Federer Wins 3rd Straight Open

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y., Sept. 10 -- Imagine persuading your childhood idol to share the secrets of his mastery and be there as you stumbled, rooting you on, telling you over and over through words, phone calls, text messages and facial expressions: "You can do it!"

Andy Roddick had exactly that these last two months and blossomed as a result, blazing to the final of the U.S. Open and, with it, the opportunity to measure his progress against the world's best.

With five-time U.S. Open champion Jimmy Connors in his corner, Roddick drew on every shot in his arsenal, guts he hadn't shown before and the fervor of a capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. And it still wasn't enough against Roger Federer, who turned Sunday's U.S. Open final into yet another testament to his brilliance, subduing the resurgent Roddick, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, and making history along the way.

With the victory, Federer, 25, becomes the only tennis player to win three consecutive Wimbledons and three straight U.S. Opens. The trophy he hoisted Sunday represents his third major title this year (in addition to the Australian Open and Wimbledon) and the ninth Grand Slam event title of his young career.

The taciturn Swiss spun on his heels as if delirious after sealing the victory with an overhead and crumpled onto the court, splayed out and fully spent, on his back.

"I felt like this was a great point in my career, and I deserved to lie down," Federer said, laughing as he recalled his emotion at the moment. "Thank God I didn't hurt myself! One thing is for sure, I felt great!"

While Federer held sway in the opening and closing sets, he was tested mightily by Roddick in the heart of the match. Their previous meetings hadn't been much of a contest. Roddick's big serve and forehand may have been enough to cow most opponents, but they had never troubled Federer, who held a 10-1 career record against the American entering Sunday's final.

But this time Roddick flashed a broader skill set. He attacked the net with more conviction. And he didn't wallow in a funk of self-loathing after losing points -- at least not as much as he has in the past.

Each time Roddick pushed, however, Federer replied with a stroke that was better than the one before, finishing with a staggering 69 winners and just 19 unforced errors. Moreover, he outperformed Roddick in the categories considered the American's strongest suit. Federer fired 17 aces to Roddick's seven; he also blasted 25 forehand winners to Roddick's seven.

While deservedly pleased with his play, Federer took pains to acknowledge the strides Roddick had made.

"Tonight was really difficult against Andy," said Federer, who lost only two sets (of 23 played) en route to the title. "I'm really happy to see him back at the very top. It's always a great joy to play against him."

Roddick needed a moment's reflection before finding the positives in his defeat, but declared himself proud of his effort and enthused about working even harder with Connors in the offseason.

"I gave myself a shot today," said Roddick, 24. "I wanted to make it tough. I played my heart out. I tried my best. I've just got to keep working."

Sunday's men's final capped a memorable U.S. Open that witnessed the retirement of tennis legends Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova, as well as the renaming of the USTA's National Tennis Center in honor of Billie Jean King. And a broad swath of New York glitterati turned out, including developer Donald Trump, talk-show host Conan O'Brien, comedian Jim Carrey and former model Christie Brinkley. But they were all trumped by the star wattage in Federer's box, where golfer Tiger Woods (a fellow Nike pitchman) looked on as a guest of the champion.

Federer played flawlessly from the opening game, racing through the first set in 29 minutes.

With Connors pumping his fist, Roddick bounced back in the second set to break Federer out of the gate. The break was critical, and he went on to level the match at a set apiece, turning to the stands and shouting, " Yes! C'mon ! "

The 53-minute third set held enough drama for a full match.

Roddick had four chances to break Federer's serve in the fifth game, but the Swiss fended off each one.

Federer tested Roddick just as mightily in the game that followed, but the American fought off five break points and earned a standing ovation when he held to knot the score at 3.

Federer kept the pressure on, waiting for his opponent to slip. It happened with Roddick serving to force a tiebreaker, at 5-6.

With two forehand errors, Roddick trailed love-40. It was the opening Federer wanted, and he pounced.

"That game was crucial," Federer said. "I knew I could hurt him mentally. He had a terrible game, and I took advantage of it. From that point on, I didn't look back. I played freely, and I ended the match unbelievable."

In his news conference, Federer was asked if he thought that this third U.S. Open victory would finally raise his profile in the United States.

"I guess so," Federer said, smiling after a long pause. "I don't really care, to be honest. I have great fans here in the States. I've had an unbelievable run here in this country, and I feel they really support me a lot. I would like to thank them; it's not ordinary. I definitely think it helps. But in the end, I just love this game. If I get more endorsements, that's nice. But in the end, it's about this."