Federer wins epic battle for his 15th title

Roger Federer pulled off an impressive 4 hour win over a valiant Andy Roddick in 5 sets.

After holding serve for the entire match - including 14 games in the fifth set, Andy Roddick finally succumbed to Roger Federer 14-16 in the fifth set.

For Federer, the win means a record 15 Grand Slams, one more than Pete Sampras who previously held the record. The Swiss man had a far more difficult time than usual handling the Roddick serve. Throughout the first set, Roddick held with ease. At 5-6 with Federer serving to force a first set tie-break, the Swiss man threw in a shaky service game to give Roddick the break of serve and the first set.

The two men went toe-to-toe for the next two sets. Roddick continued to serve beautifully; he held serve in every game in both sets - and he only relinquished the lead in the tiebreakers. In the second set tiebreak, Roddick squandered a shocking 4 set points with suspect net play. Federer finally earned a set point when the American made another ill-timed foray into the net.

Impressively, Roddick was able to shake off the disappointment of his terrible misses in the tail-end of the tiebreaker. It was back to business for the American. His first serve percentage dropped from 79% in the second set to 55% in the third. Still, he was able to continue to hold serve throughout the set to force another tiebreaker.

Federer raced out to a 5-1 lead in the breaker, but Roddick found purchase with his serve and forehand. The American clawed back to 5-6, but Federer was able to serve out the set on his 4th set point for 7-5 and the two sets to one lead.

Once again showing uncharacteristic composure, Roddick continued to stay focused in the fourth set. At 2-1, Federer donated a couple of slice backhand errors, then fell victim to a blistering backhand down the line on break point to give the American the early break of serve. That small lapse of concentration cost Federer the set as Roddick held for 6-3.

The fifth set seemed to go on and on with no end in sight. At 6-6, with no deciding set tiebreaker to look forward to, both men were just getting into their serving groove. Finally, with Roddick serving to stay alive at 14-15, he got in a 0-30 hole with a couple of tired-looking groundstrokes. Three big serves drew the American to 40-30, but a backhand winner from Federer took him to deuce again. With the crowd roaring, Roddick made one unforced error for Championship point for Federer, then another to give the Swiss man his record 15th slam.

Federer beats Haas, reaches Wimbledon final

Roger Federer defeats Tommy Haas in straight sets on Friday afternoon at the All-England Club. Federer is through to his seventh straight Wimbledon final.

Roger Federer is one win away from the all-time Grand Slam men's singles record.

Federer, who is tied with Pete Sampras at 14 slam titles, dispatched Tommy Haas 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-3 on Friday afternoon in the Wimbledon semifinals. The world No. 2 needed just two hours and two minutes to book a spot in his seventh consecutive Wimbledon title match.

Having taken Federer to five sets at last month's French Open, Haas showed early signs of making this one equally competitive. Haas struggled to win any points at all against Federer's serve, but neither man earned a single break point throughout the first set. As he often is, however, Federer was too tough in the tiebreaker and took it seven points to three.

One break of serve was enough for Federer in each of the next two sets. The Swiss struck with his opponent serving at 5-6 in the second, and it was routine the rest of the way after he had two-set advantage in hand.

Federer broke midway through the third and closed out the proceedings with one final service hold at 5-3. The five-time Wimbledon champion served at 75 percent on the afternoon while firing 11 aces and only one double-fault. He won almost 90 percent of his first-serve points and even won an incredible 81 percent when forced to toss in a second delivery.

Either Andy Murray or Andy Roddick will face Federer in Sunday's Wimbledon final. Federer has lost four in-a-row to Murray and is 2-6 against the Scot overall. At the other end of the spectrum, Federer is a well-documented 18-2 against Roddick--including 3-0 at the All-England Club (2-0 in Wimbledon finals).

Federer makes quick work of Karlovic.........

Roger Federer defeats Ivo Karlovic in straight sets at Wimbledon on Wednesday afternoon. Federer will meet Tommy Haas in the semis.

Roger Federer is through to an incredible 21st consecutive Grand Slam semifinal after beating Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-5, 7-6(3) on Wednesday. Federer needed just one hour and 43 minutes to set up a Friday encounter against Tommy Haas.

Federer lost only 11 points on serve the entire day and never faced a break point. The world No. 2 came up with a single break in each of the first two sets to take a commanding lead.

Karlovic managed to force a tiebreaker in the third, but the 6'10'' Croat could not come up with the goods as he had in previous wins over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco. Federer took the 'breaker seven points to three to finish off Karlovic in style. The Swiss wrapped up his afternoon with an impressive 39 winners to a mere seven unforced errors.

Federer is 9-2 lifetime against Haas, including 3-0 on grass. They most recently met in the fourth round of the French Open, where Federer came back from two sets down to win in five. Federer, of course, went on to win his first title at Roland Garros.

Federer beats Soderling to reach Wimbledon quarters

Roger Federer defeats Robin Soderling in straight sets on Monday afternoon at Wimbledon. Next up for Federer is a quarterfinal clash against Ivo Karlovic.

Nobody beats Robin Soderling 11 times in-a-row? Roger Federer does.

Federer dispatched Soderling 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 on Monday afternoon to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. With his 11th win over Soderling in as many tries, Federer booked a showdown with 6'10'' Croat Ivo Karlovic.

Soderling, whose most recent lost to Federer had come in the French Open final, joked during the trophy ceremony that nobody could beat him 11 times in-a-row. Federer clearly had other ideas. The world No. 2 was on fire in the first set, serving seven aces and no double-faults while striking 10 winners against only three unforced errors. Federer never faced a break point, so a single break was easily enough for him to seize a one-set advantage.

There were no breaks of serve the entire rest of the way; in fact there was not even another break point. Soderling matched Federer hold for hold, but the 12th-ranked Swede simply could not get the job done in the tiebreakers. Federer won both of the deciders seven points to five, ending to the proceedings in just one hour and 59 minutes.

Federer once again finished with ridiculous numbers. He hit 23 aces without double-faulting and sent 34 winners past Soderling, committing a mere eight errors in the process.

"When you play a player like Soderling, for instance, you know, who you've beaten already ten times in the pasts or you just play them very often, you know, it just shoots through your mind," explained Federer. "All the information is right there, you know, stored somewhere.

"I was expecting more baseline play, for instance, today. But I think you prepare particularly well for these kind of matches. You know, again, he's got nothing to lose. Grass is more dangerous than clay, let's say, that's why I knew there was danger all over."

Federer through to Wimbledon fourth round.........

Roger Federer defeats Philipp Kohlschreiber in four sets on Friday at Wimbledon. Next up is a rematch of the French Open final against Robin Soderling.

Roger Federer lost a set to Philipp Kohlschreiber for the first time, but extended his head-to-head record over the German to 4-0 with a four-set victory on Friday afternoon at Wimbledon. Federer prevailed 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-1 to set up a fourth-round showdown with Robin Soderling.

Federer rolled over Kohlschreiber in two previous grass-court encounters (in Halle in 2005 and 2008), and was doing the same throughout the early stages of this one. The world No. 2 secured two immediate breaks in the first set and held one without two much trouble despite giving one of the break backs.

Set two was even more straightforward. Federer added two more breaks and never faced a break point, winning 13 of 14 first-serve points. He committed a mere three unforced errors during the second frame of play, taking a two-set advantage with extreme ease.

Down to sets and with nothing to lose, Kohlshcreiber went for his shots and caught fire in the third. He fired 21 winners and just two errors, eventually winning it 7-5 in a tiebreaker after the two competitors exchanged one break of serve each.

But it was nothing more than a wakeup call for Federer. The Swiss took care of all four of his service games in the fourth set and used two breaks to close it out in routine fashion. A final service hold at 5-1 finished off the proceedings after two hours and 31 minutes.

"I thought it was a good match," Federer said. "I thought it was my best match of the tournament so far. I thought the rhythm was very high. We played a lot of tough points. I really thought, you know, from my side it was an excellent match."

Federer tells his Michael Jackson story

Roger Federer has joined in tributes to popstar Michael Jackson, recalling as a child he stood outside the hall at a concert held by the entertainer when he once came to Switzerland two decades ago.

"Back maybe in 1988 or 1989, he came to Basel", said the five-time Wimbledon winner. "I was outside of the stadium, because there was such excitement that he would come".

"I was still very young", said the 27-year-old. "I think I went there with my sister, and we just listened from the outside. I've always listened to his music".

"Obviously, I love his music. It's a very sad moment in the music world. He touched many people, same for me. But I'll obviously still listen to his music for many more years to come".