Roddick’s finest moment arrived on Centre Court as Federer made history

Among Roger Federer’s 21 appearances at Wimbledon, in which he has won the coveted men’s singles championship a record eight times, one final stands out in significance and symbolism: his Centre Court clash with Andy Roddick in 2009.

At stake was tennis history, with Federer, then 27, seeking a 15th Grand Slam title that would break the record he shared with his idol, Pete Sampras.

The contrast in styles was stark, pitting Federer’s Swiss artistry against Roddick’s American grit.

The quality of play was outstanding and sustained over a match that lasted 4 hours, 17 minutes and set a record for the number of games played in a Grand Slam final (77).

And the outcome turned, at least in part, on the twist of fate of who served first in the decisive fifth set after they had played to a 2-2 stalemate over nearly three hours.

In the end, the championship was decided when Federer broke Roddick’s vaunted serve for the first time all afternoon to claim a 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14 victory.

There was no shame in defeat. It was Roddick’s finest moment. In trying a third time to wrest Wimbledon’s crown from Federer, he produced the best, boldest tennis of his career and stood strong mentally after squandering four chances at a two-sets-to-none lead.

But history belonged to Federer, who earned ovations from Sampras and fellow tennis legends Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver watching from the front row of the Royal Box. And his performance that day encapsulated all that has made the Swiss, who will turn 39 in August, nearly insurmountable on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Theirs is a perfect marriage of athlete and arena.

Wimbledon — which would have been marching toward its women’s and men’s finals this week if its 134th edition hadn’t been canceled because of the novel coronavirus — exacts extraordinary demands on players because of its mercurial grass-court surface.

The temperament and responsiveness of the grass changes with every variation in temperature and humidity. And after two weeks of play, Centre Court is simply shot, patchy in spots and threadbare behind the baseline.

Rather than upset the finely calibrated Federer, these imperfections play to his strengths, further separating him from others on several levels. With a dancer’s agility, Federer can adjust his body positioning on a split-second’s notice to respond to a bad bounce. He is also a gifted improviser — not only creative with his tactics but also blessed with a wide array of shots. Federer can command the strings to meet the ball in so many ways — with a slice, the flick of a wrist, a deft half-volley, a kiss at the net, a mercilessly flat passing shot that’s but a blur.

Power is the least interesting facet of Federer’s game, including his serve. It gave up nearly 20 mph to Roddick’s blistering 140 mph heat that day but was effective through deception and placement rather than blitzkrieg blasts.

In Federer’s grass-court game, there is no extraneous motion. His competitive temperament is the same way, with no energy-sapping displays of emotion.