Federer Continues Roddick Domination for Wimbledon Title

Posted on July 5, 2004

Roger Federer increased his career win-loss record over Andy Roddick to 6-1 on Sunday with a gritty 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-4 win for his second consecutive Wimbledon title.

"I got lucky today for sure," Federer said. "I was down a break in the third set and if Andy had served a few better games it would have been two sets. He also deserves this title and I hope we're going to play many more times here."

Roddick came out firing from the start, not only with the trademark serve and forehand, but with consistent net approaches that seemed to psychologically impact the Swiss, who was perhaps looking for Roddick to stick primarily to the baseline as he did in his semifinal against Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic.

Federer said the rain delay in the third set was a key opportunity for him to reevaluate his tactics.

"Andy was playing good tennis," said Federer. "He was putting me under pressure and was a better player up till then. I couldn't really play the way I wanted to. I thought maybe starting to serve and volley would win me some free points and not make me play a long rally every time, because that was actually the thing that was killing me. From the baseline, he was taking a lot of risks on my serve."

While Roddick started out hot at the net, claiming the break to take the first set and threaten in the second, his net game waned as the match went on, in the end winning only 48 percent of his points at net to 61 percent for Federer. The Swiss also converted on five of 10 break points, while Roddick created a number of opportunities but clinched on only four of 14.

In addition to winning his sixth title of the year, Federer's post-Wimbledon accomplishments include a 12-match win streak, a 24-match win streak on grass, eight straight wins in tournament finals, a 3-0 record in slam finals, the first repeat Wimbledon champ since Pete Sampras in 2000, and the first player to win two slams in the same year since Andre Agassi in 1999.

In the men's doubles final, top-seeded Jonas Bjorkman/Todd Woodbridge beat No. 16 seeds Julian Knowle/Nenad Zimonjic 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 for their third consecutive Wimbledon title and second title of the year.

In the women's doubles final, No. 6 seeds Cara Black/Rennae Stubbs beat No. 5 Liezel Huber/Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 7-6(5) for their third title of the year.

ATP PREVIEWS
Fresh off his Wimbledon title, Roger Federer returns to Gstaad this week in an effort to win his homecountry title for the first time on the red claycourts. Last year Club Fed lost in the final to Jiri Novak. Fed is joined among the seeds by Juan Carlos Ferrero, Rainer Schuettler, Novak, Andrei Pavel, and Spaniards David Ferrer, David Sanchez and Al Costa. First round matches of interest are (5)Pavel vs. (WC)Marc Rosset, and (7)D.Sanchez vs. Italian comer "You Say" Potito Starace. Former champions in the field are Novak (2003,'01), Costa (1999,'96), and Felix Mantilla (1997).

On court Monday at Gstaad are (4)Novak vs. Acasuso, Montanes vs. (Q)Chiudinelli, (Q)Wawrinka vs. Ramirez Hidalgo, (WC)Heuberger vs. Stepanek, Burgsmuller vs. Hanescu, (8)Costa vs. Ulihrach, (Q)Seppi vs. Andreev, and (Q)"You Say" Potito Starace vs. (7)Sanchez.

Campbell's Hall of Fame Championships? What happened to Miller Lite? That's got to be a disappointment in the player's lounge, free soup instead of beer. Vince Spadea heads the anemic field at Newport on the grass this week, joined by seeds James Blake returning from his neck injury, 2003 runner-up Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer, Gregory Carraz, Cyril Saulnier, Jan-Mike Gambill, Alexander "My Serve Has" Popp and Anthony Dupuis. First round matches of interest are (1)Spadea vs. fellow American Jeff Salzenstein, (7)Popp vs. former NCAA champ (WC)Amer Delic, (5)Saulnier vs. (WC)Justin Gimelstob, (6)Gambill vs. countryman Jeff Morrison, and (4)Carraz vs. Greg Rusedksi. Rusedski (1993) is the only former champ in the draw.

On court today at Newport are (WC)Gimelstob vs. (5)Saulnier, D.Norman vs. (2)Blake, (WC)Delic vs. (7)Popp, and Mahut vs. Golmard in an all-French match-up.

Top-seeded Carlos Moya pulled from Bastad late Sunday, leaving a dirt field headed by French Open winner Gaston Gaudio, Nicolas Massu, Juan Igancio Chela, Tommy Robredo, Fernando Gonzalez, Jonas Bjorkman, and last year's champ Mariano Zabaleta. Tough first round match-ups are (8)Zabaleta vs. Swedish cannon Joachim Johansson, (3)Massu vs. Argentine wildcard Juan Monaco, (6)Gonzalez vs. Luis "Me So" Horna, (5)Robredo vs. Argentine Agustin Calleri, (4)Chela vs. rising Spaniard Marc Lopez, and (2)Gaudio vs. Nikolay Davydenko. Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal also makes his return from injury. Zabaleta (2003) is the only former champ in the draw.

On court Monday in Bastad are (3)Massu vs. (WC)Monaco, (Q)Pashanski vs. Soderling, Verdasco vs. (WC)T.Johansson, Nieminen vs. (WC)Eleskovic, M.Lopez vs. (4)Chela, (Q)Hellstrom vs. Labadze, Patience vs. (Q)Gabashvili, and Youzhny vs. A.Martin.

WTA PREVIEW
No WTA Tour events this week with the Fed Cup quarterfinals on July 10-11, featuring Austria vs. the U.S., Argentina vs. Russia, Italy vs. France, and Spain vs. Belgium.

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NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
From The Guardian: "A report that may reopen the doping case that threatened the career of Greg Rusedski is due to be sent this week to the body who administer the men's game. The report, compiled by the World Anti-Doping Agency, who have studied a spate of raised readings among tennis players for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone, will be delivered to the Association of Tennis Professionals. 'When they have had a chance to review it, we will make it public and will comment,' a Wada spokesman said."...While Serena Williams didn't win Wimbledon, at least she saw some of herself in her conqueror Maria Sharapova: "She's kind of like me. She doesn't back off."...From The Telegraph: "During Lleyton Hewitt's matches, why had his fiancee, Kim Clijsters, not sat in the players' box with the rest of his entourage, including his mother, Cherilyn? She was also seen, on the afternoon of one of his matches, eating at a separate table in the players' restaurant. This has confused, as the Belgian has always been joined at the white-tracksuited hip of the Hewitts."...The International Tennis Hall of Fame has announced the ATP Foundation Cup, a special doubles exhibition featuring Andre Agassi and Hall of Famer Rod Laver will be played on Sunday, July 11...Todd Woodbridge earned a record ninth Wimbledon men's doubles title Sunday, toppling English brothers Hugh and Reggie Doherty who won eight titles between 1897 and 1905...Andy Roddick on Roger Federer: "He's got an aura about him right now in the locker room. He's the top player, there's no doubt. He deserves to be No. 1 and he's played better than anyone this year. He's an unbelievable tennis player and people know that." Just like Tim Henman and Pat Rafter in the age of Pete Sampras, will Roddick be kept from a career Wimbledon title with Federer around?