5 Most Memorable Slam Finals Of The Open Era
Five decades have gone by since the beginning of the open era in tennis and there have been countless champions who have graced this great sport.
The four Grand Slams are still the biggest trophies in the game. There have been about 200 Grand Slam Championships and as many finals. Every Slam final is a big moment for the game, But some of those finals have their special place in the hearts and memories of every tennis fan.
So here are five of the most memorable Grand Slam finals in the history of the open era of men's tennis:
#5Wimbledon 2009 (Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick)
(The Maestro of Grass Returns)
Overview:
Time Duration: 4 hrs 16 minutes
Total No of points: 436
Total games played: 75
Total No of Aces: 77
Total No of Winners: 181
Final Scoreline
Federer def. Roddick: 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14
Background:
In 2009, Roger Federer came to Wimbledon to reclaim the kingdom he ruled for five years from 2003 to 2007. Just a few weeks after winning his first Roland Garros title, the then 14 time Grand Slam champion was aiming to break Pete Sampras' record of most Slam titles. Having lost to Nadal in an epic final the previous year, Federer reached the final only losing one set. On the other hand, the American fought his way through to the final. Roddick beat former champion Lleyton Hewitt in a five-set quarterfinal by 6–3, 6–7(10–12), 7–6(7–1), 4–6, 6–4 and had a tough semifinal against the young Andy Murray.
Match:
As expected, the match started with both players holding their serves, however, on the 12th game, at 5-6, Federer got broken by Roddick and lost the first set. The second set went to the tiebreak and Roddick had 4 set points at 6-2 to double his lead. But the Swiss Maestro had other plans, grabbing 6 straight points to win the second set and level the match at one set all.
The third set also had to be decided in the tiebreak, with Federer winning it comfortably, 7-1. Roddick fought back in the fourth by breaking Federer's serve to win it 6-3. In the final set, both players held on to their serves till the 30th game. It was when Roddick had to serve to stay in the match at 14-15 that Federer broke his serve for the first time in the match to claim his 6th Wimbledon and 15th overall Grand Slam title to surpass Sampras.