Key figures: Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martín del Potro
Summary
Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14 to win the 2009 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Championship on July 5, 2009, claiming his 15th Grand Slam singles title and breaking Pete Sampras’s Open Era record of 14. The five-set final — decided in the longest Wimbledon final tiebreaker fifth set in the Open Era — lasted 4 hours and 16 minutes. Roddick, the American former world number one, saved match points in an extraordinary last set before Federer prevailed 16–14 on serve. Sampras, the previous record holder, was present in the royal box and congratulated Federer personally after the match.
Federer’s 2009 Season and Road to the Record
Federer entered 2009 ranked world number two behind Rafael Nadal, who had won six consecutive Grand Slam titles across 2007–2008. Federer had been hampered by mononucleosis (infectious mononucleosis, diagnosed in late 2008) that visibly reduced his effectiveness during the Australian Open 2009, where he lost the final to Nadal 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(3), 3–6, 6–2, falling to a level he described as physically diminished.
His season turned decisively in June 2009 at the French Open (Roland Garros), where he defeated Robin Söderling in the final on June 7, 2009 — 6–1, 7–6(1), 6–4 — winning his first and only French Open title. Söderling had stunned the tournament by becoming the first player since 2003 to defeat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros (in the fourth round). Federer’s French Open victory completed the career Grand Slam (all four major titles at least once), ending his status as the only player to have won the other three majors but never Roland Garros. He arrived at Wimbledon with renewed confidence and his 14th Grand Slam — one short of Sampras’s record.
The 2009 Wimbledon Final
The Men’s Singles final was contested on Centre Court, Wimbledon, on July 5, 2009. Federer, the four-time defending champion, had won Wimbledon in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 (losing the 2008 final to Nadal in a memorable five-set match widely ranked among the greatest matches in tennis history). Roddick, seeded sixth, had reached the Wimbledon final three times before, winning once (2003) and losing twice to Federer (2004, 2005).
The match’s defining passages:
- First set: Roddick broke serve early and won 7–5, preventing a swift start for Federer.
- Second and third sets: Both went to tiebreakers, with Federer prevailing in each, 7–6(6) and 7–6(5).
- Fourth set: Roddick broke twice to win 6–3, forcing a fifth.
- Fifth set: Federer and Roddick remained on serve for 28 service games. Roddick held at deuce numerous times, saving multiple match points at 14–15 before Federer finally converted at 16–14 — the longest fifth set in a Wimbledon Men’s Singles final in the Open Era.
The victory gave Federer his sixth Wimbledon title and fifteenth major overall. John McEnroe, commentating for the BBC, described the final as “the greatest match I have ever seen at Wimbledon.”
Record-Breaking Context: Sampras and the Open Era
Pete Sampras won his 14th Grand Slam title at the US Open on September 8, 2002, defeating Andre Agassi 6–3, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4. That victory had stood for seven years as the Open Era record (the Open Era began in 1968 when major tournaments first admitted professional players). Sampras retired in 2003 without adding to the total.
Federer’s titles entering the 2009 Wimbledon final:
- Wimbledon 2003; 2. Australian Open 2004; 3. Wimbledon 2004; 4. US Open 2004; 5. Australian Open 2005; 6. Wimbledon 2005; 7. US Open 2005; 8. Australian Open 2006; 9. Wimbledon 2006; 10. US Open 2006; 11. Australian Open 2007; 12. Wimbledon 2007; 13. US Open 2007; 14. French Open 2009.
His 15th, won at Wimbledon on July 5, 2009, was also the 100th singles title of his career.
Aftermath: Del Potro and the US Open
Federer’s record was tested immediately. At the 2009 US Open three months later, Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina — then ranked fifth in the world and 20 years old — defeated Federer in the final on September 14, 2009, 3–6, 7–6(5), 4–6, 7–6(2), 6–2, in a match lasting nearly four hours. It was del Potro’s first Grand Slam title and one of the most significant upsets of the Federer era.
Federer went on to win five more Grand Slams between 2010 and 2018, eventually reaching 20 career titles. Novak Djokovic surpassed Federer’s total of 20 Grand Slams by winning his 21st at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, ultimately reaching 24 career Grand Slam titles.
Significance
Federer’s 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon 2009 was a milestone that reshaped how the sport thought about individual greatness. The record validated more than a decade of sustained excellence across all surfaces and conditions, and the manner of its achievement — in a five-set final against a determined opponent, on grass, in front of the record’s former holder — added weight to its cultural resonance. The title firmly established the era of the “Big Three” (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic) that would dominate men’s tennis for fifteen years, with combined Grand Slam titles eventually exceeding sixty.
For Wimbledon specifically, the 2009 final remains one of the most discussed matches in the tournament’s history, studied for the sustained excellence of its fifth set and as evidence that extended sustained greatness is possible in professional tennis.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Roger Federer
- Wikipedia — 2009 Wimbledon Championships – Men’s singles
- Wimbledon Official Records
- ESPN — 2009 Wimbledon Men’s Final Match Report
- BBC Sport — Federer breaks Sampras record, July 5, 2009