(Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
Roddick's face wore a look of disbelief as he reeled off points in the second set tiebreaker. Then it happened. Roddick's meltdown coincided chronologically with Federer's uncanny and perfectly timed grace under pressure, and when the Americans backhand volley sailed several feet wide the two players were tied at the changeover, 6-6.
Two more points and the match was even. A colossal opportunity had been wasted, but Roddick, gritty American that he is, would not relent.
On the strength of his serve (27 aces in the match), Roddick managed to force a third set tiebreaker, but this time it was Federer who reeled off points, and while Roddick was able to fight off the first two set points, Federer was able to get the set point he needed by following up a booming serve out wide with a forehand winner.
Trailing 2-1, given the circumstances , it seemed that the time was ripe for Federer to turn on the afterburners and give the public a glimpse of the immortality that we've all gotten accustomed to seeing from him.
No such luck.
It was Roddick who scored the break, in the fourth game of the fourth set, and Federer could not answer.
Just as the last two Wimbledon finals had come down to a fifth set, so too would this match.
Roddick, now invigorated and adrenalized, seemed to sense victory.
Federer, meanwhile, seemed to be sensing defeat.
At the three hour mark the late afternoon sun was still making its presence felt on Centre Court.
The crowd, always dignified at Wimbledon, seemed neutral, almost distant from the match and detached from the the allure of Federer's greatness. They were like a human sponge, just taking it in, not feeling inclined to try to influence the outcome of the match.
Half way through the set neither had come close to breaking serve. If it was going to happen it was going to happen fast.
Beautiful and serene summer clouds floated overhead, contrasting with the tense flavor of the tennis.
While the rallies were succinct, the serving was brilliant.
The set was level at 5-5 with Federer serving almost as quickly as it had started. Now, one small hiccup of a game was going to determine the Championship. Two weeks of mental and physical warfare had been amalgamated into this immense pressure vacuum where every service game now represented winning or losing the title.
Federer with everything to lose, and Roddick with nothing to lose.
Shadows, finally making their presence felt in a small corner of the grass, just outside the tramlines.
Federer, in exactly the same spot that he found himself in last year, serving at 6-6 in the 5th set.
Make that 8-8.
Facing two break points in the 17th game, Federer slipped into his immortal costume to wiggle himself out of trouble. But always, he seemed to revert back to his other self when Roddick prepared to serve.
Roddick, meanwhile, was playing remarkably, blasting forehands the likes of which we'd never seen from him against Federer.
Yet more than anything, this match was a tale of two Federer's. And it would be decided eventually, one got the feeling, by the stronger of the two. Was he human or was he immortal?
Make that 9-9.
The Wimbledon record for the longest 5th set added to the dramatic flair, as the shadows finally worked themselves inside a small corner of the singles court.
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