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.