Roger Federer triumphs in epic final
Updated on 05 July 2009
Roger Federer has triumphed in another marathon final to record his sixth Wimbledon men's singles victory.
His opponent, the battling, big-serving American Andy Roddick, again took the tournament's showpiece event into a nail-biting fifth set, in which Federer eventually prevailed 16-14.
Victory for the Swiss star secures his record 15th Grand Slam title, surpassing the previous record of 14 which he held jointly with American Pete Sampras. It also propels him back to the top of the ATP world rankings.
Federer was stretched to the limit in an unforgettable duel of energy-sapping tension, losing the first set and then trailing 6-2 in the second set tiebreak before winning six consecutive points to level the match.
He made little headway on the powerful Roddick serve but remained solid on his own delivery to win the third set on another tiebreak.
Roddick, beaten twice in previous SW19 finals by Federer, refused to buckle. He broke at a crucial moment of the fourth with a great backhand to set up an enthralling decider.
Federer kept his nose in front in a nerve-racking decider and clinched victory after over four hours when Roddick dropped serve for the only time in the match, at 14-15, when he mishit a forehand.
© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
