Slams are now just Fed Cups

Roger Federer held back the tears this time. He didn’t hold back much else at the Australian Open.

Federer underlined his 10th Grand Slam singles title by winning 21 consecutive sets, saving a set point in Sunday’s final before finishing off Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4.

The last man to go through a major without dropping a set was Bjorn Borg at the 1980 French Open. The only other man to win the Australian Open without dropping a set was Ken Rosewall in 1971, although he had to play only five matches.

“Equaling records, doing something that hasn’t been done for a long time, it’s really nice, no doubt,” Federer said. “All I care about in the end is to hopefully hold that trophy. Of course, now that it’s over, it’s great to think, ‘Wow, you know, not having dropped a set.’ It’s quite amazing.”

Rosewall was in the crowd Sunday night, and Federer gave him a nod in a composed victory speech. It was the mere presence of another Australian great, Rod Laver, that reduced Federer to tears the previous year at the trophy presentation.

“I can’t force them out every year!” Federer said of his sobbing celebration in 2006, when he accepted the trophy from Laver. “I had a wonderful tournament. A great end. Just because there were no tears doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean anything to me.”

Laver, the last man to win the Grand Slam -- all four majors in one season -- made the trip from California to see Federer dismantle Andy Roddick, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2, in the semifinals.

He met with Federer after the semifinal and said he had little doubt the 25-year-old Swiss could beat Pete Sampras’ record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, and just about every other tennis record as well.

Federer improved his win streak to a career-best 36 matches, became the first man in the Open era to twice win three straight majors and has collected six of the last seven Grand Slam titles. He tied Jack Crawford’s 73-year-old record by reaching his seventh straight final in majors, and is assured of breaking Jimmy Connors’ record of 160 consecutive weeks atop the men’s rankings by the end of next month.

“If somebody would have told me I’d win 10 Grand Slams from mid-’03 till today, I never would have thought there was any chance,” Federer said.

A season Grand Slam is his objective. He was two sets from it last year, when he won the first set of the French Open final before losing in four to Rafael Nadal, his only defeat in the last seven majors. Nadal is on a record 62-match streak on clay.

“French Open is obviously the next big one for me,” he said. “I’ve made one step further every year now. Went from semis to finals. Got closer to Rafa, as well.”

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Set pieces

Roger Federer became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to complete a Grand Slam tournament without losing a set. It’s been done only six times in the Open era (1968-present):

* Roger Federer...2007 Australian Open

* Bjorn Borg...1980 French Open

* Bjorn Borg...1978 French Open

* Bjorn Borg...1976 Wimbledon

* Ilie Nastase...1973 French Open

* Ken Rosewall...1971 Australian Open