Log In | Register
msnbc.com NewsPARIS — RIS - In his fourth time playing in the French Open finals, Roger Federer finally earned the men's championship trophy and inked his name in the history books with a career Grand Slam.
Federer's 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over Sweden's Robin Soderling also helped him equal Pete Sampras' record of 14 major championships.
The Swiss star broke Soderling in the first game of the third set and then held serve the rest of the way to clinch the title. It was Federer's fourth break of the match.
Clinching the second-set tiebreak with an ace, Roger Federer moved just one set away from the historic victory. He had trounced Soderling by a 6-1 score in the first set.
As light rain continued to fall throughout the second set, both players struggled at times with their footing.
In a bizarre incident early in the second set, a man jumped onto the court and delayed the match for a few minutes. After running onto the clay, he waved a flag in Federer's face and then tried to place a red hat on Federer's head.
As Federer tried to escape the man's grasp, security guards ran over to subdue the man. He initially evaded them by jumping over the net, but one security guard finally tackled him to the ground. A group of three security guards finally carried him off the court.
Federer lost just one point in three service games in the first set.
No. 23 Soderling was broken three times in the first set as No. 2 Federer completely dictated play. The strong serve that had helped the Swede reach the finals wasn't nearly as much of a factor in the first set.
In almost every changover, fans started cheers of "Roger, Roger," rooting more for the Swiss star to win the elusive French Open championship than for a close match.
As much as Federer already has done, one French Open championship forever altered his place in history. He had come close numerous times, losing to Rafael Nadal in the past three French Open finals and the 2005 semifinals.
Federer long ago placed himself squarely in any discussion about the greatest tennis players ever, alongside men such as Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Sampras, but this victory helps to solidify his position among those legendary players.
He was ranked No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks, until Nadal overtook him last season. He won Wimbledon (played on grass) and the U.S. Open (hard courts) five straight times apiece, and the Australian Open (hard courts) three times.
He has reached the semifinals at 20 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, twice as long as the second-best streak.
Andre Agassi is the most recent man to achieve a career Grand Slam. His 1999 French Open title made him the fifth — and most recent — man to win the title.
