Federer 5-peats at Wimbledon

Swiss phenom endures epic match against archrival Nadal
By Greg Atwan,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 8, 2007 11:15 AM CDT
Federer 5-peats at Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal reaches out but fails to return the ball to defending champion Roger Federer during the Men's Singles final on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, Sunday July 8, 2007.(AP Photo/Alex Livesey, Pool)   (Associated Press)

Swiss powerhouse Roger Federer won his fifth-straight Wimbledon today, holding out against a hungry Rafael Nadal for five excruciating sets, and cementing one of the all-time great tennis rivalries. Federer, 25, defeated the 21-year-old Spaniard 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 to seize his 34th consecutive match at Wimbledon and tie Bjorn Borg's fivepeat feat.

Nadal is the first to bring Federer to a fifth set on the grass, and comes off his second-straight victory over his archrival on the terre battue in France. Federer seemed to be collapsing in the fourth set, but an apparent knee injury hobbled Nadal in the fifth, and Federer's powerful forehand drove him to an easy comeback. (More Wimbledon stories.)

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