The Buzz Belongs to Federer

WIMBLEDON, England -- There are sports most Americans don’t quite understand. Snooker, anyone? Hold the cliched cricket jokes.

But in the first week at Wimbledon, there was another game: Guess the player. One British newspaper went around showing spectators pictures of the top five men, including Roger Federer of Switzerland, and received humorous responses.

Not getting his due was no joke to Federer when he was dispatched to Court 2 for his quarterfinal, a move Boris Becker called “a slap in the face.”

If the outside world didn’t know about Federer, the tennis world did. And after Federer’s sublime turn on Centre Court on Friday, the great outside might be catching up. Presumably, some of the lads who drew a blank on the No. 4-seeded Federer’s identity were the ones giving him a standing ovation after his 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 5 Andy Roddick.

“I guess you don’t get very often standing ovations after three sets. It means a lot to me. I got a standing ovation when I beat [Pete] Sampras as well,” said Federer, who saved a set point in the first-set tiebreaker. “And you kind of look in the crowd and they actually don’t realize, but somehow you don’t see any seats anymore, everything is just people.”

Federer, who reached his first Grand Slam final, will be playing Mark Philippoussis for the Wimbledon title Sunday. In the first semifinal, the Australian beat No. 13 Sebastien Grosjean of France, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3.

Philippoussis, who now lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea in north San Diego County, has overcome three knee operations and wondered whether he would play again. Which is why he stayed grounded after the semifinal and stuck to the one-match-at-a-time mantra.

“I’ve been through a lot,” he said. “But everything in life happens for a reason. I’ve always said that.”

Of the four semifinalists, Roddick had the fewest aces, only four. Federer had 17, Philippoussis 11 and Grosjean five.

And so, Roddick could only shake his head and smile when Federer came up with mind-boggling shots, wielding his racket like a magician. One of those instances was on set point in the second.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘I played a pretty good game to make him serve it out and I lost it at love,’ ” said Roddick, who smiled at Federer after the game. “The last shot was just ridiculous. He came full steam ahead, half-volley, but swinging like half, like not in the air, though. I don’t know if anybody else can do that shot. It was almost like he was trying to do a trick shot out there.”

Federer agreed, saying: “It was a ridiculous shot.”

Afterward, Becker analyzed that point on BBC. “All the shots in the book on one rally,” he said.

By then, Federer was rolling, a stretch of momentum that started after he won the tiebreaker. Roddick had a set point on his serve at 6-5 in the breaker, but he netted a routine forehand and two points later, Federer had the first set.

In the first game of the second, Roddick had two break-point chances and Federer erased them with a backhand drop volley and an ace. Then he broke Roddick.

“The guy elevated his game,” said Roddick’s coach, Brad Gilbert, who came on board just after the French Open.

The hard work is ahead.

“We’ll get out and work hard this summer and try to do better next week,” Gilbert said. “This is exactly where he should be, right in the thick of things. The guy served really well. [Roddick] had one chance on his serve and he didn’t get it and the match changed. It was a bad 12-minute span there and he didn’t get it back.”

The difference, too, is Federer appears untroubled by Roddick’s powerful serve. In four meetings, including Friday, he has not lost to Roddick, dropping only one set.

“Obviously I feel I can return his serve,” Federer said. “That’s what I said yesterday in the press conference. I’m not scared of his serve. Because every time I played him, I read it well. I don’t want to say it breaks down, but he gets kind of frustrated because I read it....

“Often when I play him, he praises my game. Somehow, he enjoys watching me play against him. Always once in a match we laugh at each other because something ridiculous happens.”

Roddick, meanwhile, had not lost his quick wit despite the loss, saying he was not “in a rage like I normally am.” Then he joked about talking to Federer on the court.

“Are you talking about when the bug was chasing him?” Roddick asked. “Yeah, I said, ‘Get him, help me out.’ Compliments, no, I just wanted the bee to get him.”

Federer avoided the attack of flying insects, and flying tennis balls and serves. All in all, it was one fine day for the Swiss.

“I really feel quite good about myself now,’ he said, smiling.

Call him the master of understatement.