For those that didn’t get an opportunity to see the Wimbledon 2009 final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, you missed a spectacular match which is sure to go down in the history books.
Leading into the match, a lot of the press going on was touting Roger Federer as an easy win over Andy Roddick due to an imposing 18-2 win/loss ratio against him in the past. While it might have seemed a logical choice, you can never underestimate what a grand slam final will do to a player, drive them to greatness or crumple under the pressure.
Looking at how Andy Roddick had played leading into the final, I wasn’t confident that Roger Federer would walk over him to win Wimbledon 2009 at all – Roddick was playing some of the best tennis in his career. He dismantled Tomas Berdych in straight sets, ground out a hard fought five setter against Lleyton Hewitt with great shot making and knocked off the third seed Andy Murray in four – Roddick was a changed man and on a mission. While Andy Roddick played an extra five sets on the way to the 2009 Wimbledon final over Roger Federer, the previous two losses in 2004 and 2005 to Federer were sure to light the fire within for the third encounter.
Roger Federer had an impressive run in to the finals, dropping only a single set which was swiftly reclaimed without mercy 6-1 the following. Federer had been playing great tennis for the entire Wimbledon tournament, backing up from his first French Open win earlier in the year. Due to how the draw unfolded, Roger Federer didn’t come up against a top 10 seeded player before the final, the highest being the 13th seed Robin Soderling. There was speculation that the lack of a dominant oppontent was going to severely hinder the finals performance of Federer, however being a consummate professional and 14 open champion – I was confident that he’d find the muster if and when required.
After more than four hours had lapsed on centre court at Wimbledon, Roger Federer set the record books alight by claiming his 15th grand slam title and surpassing the long standing record of Pete Sampras. The match game score was 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14.
The overall match statistics were incredible from both players, especially the serving statistics from Roddick with 70% first serves in averaging 203kph and a fastest serve of 228kph. Despite the blazing speed and a high percentage from Roddick, Roger Federer nearly doubled the number of aces at 50 and combined with an imposing percentage win ratio on service and return – handed Roger Federer the win.
| Roddick | Federer | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Serve % | 168/239 (70%) | 127/197 (64%) |
| Aces | 27 | 50 |
| Double Faults | 4 | 4 |
| Unforced Errors | 33 | 38 |
| 1st Serve (Winning %) | 140/168 (83%) | 113/127 (89%) |
| 2nd Serve (Winning %) | 31/71 (44%) | 42/70 (60%) |
| Winners (Including Service) | 74 | 107 |
| Receiving Points Won | 42/197 (21%) | 68/239 (28%) |
| Break Point Conversions | 2/5 (40%) | 1/7 (14%) |
| Net Approaches | 42/69 (61%) | 38/59 (64%) |
| Total Points Won | 213 | 223 |
| Fastest Serve | 228kph | 216kph |
| 1st Serve Average Speed | 203kph | 189kph |
| 2nd Serve Average Speed | 168kph | 152kph |
Roger Federer was without question the greatest player of his era, which is a milestone that Rod Laver always measures a player by. However after winning his 6th Wimbledon grand slam title and 15th in total, which as restored his world #1 ranking, has now also rightfully earned the title of the greatest player in history.
