
I
took
it
to
him.
I
played
the
game
the
way
I
wanted
to
play
it.
I
just
came
up
short.
It
was
a
couple
of
points
here
and
there." |
| |
| The
match
was
twice
suspended
by
rain,
the
first
time
for
36
minutes
with
Federer
leading
3-2
on
serve
in
the
first
set.
The
second
stoppage
_
which
came
with
Roddick
up
a
break
at
4-2
in
the
third
and
lasted
40
minutes
_
changed
the
momentum
for
good
in
Federer's
favor. |
| |
| After
the
break,
the
sun
came
out
for
the
first
time
and
Federer
_
who
had
been
broken
four
times
until
then
_
won
24
of
28
points
on
his
serve
to
go
into
the
fourth
set. |
| |
| "I
had
to
change
some
things,"
Federer
said.
"I
came
to
the
net
more,
and
this
is
when
the
sunshine
came
at
the
same
time,
so
I'm
happy
I
had
just
a
great
reaction." |
| |
| The
match
swung
Federer's
way
when
he
broke
back
for
4-4
in
the
third
set,
returning
a
137
mph
serve
on
break
point
and
forcing
Roddick
to
miss
a
forehand.
Federer
played
at
his
best
in
the
tiebreaker,
getting
two
aces,
a
forehand
crosscourt
winner,
a
forehand
volley
and
a
backhand
down-the-line
passing
shot.
Roddick
walked
to
the
changeover
with
his
head
down. |
| |
| Federer
got
into
trouble
on
his
serve
in
the
fourth
game
of
the
fourth
set,
going
down
0-40,
but
managed
to
save
four
break
points
to
hold.
He
saved
two
more
break
points
in
the
sixth
game,
with
Roddick
going
for
forehand
winners
but
missing
on
both.
Federer
then
went
ahead
for
good,
breaking
Roddick
at
love
for
4-3. |
| |
Roddick
came
out
firing
in
the
first
set
and
looked
like
he
was
trying
to
blow
Federer
off
the
court.
In
his
first
service
game,
he
delivered
a
128
mph
winner,
a
127
mph
ace,
another
127
mph
ace,
a
double
fault
and
a
145
mph
ace.
|
| |
| Throwing
his
entire
body
into
every
forehand,
Roddick
broke
in
the
next
game,
teeing
off
on
a
second
serve
and
hitting
an
inside-out
winner.
That
was
enough
to
decide
the
first
set. |
| |
| "I
wanted
to
take
it
to
him,"
Roddick
said.
"I
didn't
want
him
to
control
anything
out
there.
I
wanted
to
play
the
match
on
my
terms." |
| |
| It
didn't
always
work
out.
In
the
fourth
game
of
the
fourth
set,
after
losing
a
point
during
which
one
of
Federer's
shots
clipped
the
net,
Roddick
walked
up
to
the
net,
grabbed
it
with
both
hands
and
gave
it
a
vigorous
shake. |
| |
| "It
wasn't
working
for
me,"
Roddick
said.
"If
you
were
helping
him
get
points,
I'd
shake
you,
too." |
| |
| Federer's
victory
was
worth
$1,096,550.
Roddick
got
301,250
pounds
$548,275. |
| |
| Copyright
©
2004
Nicam
Associated
Press.
All
rights
reserved.
This
material
may
not
be
published,
broadcast,
rewritten,
or
redistributed. |
| |
