Roger Federer sets new Grand Slam record

Roger Federer won a record 15th Grand Slam for men's singles, by winning the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. He beat Andy Roddick in a very competitive & hard-fought final. The match went to 5 sets, with the final set being won 16-14. Remarkable!

Federer had equalled Pete Sampras' 14 Grand Slams last month, when he won the 2009 French Open - his first French Open title. Now, with the Wimbledon win (his 6th Wimbledon title), Federer is out in front on his own with 15 Grand Slams. He still has a few more years left in him, so one wonders how many Grand Slams he will end up with - no one will be surprised he ends up with more than 20.

Roger Federer is a great champion. Enormously talented, but also very professional, humble & very sporting. A great ambassador for tennis. I think he has now regained the world number 1 ranking for men's singles, from Rafael Nadal. I like both players, so it's all good.

Congratulations to the Federer Express!

Roger Federer wins 15th Grand Slam

Roger Federer has just won a record 15th Grand Slam titles, after beating Andy Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon final. It is his 6th Wimbledon title. With it, he overtakes Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles which he matched after winning the French Open title last month for the very first time.

What a great couple of months it has been for Federer Express. On a professional level, he equalled & then surpasses Sampras' record after winning those 2 Grand Slam titles - some achievement, that. And on a personal level, he became a father for the first time, to twin girls!

Congratulations, Roger Federer! You are a true legend in tennis & in sports, not just for your talent & excellence, but also your personality & good sportsmanship. Has Federer now regained the number 1 ranking in men's tennis? Or is Nadal still number 1? I haven't been following the rankings for ages! Anyway, it doesn't matter. I like them both.

Nadal v Verdasco - what a match!

Rafael Nadal v Fernando Verdasco. The occasion - semi-final of the Australian Open 2009, in Melbourne. I managed to see most of the match. It's an all-Spanish semi-final. And what an epic encounter it was. This must be one of the best tennis matches I've ever seen! Both players really took tennis to new heights & the spectators must have got more than value for money. It was intense, end-to-end stuff. The skill level & ability on display was extremely high. It had it all - fantastic rallies, marvellous winners, powerful returns. What a shame someone had to lose.

The match turned out to be the longest in Australian Open history - it went on for 5 hours & 14 minutes. Nadal ended up winning 6–7(4), 6–4, 7–6(2), 6–7(1), 6–4. I don't know how both players have that kind of stamina to go that distance. But they did. I was up the whole night watching both players serve up a feast of high class tennis. Well, almost the whole night - I think I might have fallen asleep somewhere along the way. What a shame someone had to lose this match. In this case, Verdasco lost, & I do feel sorry for him - but he should really be proud for his efforts in taking Nadal all the way. Nadal may have won, but the real winner is tennis - & the fans who were lucky enough to watch this match.