(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Records a plenty
On the cusp of tennis' immortal throne, Roger Federer poured in another vintage Center Court performance today.
After a relatively tight first set, one in which Federer's opponent Tommy Haas was playing out of his mind for the most part, the shot-making of the Swiss was elevated to lead one set to love.
That is when, whether Haas liked it or not, the match was all but over.
You see, Federer prides himself on the many accolades and records which he holds. To be honest, he would be more than happy to share most of them with you, if asked. Perhaps one stat, however, which does not warrant Roger to remember, a stat which is not engraved on the "pat on the back" chalkboard in his mind— the insurmountable advantage he gains when winning set one in a major.
136-0 to be exact.
With the first set tucked away in orderly fashion, in his "man purse" no less, Federer began to open up his variety of shots, and made his German opponent feel his environment even more.
Haas did compete well today, there is no question. But when you take into account the level of tennis which he was called upon to produce on a consistent basis, the yells to his supporters' box were to no avail.
At times, Tommy appeared to resemble a seal in dire need of finding some H20. Although his net-attacking tactics where necessary, one could sense that the desperate and wishful nature with which he came in was premature on many occasions.
But what is a guy to do, right?
With that being said, Haas was at no fault for being dismissed 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-3. Federer is great under normal circumstances, but when he is floating in the angelic form which he displayed today, it is simply scary.
For the match, and there is no typo here, Federer won 89 percent for his first serve points. He also struck 11 aces and won 81 percent of his second serve points.
Added to his flawless serving prowess today, Roger broke the Haas serve on two occasions, once in the second set, and once in the third set—never allowing a single break opportunity on his own delivery.
Another interesting Federer stat which surfaced throughout today's contest, had the Swiss only losing serve twice in seven Wimbledon semifinal affairs. Hopefully Haas didn't see that stat before taking the court today. Would it have really mattered?
For lack of any better or over-used superlatives, Federer was simply awesome today.
With the win, the five-time Wimbledon champ heads towards the gates of standing atop the totem pole of tennis greatness. A win on Sunday would distances himself from Pete Sampras' record of 14 majors.
Fed already has one record sealed over the great Sampras, making seven straight finals in London. Will Sampras attend the final match on Sunday? There have been a few rumors going back and forth. Will Federer pick up the tab on the flight? You would like to think so.
Hopefully, Pete will not be chilling back in Cali, watching the match in HD. Shame on you, Pete.
Hass, who will improve his ranking into the lower teens after his fantastic fortnight, had this to say after going down to perhaps the GOAT:
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