By Ed McGrogan                                                                                                      Courtesy : Tennis.com

Roger Federer is aiming for his sixth straight title at Wimbledon this year, a feat that would be unequalled in the modern era and break Bjorn Borg’s mark of five straight titles in the 1970s and 1980s. Appreciating the scale of the achivement requires putting it in context. Here we chronicle Federer’s five previous victories(with clips where available).

2007

From 2004-2007, Federer was nearly invincible on a tennis court.  The greatest challenge to that mystique came from Nadal in the 2007 Wimbledon final.  The clay savant had managed to translate his unique brand of tennis to grass, and showed that he learned much from their meeting here a year earlier.

After narrowly winning two of the first three sets in tiebreakers, Nadal blitzed Federer in the fourth set, 6-2.  It came down a deciding fifth set – the first time in five years that Federer had been pushed to this stage of a match.  Nadal came out firing, and twice held double break point.  But Roger escaped all four times, and soon made Nadal pay for his inability to break serve.

Ironically, for all of Federer’s Wimbledon match wins, some thought that he hadn’t faced a true “test.”  After this five-set classic, that notion was put to rest.  Nadal’s valiant effort may have marked the beginning of the end for Federer’s unchallenged reign of dominance on tour, but on this day, that wasn’t the subject on people’s minds.

2006

Even diehard tennis fans may not recognize some of the names that appear during the first week of a Slam.  That wasn’t the case with Federer’s opponents in 2006.  From start to finish, Roger faced a potentially tricky foe each step of the way.

Federer was unlucky to draw Richard Gasquet in the opening round.  The Frenchman had beaten Federer previously, and won on grass a week earlier in Nottingham.  Next came Tim Henman, the sentimental favorite who had all of the crowd’s support.  To cap off the opening week, Federer faced Nicolas Mahut, one of the few remaining serve and volley players on tour.  But this style of play, as well as the play of Gasquet and Henman, didn’t faze Federer.

Two huge servers – Tomas Berdych and Mario Ancic – followed.  These annual Wimbledon dark horses thrive on grass, but neither could snag even five games from Federer in a set.  Roger ended the tournament with victories over two surprises – Jonas Bjorkman in the semifinals, and Nadal in the final.  In total, Federer lost only one set in the tournament.  It was probably a good thing – he would have looked foolish walking off the court in defeat wearing his posh Nike blazer.
2005

Federer entered the 2005 Championships having lost in both the Australian Open and the French Open.  But he still came into the tournament with tremendous confidence.

There was something different about Federer this year.  It wasn’t just his new haircut – he looked more regal and more seasoned.  He looked more like a champion.  And it was here that he started his torrid streak at the Slams, eventually winning eight of the next ten majors.

Roger showed how “easy” some of these wins would be at the All England Club in 2005.  He lost just one set in the tournament, in a tiebreaker against Nicolas Kiefer in the third round.  He defeated the No. 2 seed, Hewitt, in the semifinals in straight sets.  And by comparison to their Wimbledon final the year before, he humbled Roddick this time around (6-2, 7-6, 6-4).  No Grand Slam victory should be labeled “easy,” but then again, there have been few players who can make this difficult sport look so simple at times.
2004

Before Federer and Nadal established their rivalry, the highly touted prize fight was Federer vs. Roddick.  Both were in their early twenties, perched atop the rankings, and frequently collided late in tournaments.  Although their “rivalry” never fully bloomed as some fans hoped for, their first Wimbledon final was one of their best played matches.

Roddick eventually lost in four sets, but not without a fight.  Leading 2-1 in the fourth, Roddick had a golden opportunity with triple break point, but squandered all three chances.  He then failed to capitalize on two more break points two games later.  It could have been a different story if just one of those went in the American’s favor.  Roddick summed it up during an on-court interview after the match: “I’m going to have to start winning some of them to call it a rivalry.”

Federer faced other tough competition.  He met ace machine Ivo Karlovic in the fourth round, and a still-dangerous Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals.  Roger’s level of play was too high though, as he beat the former Wimbledon champion 6-1, 6-7, 6-0, 6-4.  The only thing harder than winning a Grand Slam may be repeating, and Federer showed he was capable of doing so – a trend that has continued.
2003

Federer’s aura of supremacy was still years away from conception, but something still hovered over him five years ago – a cloud of pressure.  The 21-year old had quickly won eight titles on tour, but many were wondering when he would break through at a major tournament.  Just a few weeks earlier, Juan Carlos Ferrero – in a somewhat similar position – had captured his first Slam title at the French Open.  After Federer won the following week in Halle, many were expecting him to win his first Slam at Wimbledon

Federer handled these expectations masterfully, dropping only one set in the tournament.  The world watched as Federer stormed through the draw with an array of powerful and finesse shots that would soon become his trademark.  Andy Roddick, who played the best tennis of his career in 2003, couldn’t dent Federer in the semifinals, and the similarly hard-serving Mark Philippoussis was rendered powerless in the final.

During the telecast, John McEnroe said that Federer “reminds you of someone who won here seven times.”  His premonition may come true.

Courtesy : Tennis.com

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