|
WIMBLEDON, DAY 14, MEN'S FINAL
Jump on the Federer express
By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net
Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc. |
FROM WIMBLEDON – There are good and bad sides to be the anointed great one and Switzerland's Roger Federer has been the victim and beneficiary of both since he stunned the legendary Pete Sampras in the fourth round at Wimbledon two years ago.
The good for Federer is that he really did have the talent to become a Grand Slam champion and the bad was that pressure on him to rise quickly to the top almost overwhelmed him.
But after running through the field at Wimbledon faster than a famished toddler through a bar of Geneva chocolate, Federer erased all doubts that he doesn't have the make-up of a champion. The Swiss only dropped one set during the event and flipped big Aussie Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (5) 6-2, 7-6 (3) in the final and won his first Grand Slam title, never wavering despite the solid play of last two opponents.
In took him 14 days to go from underachiever to accomplished champion, but when he did so, Federer admitted that the Big W was the title that he always wanted.
"People were always asking me, because I'm an all-around player that can play on any surface, 'Which Grand Slam do you think you have the best chance?' After my loss here last year, I started saying, 'You know, maybe the Australian Open and US Open.' Now, to win Wimbledon as a first Grand Slam, obviously I hope it's not gonna be my last, but it's definitely for me the best one to win. I'm so happy."
It was the Sampras match that had defined his potential, when he stopped the king's streak of four Wimbledon titles in a row with a brilliant display of all-court play. But he fell in the next round to Tim Henman and until this fortnight, was as up and down as a gondola straddling the Alps.
"After beating Pete, I didn't believe I could be in the finals two years later, even though people were predicting that," Federer said. "It's really tough in the Slams and I'm happy to put all this kind of negative talk, that I don't perform in Slams, a little bit in the corners. Because I really felt that I could prove how good I can play."
ALL-COURT TALENT BLOSSOMS THIS YEAR
The Swiss' abilities have never been in doubt in Davis Cup, where he has arguably been the strongest performer over the past two years, or is smaller events, where he has cleaned up. He grew up watching Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Sampras, but never imitated any of their particular styles, preferring to mix his own colors. He loved his own creation, going so far as to say that he likes watching tapes of himself playing.
Susan Mullane/
Camerawork USA, Inc. |
He won three tiles going into Roland Garros (Marseille, Dubai and Munich) but bombed out in the first round against Luis Horna. He won Halle on grass the week before Wimbledon, but because of his Paris meltdown, he was no sure bet to find his game here.
But after he gave Roddick a deep lesson in grass court mathematics, where finding all the angles of the court is more important than merely adding up aces, Federer knew the tournament was on his racket.
"I really know deep inside of myself that I can win such big tournament," he said.
The only way that Philippoussis could have won was if the Aussie rang up 50 aces or so and Federer knew where he was going much of the day. Federer put on an amazing return of serve display against the Scud, who tried to bully him with huge blasts and a fierce net attack. But Philippoussis often found his mouth agape watching Federer flatten out returns down the line, chip them at his feet or whale them at his stomach.
Philippoussis went toe to toe with Federer on his own service games in the first set, but never found a way to hurt the Swiss when Federer was tossing the balls. Federer's serve and volley game was deadly and he quickly forced Philippoussis to press.
The change in the tide of the match was almost identical to the Amdy Roddick semifinal match, which also turned in the first-set tiebreaker. A nervous Philippoussis double faulted at 4-5 and then Federer jumped on him, winning the breaker and racing away with the second set. The Aussie gutted his way into the third-set tiebreaker, but imploded, while Federer coolly directed his way to his first Grand Slam crown.
Federer – who's first coach, Peter Carter, died a few years ago – wept more times than has ever been seen by a male champion on Centre Court. The sometimes-staid stage in the sport's most storied event was humanized.
"It's a big relief to me because there was pressure from all sides, also from myself," Federer said. "I wanted to do better at the Slams. … To lift the trophy is something you don't expect. For me, it was very tough with the emotions."
As Federer said, talent only takes you so far. You can't win Slams just by being a part-time magician, you need to believe in your shots when butterflies are fluttering in your stomach.
For one of the first time in what seems like eons, the game's top three players have won Grand Slams this year: Australian Open champion Andre Agassi, French Open titlist Juan Carlos Ferrero and now Federer. All these warriors will have a shot at the US Open title, as do Roddick, Philippoussis and Wimbledon semifinalist Sebastien Grosjean, the colorful Frenchman who really came into his own this fortnight.
But it's Federer bright rainbow of his game that rose above the tour during these two weeks. He wept tears of joy after winning the title and now can revel in his newfound knowledge that he's more than just a pretty player.
"I've always believed, but then in the end when it happens, you don't think that it is possible," he said. "But now it has happened and I'm just gonna enjoy this moment."
|
