grass court

It was seven years ago in 2003 that Roger Federer first tasted victory at Wimbledon. The Swiss maestro, who is seeking a seventh Wimbledon title in 2010, finally broke through to win his first major title at the All England Lawn Tennis Club by beating Mark Philippoussis of Australia in the 2003 Wimbledon final. Rene Stauffer, the author of the book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY, QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com), reviews Federer’s first Wimbledon triumph in this book excerpt below.

Two weeks after his ill-fated appearance against Luis Horna at the 2003 French Open, Roger Federer was back on his saddle. The loss to Horna seemed like a surreal dream, but Federer’s fortunes quickly changed for the better. He reached the final of fashion entrepreneur Gerry Weber’s fancy pre-Wimbledon grass court tournament in Halle, Germany, where he faced Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer. Despite losing all three previous matches with Kiefer, Federer gave him no quarter and won his fourth title of the year—and his first on grass since he won the junior title at Wimbledon in 1998. “Prospects for Wimbledon are good,” he said after his win in Halle. “I know that I am going to England as the favorite and I am ready to win a big title. My chances on grass are better than on clay.”

In contrast to 2002, when he resided in a luxurious house, Federer, on Peter Lundgren’s advice, rented a small simple three-room apartment at 10 Lake Road in Wimbledon Village for the 2003 tournament. Federer lived in the modest apartment with Lundgren, his girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec and Pavel Kovac, his physiotherapist, who had to sleep in the living room because of the cramped conditions. Federer arrived early on the grounds of the All England Club, consciously keeping a low profile. He gave only obligatory interviews, didn’t read any newspapers and didn’t compete in doubles in order to concentrate only on the singles competition. “It wasn’t easy keeping him away from everyone because the telephone was constantly ringing. Everybody wanted something from him,” said Mirka, who meanwhile had officially taken over his management, organizing his appointments and travel schedule. Despite his dismal Grand Slam tournament record, most betting offices in Britain considered Federer one of the favorites to win the title at 5:1 odds—behind Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.

Thanks to his good preparations and an improved attitude, Federer finally entered a Grand Slam tournament in positive and comfortable frame of mind. By contrast, defending champion Lleyton Hewitt was out of sorts and lost in the first round to the six-foot-10 inch Croatian Ivo Karlovic. Federer fought his way into the round of 16 with the loss of only one set to American Mardy Fish in the third round. In the traditional Monday playing of the round of 16 matches at Wimbledon, Federer faced Spaniard Feliciano Lopez on the cramped and notorious Court No. 2—dubbed the “Graveyard of Champions” due to its turbulent history of many of the all-time greats losing matches to unheralded challengers. The Spanish left-hander was ranked No. 52 in the world and certainly did not enjoy the fame of Sampras, whom Federer defeated two years ago in the same round. The Swiss player took it easy on the weekend prior to his round of 16 match. He trained for just an hour and felt rested and in top form. Then, suddenly, in the warm-up of his match with Lopez, he felt a stabbing pain in his lower back after hitting a practice serve. “I thought, my God, what’s this? I couldn’t move anymore. Everything had seized up,” he explained later. He began his match with Lopez without his usual dynamic. After the second game of the match, he sat down in his chair, even though it was not a changeover, and called for the trainer.

Anxious minutes ticked away. While he was being treated with a heat cream by the trainer during his injury timeout, he lay on the grass turf and looked up at the sky in desperation. “I thought about giving up,” he said. “But then I hoped for a miracle or that the next black cloud would bring rain again.” His wish for rain did not come true, but a minor miracle did happen. Federer was able to continue play and went on to win a hard-fought, but straight-set 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4 victory. He had no idea how he did it and couldn’t believe his luck. “Lopez had plenty of opportunities to beat me in three sets or drag out the match,” he said. Federer said he began to feel better as time passed—and thanks to the pain killers as well as the increasing temperatures that loosened the muscles in his back. “It also helped that we were playing on a grass court and that Lopez was constantly looking to win the quick point,” Federer said. He also admitted later that the pain was so strong that it not only adversely affected his serve and return but he could hardly sit during changeovers.

It was already certain before the quarterfinals that there would be a first-time Grand Slam tournament champion for the seventh year in a row. Following Hewitt’s defeat, French Open Champion Juan Carlos Ferrero as well as No. 1 seed Andre Agassi were eliminated. Mark Philippoussis, the unseeded Australian, dealt Agassi 46 aces in his five-set upset victory in the round of 16. On Tuesday, a day of rest in the men’s tournament, Federer was still in pain. “I am going to compete for sure,” he reassured Swiss journalists over the phone. But that evening, Dutch journalists hinted that Federer’s opponent, Sjeng Schalken, probably couldn’t compete as they reported that their countryman was at the hospital with a severe bruise and was having his foot X-rayed.

Rain gave Schalken some respite. The match was scheduled for Centre Court on Wednesday, but, due to the rain, was now scheduled for Thursday on Court No. 2. “Even with an injection, if I played on Wednesday, I would have had to throw in the towel after two games at the most,” Schalken said. It rained on Thursday as well, delaying the match by another three hours, but Federer was healthy once again and a negotiated a relatively routine 6-3,6-4, 6-4 victory over the No. 12-ranked Dutchman. Federer committed only eight unforced errors in a strong quarterfinal display played before half-empty grandstands.

To Federer’s relief, he was in the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time and joined Marc Rosset as the second man from Switzerland to reach the final four of a major tennis tournament (Rosset lost to Michael Stich in the semifinals of the 1996 French Open.) Federer’s semifinal match had the feel of a pre-determined final as fans and experts alike anointed the winner of his semifinal with Andy Roddick as the eventual winner of the Wimbledon title. Roddick was unbeaten on grass courts in his last 10 matches and was ranked No. 6 in the world. The other semifinal featured No. 14-ranked Sebastian Grosjean of France and Australia’s Mark Philippoussis, ranked No. 48.Roddick was considered the heir apparent to the American tennis throne held by Agassi and Sampras. He was the darling of the American tennis media and favored among them to defeat Federer—even though he lost all three

previous matches with his Swiss rival. Federer seemed unimpressed by this—“He’ll hardly be able to serve 200 aces.”

The match didn’t go as many had expected. Federer irritated Roddick by returning his serves, often clocked at over 135 miles per hour, as if it were standing still. Although the American trailed most of the first set, he held a set point at 6-5 in the first-set tie-break, which he squandered by hitting his trusty forehand into the net. It would be Roddick’s only opportunity against Federer all afternoon.

Federer won what was by far his best match of the tournament. His serve was unshakable and only faced break point twice in his 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-3 victory. Federer was in a Grand Slam final for the first time. As he left Centre Court, he received a standing ovation by the fans who watched his brilliant shotmaking display. “The spectators had no other choice than to give a standing ovation,” London’s Daily Telegraph wrote the following day. “The tennis played by Federer that swept Roddick, favored by many, from the court, was as inspired and flawless as it could only be on grass.”

Roddick, who is more well-known for his powerful serve, only registered four aces in the match against Federer’s 17. Federer ranked his performance as one of the best of his career, “I don’t think I played a perfect match but it was definitely a very good match,” said Federer. Lundgren couldn’t remember a time when Federer played so well. Roddick was at a loss. “I don’t know if there’s anybody out there more talented,” said Roddick. “There’s not much he doesn’t have. He’s a great athlete. He’s so quick out there.”

Federer proved that he could finally rise to the occasion in a big match in the later rounds of a Grand Slam tournament. This was his trademark as a junior player, but had yet to demonstrate the ability on the biggest stages of professional tennis. However, the biggest match of his career still lay ahead—the Wimbledon final. His opponent was Philippoussis, who also won his semifinal in straight sets, defeating Grosjean 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 (the same score as the Federer-Roddick match). The Australian was once a top 10 player who reached the US Open final in 1998, losing to countryman Patrick Rafter. Philippoussis was known as much for his collection of expensive sports cars, fast motorcycles and his appetite for beautiful women as his tennis as his career took a turn for the worse with injuries and distractions. Following a third knee operation, Philippoussis was confined temporarily to a wheelchair but worked his way back to a No. 48 world ranking.

One of the few who believed in Philippoussis before the final was Pat Cash, the Wimbledon champion in 1987. “He can return better than Roddick and if he continues to serve as he has been, he’ll win,” Cash said. But the fellow Australian was mistaken. It would not be the only false prediction Cash would have regarding Federer’s career.

Federer appeared loose and optimistic when he walked into the Wimbledon interview room on Saturday, the day before the final, wearing jeans and a T-shirt after his practice. “It will be a completely different match compared to the one with Roddick,” he said. “Philippoussis charges the net after the serve and his serves are shallower. I’ll have to stand closer to the baseline and return differently. I can’t just block the serve like I did with Roddick. I’ll

have to try to return the balls at his feet so that he’ll have difficult returns to play.”

Federer’s preparations and tactic proved to be ideal. The physically superior Philippoussis, nicknamed “Scud,” began the final in fine form and scored 18 points directly off his serve in the first set, of which seven were aces. He attempted to intimidate Federer with stinging returns, but Federer was not impressed and didn’t show the slightest vulnerability. In the first set tie-break, Philippoussis hit an ill-timed double fault to give Federer two set-points at 6-4. Two points later, a Federer ace gave him the first set.

From this point forward, the man from Basel dominated almost at leisure and played at an even a higher level than he did against Roddick in the semifinals. He did not face a break point in the entire match and, like the Roddick match, out-aced his stronger serving opponent (21 aces against 14 for Philippoussis). All the while, Federer kept a clear head, even though the match became more complicated. In the third set, with a two-sets-to-love lead, he reached 15-40 on Philippoussis serve at 5-5—points that had the character of match points. Federer was unable to handle a Philippoussis serve on the first break point, and on the second break point, he missed a forehand beyond the baseline by the narrowest of margins that would have given him the crucial service break. It was like a soccer player who missed a penalty shot in the final minute of play without a goalie in the net.

Federer recovered immediately from the lost opportunity, forcing a tiebreak which he attacked with abandon quickly winning six of the first seven points. Federer stared at five match points to win the Wimbledon title. “You can see on TV that I was shaking my head,” he explained later. “It’s crazy, I thought. I’m so close. I had always dreamed about this. It went quickly after this, 6-2, 6-3. I served and knew that if I don’t do it now, I’ll be eternally sad.”

But he did it. On his third match point, Philippoussis returned his serve into the net. “Game, set and match Federer,” said Chair Umpire Gerry Armstrong. “Seven-six, six-two, seven-six.”

Federer, on his way to the net, sank to his knees, raised his arms, looked skywards and then to Peter Lundgren, Mirka Vavrinec and Pavel Kovac. They jumped up from the grandstands and fell into each others’ arms. Federer shook hands with his opponent and the chair umpire, waved to the public, held his left hand in front of his face and stepped back to his chair where he began crying. He cried profusely when Alan Mills, the referee, congratulated him and held him by both shoulders. He looked skywards once again, stood up and waved once again to an audience who gave him a standing ovation.

He sat back on his chair. The tears continued to flow. Hardly a minute elapsed since the last point of the match, but, to Federer, seconds turned into minutes. “I was relieved, exhausted, overwhelmed with emotions,” he said. “I thought I was on my knees longer than I really was.”

As the award ceremony was prepared, a dignified, almost pious calm settled over Centre Court. According to exact protocol, the Duke of Kent presented Federer with the 47 cm high “Challenge Cup,” the gold-plated silver trophy with two handles and the miniature pineapple on the top that had been used since 1887—certainly the most beautiful and important trophy in tennis. He raised the trophy high but didn’t yet have the heart to kiss it. It was still too early. The original trophy would remain in Wimbledon. Federer would be allowed to take home a 22 cm high replica.

In the official on-court champion’s interview with Sue Barker of Britain’s BBC television, Federer still was unable to control his emotions and his voice. He lost control of himself when the former British top player asked him if he knew that many of his friends came from Basel to watch the final. His voice broke—“Thanks to everybody…It’s great…” The tears flowed once again.

Federer suddenly belonged to an exclusive circle in his sport. Having also won the junior title at Wimbledon five years earlier, Federer became the 4^th player to win both junior and gentleman’s singles titles at the All England Club, joining Björn Borg, Stefan Edberg and Pat Cash. When he left Centre Court following the photo sessions and victory laps, he walked into the entranceway of the club and found that his name had already been engraved on the 2003 silver championship plate located on the wall to the right.