Wimbledon final - Roddick seeks revenge : It was arguably the greatest match in the history of tennis, but for Andy Roddick, it was painful to watch.

Travelling home from a family gathering in North Carolina this time a year ago, Roddick stopped in an airport bar to watch the drama unfold as Rafael Nadal dethroned Roger Federer on the famous lawns of Wimbledon.

“I didn’t want to watch,” recalled Roddick yesterday. “It’s tough watching because you wish you were there. Especially because of the mental state I was in at that point, it hurt to watch. But there was no chance of me getting out of that airport before it was finished.”

Tomorrow, Roddick will have the best viewing position possible for the 2009 men’s Wimbledon final, right across the net from the incomparable Federer as the Swiss master goes for his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam triumph.

The American star derailed the British hopes of Andy Murray to get there, perhaps gaining a little satisfaction two days after rival Lleyton Hewitt suggested Murray should and would win the match. Now, he returns for a third crack at Federer in a Wimbledon final, with the first two – 2004, 2005 – having ended with Federer on top.

A year ago, as he watched Nadal and Federer pound away, Roddick wondered where his own career was headed. But yesterday against Murray, he showed the results of a year of soul-searching, fitness training and work with yet another new coach, delivering a mature, crafty and brilliant performance in a four-set victory over Murray in which his opponent had all the advantages of a hometown crowd.

No longer just the man with the thundering serve, Roddick won because he took risks, winning key points at the net and with surprise drop shots. Four years after last losing to Federer here in the final, Roddick returns with more variety to his game, a married man with a different perspective and a calmness that gives him more than a puncher’s chance.

“Obviously, a lot has changed since (2005),” said Roddick, the sixth seed this year. “I may have grown up a bit as far as how I go about things.”

The hunger to win this prestigious event, however, hasn’t died despite all the disappointments, despite being unable to win another Grand Slam title since his 2003 U.S. Open triumph seemed to foreshadow many more such victories.

Tomorrow’s winner will lift the Challenge Cup, a 126-year-old trophy bought for 100 guineas which bears the inscription “The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single-Handed Championship of the World.”

Asked if he could envision lifting the silverware, Roddick said, “I’ve done that many times.”

Federer, however, has lifted that trophy five times already. If he can do it again, he’ll break Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles and become the undisputed – well, in most corners – greatest player to ever grace a tennis court.

“Sure, I like listening about it,” said Federer with a smile yesterday after a straight-sets win over Germany’s Tommy Haas. “It means I’m doing something right. But then again, let me finish my career, and then we’ll see.”

Federer is 18-2 all-time against Roddick, and chances are he’ll be better able to neutralize Roddick’s serve and pass the American when he takes chances at the net.

“I enjoy how he leaves everything out on the court,” said Federer, who set a record yesterday by making it to his 20th Grand Slam final. “I like playing against him.”

Like Roddick, life has changed for Federer since that 2005 Wimbledon final meeting. He is also now married and expecting his first child.

He has dealt with the pressure of tying Bjorn Borg’s mark of five straight Wimbledons, and managed the doubts of 2008 when it seemed he was no longer the world’s most dominant player.

Now, history awaits. One hopeful American stands in his way.

thanks to thestar.com

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