No, Seriously, Federer May Be a Robot

Victories in French, Wimbledon finals give Spaniard upper hand—if not No. 1 ranking

(NEWSER) - A year meant to land Roger Federer in the record books, surpassing Pete Samparas’ Grand Slam total, has instead left Sandra Harwitt, writing on ESPN.com, wondering if the 12-time winner remains the game’s top player. After their epic Wimbledon final, it’s abundantly clear Rafael Nadal “continues to have his number,” and Federer’s 2008 date with destiny is instead “a year he’ll prefer to forget.” More»

Alejandro Falla very nearly eliminated the 6-time champ

(AP) - For Roger Federer, Wimbledon nearly ended at the beginning. The six-time champ overcame a two-set deficit to avert a monumental first-round upset, beating Alejandro Falla 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0. Federer has reached the tournament final each of the past seven years, but today he barely survived the traditional opening match on Centre Court as defending champion. More»

(AP) - Andy Roddick reached his third Wimbledon final today in London, beating local hero Andy Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5). Roddick will face five-time champion Roger Federer on Sunday. The American lost to Federer in the 2004 and '05 finals, as well as the '03 semifinals. Murray had been trying to become the first British man to win the title at the All England Club since Fred Perry in 1936. More»

(NEWSER) - Tommy Haas continued his surprising Wimbledon run today, with the 24th-seeded German upsetting fourth seed Novak Djokovic, ESPN reports. Haas beat Djokovic 7-5, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 to advance to a meeting with five-time champ Roger Federer, a winner over Ivo Karlovic. British favorite Andy Murray is in the other semifinal after beating Juan Carlos Ferrero; he awaits the winner of today’s Andy Roddick-Lleyton Hewitt match. More»

With 14 Slams, Swiss tennis star enters the pantheon

(NEWSER) - Roger Federer has tied Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slams after his decisive victory yesterday at the French Open—a title that Sampras himself never won. And as soon as the Swiss player lifted the cup on the red clay of Roland Garros, the arguments began: Is Federer now officially the greatest tennis player of all time? As Donald Robson writes for USA Today, the question's difficult to answer. More»