Federer Wins 5th Straight Wimbledon, Ties Borg Record
Posted July 9, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was the win of a lifetime for Roger Federer.
The tennis star emerged victorious over Rafael Nadal in five sets to take his fifth straight Wimbledon crown and 11th Grand Slam title, tying legendary player Bjorn Borg on both. Borg was in the crowd to witness the win, and congratulated Federer afterward. That post-game moment was particularly monumental for the 25-year-old.
“To see him after the match – it was very fitting in my point of view,” Federer said. “It made me a bit more proud of myself.”
But coming out on top wasn’t easy – three-time French open champion Nadal forced him to play five sets in an edge-of-the-set match that went 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2. Federer is ranked number one in the world, with Nadal right behind him at number two. They’ve been matched up in four of the past six majors, with Federer winning two and Nadal winning two.
The dramatic win was capped by a dramatic outpouring of emotion from Federer, who dropped to his knees similar to the way Borg used to.
“I win my share. He wins his. We’ve been at the top for over 100 weeks together. It is like building up to one of maybe the great rivalries,” Federer admitted. “We sometimes haven’t lived up to the expectations in the past … but you can’t always play five-set thrillers, you know. I’m happy it happened today. I left as the winner. Perfect.”
Roger Federer celebrates after defeating Spanish Rafael Nadal in men’s final at Wimbledon, in south London. JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images
