Roger Federer (Pic:www.rogerfederer.com) Andy Roddick (Pic: www.andyroddick.com)
The epic Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick turned out to be a test of temperament in the end. Throughout the more than four hours that the two played the game they were evenly matched except in the fourth set when Roddick dominated. The fifth set was really a battle of attrition where Federer clearly had an edge because of his naturally even temperament.
The shot that did Roddick in eventually was nothing more than a flagging focus after such a marathon fight. In many ways the championship was not for Federer to win but for Roddick to lose. The generally unflappable Federer's body language was not altogether convincing throughout the match. He did not seem to play to win, particularly in the face of Roddick's savagely powerful serves. At one point Roddick clocked over 120 miles in his second serve well into the halfway stage of the game. If that is not sheer power tennis, I do not know what is.
I have noticed that those players gifted with powerful serves tend to be devoid of other shots. I would have expected that of Roddick as well but he had many brilliant passing shots yesterday. Roddick needn't kick himself too hard for losing the match because he did not do so because he lacked anything other than some faltering temperament at the crucial moment.
The final had everything that one comes to expect from the grand slam. For me the biggest takeaway was Federer's ability to wear down his opponent.
