High Five: Federer ties Borg with Wimbledon win

By Kamakshi Tandon Roger Federer won his 5th consecutive Wimbledon title as the weather finally turned bright and clear during the final weekend of the Championships. © Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Wimbledon began with rainy and ragged weather, but it finished with a day of sunshine that bathed the men’s final in a glow never possible until this year’s roofless Centre Court opened the stadium to the skies. The tennis also shone, a five-set battle between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal that turned Federer’s way just when it looked as if the title might be slipping from his grasp. He won the last four games to close out the match 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2, falling to his knees in trademark style before collapsing onto his back in relief. The victory gives Federer his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title, tying him with Bjorn Borg as the only player to achieve the feat in the Open Era. Federer also tied Borg's (and Rod Laver's) mark of 11 Grand Slam titles, putting him behind only Roy Emerson (12) and Pete Sampras (14) in the all-time list of men’s champions. At 25, he hopes he has time to move up the list. “Obviously it’s on my mind,” he said. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up, but I definitely feel like I’m mentally and physically still fit to go on for many more years to come.” Borg made a rare appearance at Wimbledon to watch Federer equal his record. The two spoke afterwards in front of the champions’ honor roll, where both their names are carved so many times. Several other legends were also present for the final, and the Swiss world No. 1 looked like a vintage presence himself during the trophy ceremony, wearing a white jacket and long pants. “It was a huge occasion for me, huge pressure – “Bjorn Borg sitting there, Jimmy Connors sitting there, John McEnroe sitting there, Boris Becker sitting there,” said Federer. With his latest win, he’s on his way to eclipsing them all. The only significant hole in Federer’s record is the French Open, where Nadal has ruled for the last three years. Federer wasn’t the only one trying to match Borg on Sunday – Nadal was attempting to become the first player to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back since the Swede did it in 1978. Appropriately enough, sitting beside Borg in the Royal Box was Manuel Santana, the only Spanish men’s champion at Wimbledon so far. But the 21-year-old Nadal drew comfort from coming ever closer to winning the title he says he covets above all others. Federer and Nadal have now played the French Open and Wimbledon finals back-to-back for two years running, but Nadal can say he has come closer to toppling Federer on his turf at SW19 than Federer has against Nadal on Parisian clay. “I play very good level, playing against one of the best in history in this surface... I’m playing at a similar level,” said Nadal. The two had taken very different paths to get to the final – not least in the time spent on court. Nadal had played almost six more hours coming into the match, including two five-setters early in the week when the tournament was playing catch-up because of rain. Federer, meanwhile, had received a five-day break in between thanks to the weather and the injury withdrawal of his fourth-round opponent Tommy Haas Nadal still managed to push Federer to five sets – the first time that’s ever happened in a Grand Slam final – and the world No. 1 knows his younger rival presents a growing challenge. “I’m happy with every one I get now, before he takes over,” Federer told the Centre Court crowd. For Nadal, it's the first time he's lost in a deciding fifth set in over two years. But he too spoke about his opponent with typical graciousness. Talking about Federer’s quest to top the Grand Slam list, Nadal said, “[Whether] he going to win 14 or 16 or 13, in my opinion [his] tennis level is the best of the history.” The mutual praise was a pleasing epilogue to a hard-fought and draining match that had given both players reason to believe they might triumph. "Maybe if we have to find any difference, maybe the difference is the serve," said Nadal when asked what had determined the outcome. "He serve better than me and that's important in every surface, but in this surface more." Rafael Nadal, trying to become only the second Spanish man to win Wimbledon, had four chances to go up a break up in the fifth set. © Chris Young/AFP Getty Federer agreed. "From the baseline... I always thought he had the upper hand for some reason and I couldn't really play that agressive like I wanted," he said. "But my serve kept me in, and I definitely won the big points today, which was most important." The first set was decided in a tiebreak that mirrored the rest of the set – Federer beginning with an early lead and Nadal coming back; brilliant play slowly giving way to more nervy errors. The second set appeared to be chugging steadily to another tiebreak conclusion when, without warning Nadal found a set point at 4-5 and leveled the match with a superb backhand pass down the line. Both players lifted their level in the third, but Federer managed to deliver the first strike often enough during the tiebreak to nose ahead. But it was Nadal who struck first in the fourth, finding winners from all over and breaking Federer twice to go up 3-0. While securing his second break, Nadal left Federer visibly rattled when he used Hawk-Eye to successfully challenge a call. Earlier, a Hawk-Eye challenge from the Spaniard had overturned a point that would have won Federer the first set. “How could that ball be in?” Federer plaintively asked the umpire during the changeover. The normally-unflappable Swiss was so disgruntled with the system that he wanted it turned off. “It’s killing me,” he told the chair. Afterwards, he admitted that the emotion of the match had got to him. “I was just frustrated because already I got broken first up and then to be broken this way was for me very irritating,” he said. “So it took me a few games to kind of forget about it and I was ready for the fifth, thank God.” Nadal called the trainer mid-way through the fourth set for treatment on his right knee. He did not appear to be unduly hampered, however, closing out the fourth set and twice going up double break point early in the fifth. After managing to hold both times, Federer suddenly lifted his game as if the reprieve had given him release. “It was a tough moment to be in. I was nervous,” said Federer. “But I served well and played smart, took the right decisions. ”I was so happy when I came out of it because I knew that now he probably missed his chance. If I get one [now], I’ll probably make it. That’s exactly what happened.” Nadal also felt he had blown his opportunity. “I know if I have the break in the fifth I have very good chances for have the title,” said Nadal, who until then had not been broken since his first service game of the match. Instead it was Federer who stood the victor after three hours and 45 minutes. He improved his record against Nadal to 5-8, and has now won four of their last six matches. Standing on court afterwards, he found one more reason to relish this year’s victory at Wimbledon. “It’s the only one without a roof, so I’m glad I took it,” he said, clutching the trophy as it gleamed in the sunlight.