Roddick roars after Federer magic show

LONDON, (Reuters) – Roger Federer sprinkled his magic  all over Centre Court yesterday before Andy Roddick bludgeoned  Andy Murray into the hallowed turf to leave Britain still  seeking its first post-war men’s singles finalist at Wimbledon.

Record-hunting Swiss Federer was at his dazzling best,  beating resurgent German Tommy Haas 7-6 7-5 6-3 to reach his  seventh men’s singles final here, a feat not achieved since the  abolition of the Challenge Round in 1922.

Federer’s virtuoso performance watched by the lucky 15,000  with Centre Court tickets was supposed to the curtain-raiser for  the thousands massing in front of the huge screen on the grassy  expanse known as Henman Hill for the Murray blockbuster later.

However, the Scot fluffed his lines and was outplayed in his  first Wimbledon semi-final by American former world number one Roddick, losing 6-4 4-6 7-6 7-6 as Murray-mania fizzled out and  disappointed fans headed to the bars to drown their sorrows.

Roddick, beaten by Federer in the 2004 and 2005 finals here,  has not contested the championship match at a grand slam since  the 2006 U.S. Open, but appears to have re-discovered the spark.

He was inspired against Murray, not only on his trusty serve  which boomed down 21 aces but, more surprisingly, at the  baseline and around the net where he displayed the kind of  all-court craft many thought was beyond him.

There was one large slice of luck when he faced set point in  the third set tiebreak, framing a winning volley, but he  appeared nerveless as he clinched victory on his second match  point after Murray had saved the first with a stunning  crosscourt backhand that produced a deafening roar.

“You don’t go back to a Wimbledon final by accident,” the  26-year-old Roddick, who topped the rankings in 2003 after  winning his sole grand slam title at Flushing Meadows, told  reporters when asked about his revival.

“It certainly is a process. And it’s probably been a longer  process than I would have liked.
“I’m excited about this one. I didn’t know if I was going to  get to play a final of Wimbledon again.”
He was bundled out in the second round by Janko Tipsarevic last year — a defeat he said made him take a long, hard look at where his career was heading.

“Last year after I played here, that was a hard, hard couple of weeks. You know, (wife) Brook and I had a lot of talks on if I still thought I could play towards the top of the game. I definitely openly questioned it at that point.

“I did work real hard and have been committed from  everything to diet to sleep to everything. I certainly gave myself every opportunity to succeed.”
BEST SHOT

Murray, who had been trumpeted by the British media as the  man to finally emulate Bunny Austin’s run to the final in 1938,  looked shattered by his defeat but said he would bounce back.

“I’m very close to the top of the game. The U.S. Open I’ve always said is my best surface, my best chance to win a slam, and I’ll give it my best shot there,” Murray, who lost to Federer in the final there last year, told reporters.

Federer was already leaving the club with pregnant wife Mirka before Roddick delivered his hammer blow to Murray.
With his game back to its flamboyant best he would have been  supremely confident, whoever stood across the net tomorrow, but  he will sleep well knowing only Roddick, who he has an 18-2  career record against, now stands in the way of a record 15th  grand slam title.

Federer unleashed every shot in his armoury against a  gallant Haas, ending a two-hour exhibition with a slam-dunk  smash reminiscent of Pete Sampras in his prime, the American he  currently shares the grand slam titles record with. “It’s quite staggering now, having reached again I think  it’s my sixth straight grand slam final,” Federer, who hit 49  winners of mind-boggling variety and offered up not one break  point chance for Haas, told reporters.

“Having so many things going for me now, an opportunity  again on Sunday, it’s fantastic. Quite amazing to be back in the  Wimbledon final already because it seems like now all of a  sudden everything happened very quickly.”  The only time Federer looked remotely flustered was in the  fourth game of the third set when, after a ferocious exchange of groundstrokes, Haas landed a backhand on a rough patch of the baseline and it leapt like a kicking horse off Federer’s frame.

If the German could have hit that uneven spot 100 times he may have stood a chance, but that would require a touch genius and that was all on the other side of the net.