Hardly anyone gave Andy Roddick any chance going into this Wimbledon Final . Even I was quite certain Federer will get past him with ease . Thats a common verdict if its not a Federer vs Nadal final . But Andy proved everyone wrong . He was the better player all the way through until the end . Well one got to be lucky to win such type of marathon matches . Federer , unlike last year , turned out to be the lucky one this year .

Right from the first set itself , Roddick was serving rockets . Federer was able to break Andy’s serve just once in the entire match , and that too the last game of the match , which proved to be decisive . Counting three years in a row , Wimbledon final has been a thriller .

I feel sorry for Roddick . As he said , he will be back to get his name among greats like Pete , Roger , Bjorn and Laver . And I truly hope he does . He has surely got his game up by a few notches . He is not the same Andy Roddick as the one two years ago . The way he played today , he was just magnificent .

And coming back to Federer . He is now the greatest Grand Slam player ever with 15 majors under his belt , surpassing great Pete Sampras . He jolted 50 aces to win the final 5-7 7-6 7-6 3-6 16-14 . With 6 Wimbledon titles under his belt , he is just one step away from equalling Sampras’ record of 7 Wimbledon Titles . Great going Fedex . Great going Andy . The two Gladiators .

Finally , after waiting for so many years , after being defeated three years in a row in the finals , everytime by his no.1 nemesis , Rafael Nadal . Everyone said that its his end , its the end of an illustrious career . They said that he won’t be able to complete his career Grand Slam . French Open will remain his most coveted dreams , just like Pete Sampras .

Its like a fairy tale  . It was a tryst with the destiny for the Swiss Symphony . This was precisely the moment when the title of “the very best” was once and for all ,  stamped over his name . The most coveted Roland Garros is in the bag now , and so is the magical figure of 14 . Record books , which are already flooding with his name everywhere , have got one more of them to boast about .

World no.1 no. 2 Roger Federer ( I am so habituated to referring to him as no.1 ) has finally conquered at clay . Against all the odds , he did achieved what he strived for so many years . A perfect climax would have been Federer defeating Nadal . But neverthless , he defeat Soderling 10th time in a row …. 6-1 7-6(1) 6-4 in straight sets to win his 14th singles title, matching the record set by Pete Sampras.

“It’s maybe my greatest victory, or certainly the one that removes the most pressure off my shoulders,” Federer said after his Sunday victory, which capped his fourth bid at a Grand Slam in Paris. “Now the question is: Am I the greatest of all time? We don’t know, but I definitely have many things going for me because I’ve finally won all four Grand Slams, and I’m particularly happy reaching Pete’s 14.”

One of the biggest agony in the majestic career of Pete Sampras was his inability to complete the Grand Slam , his inability to conquer Roland Garros . Similar has been the situation with Roger Federer till now . How agonizing it would be to reach the finals three years in a row and still not finding success in grabbing the trophy .

Semifinals in 2005 and Finals in 2006,07 and 08 . He suffered defeat in all four occasions at the hands of his biggest rival , Rafael Nadal . Rafae , undoubtedly , has been his biggest hurdle . Not to be this time . Rafael Nadal has suffered a major upset in pre-quarters and is out of the tournament , giving Federer his best oppurtunity till date to complete his Grand Slam . If he can’t win this time , he probably won’t ever .

Wishing Federer all the best . May the champion get past his biggest nightmare this time around .

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