Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final Preview – Can Roddick upset Federer?
Well, as many expected, Roger Federer will try to win his sixth Wimbledon title and break Pete Sampras’ record for Grand Slam titles tomorrow against someone named Andy.
Roddick, that is.
Roddick upset #3 seed/crowd favorite/great British hope Andy Murray in four sets in Friday’s semifinals, spoiling the expected Federer-Murray final and booking his place in his first Grand Slam final since the 2006 U.S. Open.
It’s no surprise to see Federer here, and save for a four-set match against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round and a tough straight sets win over French Open final foe Robin Soderling in the fourth, it’s been smooth sailing for Federer.
As for Roddick, few would have expected to see him be the one opposite Federer tomorrow, but here he is with a chance to finally get the second Grand Slam title that has eluded him since he won the 2003 U.S. Open.
This is the 21st time that Federer and Roddick are facing off, and it’s been a one-sided rivalry thus far, with Federer winning 18 of the first 20 meetings. That includes victories over Roddick in back-to-back Wimbledon finals in 2004 and 2005, when Roddick was in the best run of his career – to this point, at least – and Federer was really hitting his stride as a dominant force in men’s tennis.
So, as you would expect, Federer is a sizable favorite in this one, as the latest Wimbledon odds have Federer at -750, with the odds on Roddick to win at +500.
More often than not, Roddick has played Federer close, but the difference has been Roddick making small mistakes here and there and giving Federer just enough of an opening to earn an advantage. The two have met twice this year, with Federer winning both matches, and each time, small mistakes made all the difference. If the same thing happens tomorrow, Federer will have an all too easy road to Grand Slam #15.
However, Roddick has shown a lot in the past couple of matches that bode well for his hopes to play the ultimate spoiler.
Roddick hasn’t always been able to hold his nerve and come through in the big matches, but in his five-set quarterfinal against Lleyton Hewitt, he remained composed after losing the fourth set and finished off a
Then, in the semifinals against Murray, Roddick played fearlessly and confidently from the outset. Murray did break him to win the second set, and that’s when many might have expected the Scot to turn it on and finish Roddick off. But Roddick kept his cool, and when the third and fourth sets went to tiebreakers, it was Roddick, not Murray, who rose to the occasion.
Does he have enough left in the tank to give Federer a test? As opposed to in his previous Wimbledon finals against Federer, there isn’t exactly a world of pressure on Roddick, since he wasn’t expected to get here, and that will help him a great deal.
Of course, Federer hasn’t won five Wimbledon titles and made seven straight finals without some element of talent, and even Roddick’s best efforts may not be enough to overcome Federer. That being said, even if Roddick isn’t able to pull it out, I like his chances of pushing Federer to at least four sets, and maybe even five.
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