WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND -- As the fifth set expanded to 6-6 and 10-10 and then an inconceivable 14-14 and refused to end, this latest masterpiece of a Wimbledon final seemed to heave with the audacious aim of rivaling its hallowed predecessor.
Whether it succeeded in the end would prove debatable, but nobody at Centre Court on a sunny, blustery Sunday at the All England Club will lament having witnessed a men's singles final so commendable that the fans wound up chanting the name of the man who did not win.
"Roddick! Roddick! Roddick!" they roared, because Roger Federer squeaked by Andy Roddick, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14, in the longest Grand Slam final. The win also returns Federer to the No. 1 ranking today.
After the match, Roddick spoke to the crowd and, specifically, to tennis legend Pete Sampras in the front row of the Royal Box: "Sorry, Pete. I tried to hold him off."
An apology necessary, perhaps, because Federer's sixth Wimbledon win gave him 15 Grand Slam titles, moving him ahead of Sampras' 14.
But first Roddick was asked: "Did you just lose to the world's greatest tennis player ever?" "Yes," he replied.
For in addition to all the aesthetic shotmaking and the suitable power and the near-record 50 aces of Sunday, Roddick's crowding of Federer in their third Wimbledon final together unearthed another Federer trait long buried beneath the pile: For a placid sort from the tranquil city of Basel, Switzerland, his vessels sure do carry a considerable ration of streetfighter.
"You know, he was having trouble picking up my serve today for the first time ever," Roddick said. "He just stayed the course. You know, you didn't even get a sense that he was even really frustrated by it. ... He gets a lot of credit for a lot of things, but not how many matches he kind of digs deep and toughs it out."
Thirty-seven straight inabilities to break service until the 30th game left Federer "frustrated at times," he said, but ultimately proudest of "just the fight, you know, because I'm famous for being all casual and relaxed out there, not showing much."
"I have to give it to him," Sampras said to the BBC, calling Federer "the best in my book" and saying, "Fifteen majors, that's a lot of majors."
