Record May Be a Slam Dunk

MELBOURNE, Australia â€”  This was, after all, Rod Laver’s house, and the beloved man himself was on hand to present the trophy to the 2006 Australian Open champion, Roger Federer of Switzerland, a symbolic moment between a legend and one poised on deck.

That combination helped make Federer’s teardrops explode.

There is something about the mere presence of Laver, winner of two calendar-year Grand Slams and 11 Slam tournaments overall, that can render even the most accomplished player speechless -- and the relief Federer showed Sunday after defeating unseeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2, in 2 hours 47 minutes turned into not only a loss of words but a torrent of tears on the podium and a couple of hugs with Laver.

“What can I say? I don’t know what to say,� the top-seeded Federer said in his speech to the crowd at a packed Rod Laver Arena. “I hope you know how much this means to me. I guess it’s all coming out right now. God. I’ve had some hard speeches, but this one is a little rough right now.�

“Jolly Roger� was gone, swept away in a wave of emotion, having also played in front of the parents of his late coach, Peter Carter of Australia, and survived an inspired test from the unseeded Baghdatis, who had led by a set and a service break in the second. Federer has now won seven Grand Slam titles in seven finals, the first time that has happened since the 1880s.

And speaking of history, Federer’s task is almost twofold these days -- playing his opponents, and his record-book pursuit of Laver and Pete Sampras.

After winning his third consecutive Grand Slam tournament, the 24-year-old has pulled off the half-Sampras, winning the same number of Slam events as Sampras had at the same age. And Federer is halfway to the all-time record of 14, held by Sampras, who won his last Slam event, the 2002 U.S. Open, at age 31. Sampras was born Aug. 12, 1971, almost exactly 10 years before Federer’s Aug. 8, 1981 birth date.

“Seriously, I saw this report where they put our careers next to each other, and we were almost born on the same day, just a few years apart,� Federer said in an interview with Australian TV.

“Exactly 10 years ago, he had maybe one or two tournament victories more. The same amount of Slams. Just a couple more weeks at No. 1.

“It’s quite scary, actually, if you compare it. ... I’m on the same road. But I’ve obviously got to maintain it, and he’s a happy guy. He already did everything. I’ve got to do everything still. It’s a long road. It will be great just to challenge it.�

Then there’s Laver, the only man to win the Grand Slam twice, taking the four majors in the same year. The Australian left-hander did it in 1962 and 1969, the latter the only men’s Grand Slam sweep in the Open era. Mats Wilander won three of four in 1988, falling short at Wimbledon.

Before the final Laver was asked whether Federer would pass Sampras, and said: “Well, [it’s] certainly amazing how well he plays in the finals. I wouldn’t bet against him.�

Federer has won Wimbledon three times, the U.S. Open twice and the Australian twice, and is still searching for his breakthrough moment on clay at the French Open. Having won three consecutive majors, he has the chance for a non-calendar Slam at Roland Garros. A Swiss Slam?

“I’m not gonna change anything in my game very much,� he said. “I thought I played the right way last year at the French. Maybe just I didn’t play as great as I was hoping to, but I still gave myself a chance. I thought the match against [Rafael] Nadal was decent, but maybe was unfortunately my worst semifinals I ever played. ... But again, he deserved [it].�

Sunday’s final was one of the most difficult of his seven Slam events. It was only the second time he dropped the opening set; the first was against Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2004.

Baghdatis, ranked 54th and playing in his sixth major, did not display any outward jitters early on but said he came undone later by “thinking too much.� Federer looked almost pedestrian, at least by his standards, for the first set and a half, missing makable forehands and even pushing a half-volley wide, almost too casually.

Federer then found his next gear -- just as he did in earlier rounds against Tommy Haas of Germany, Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and Nicolas Kiefer of Germany. From 5-5 in the second set through the third game in the fourth he won 11 straight games Sunday, and Baghdatis needed treatment early in the fourth set for cramps in his left calf.

Federer’s march toward Sampras and Laver erased Baghdatis’ shot at creating a slice of Cypriot history for his loud and loyal band of Greek and Cypriot followers here. The 20-year-old buried his face in a towel after losing, and though his smile returned during the post-match ceremony, he was emotional afterward. His coach, Giuillaume Payre, comforted him later.

“He knows it’s tough. But it doesn’t really matter because I’m 20 years old and he told me that I have a lot in front of me to do and it’s not finished,� Baghdatis said. “After I start crying and he just told me, ‘Keep on crying.’ �

These are two sensitive souls, Federer and Baghdatis. Federer cried hard when he won his first Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003, and Baghdatis remembered watching during a futures tournament in France.

“The first time he won Wimbledon, I was in front of my TV and I saw him cry, and I start crying,� Baghdatis said.

And Sunday, Federer won and cried, and Baghdatis lost and cried, on a special night at Rod Laver Arena. Just call it tears for peers.

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Marching on

After winning seven matches at the Australian Open, Roger Federer has 52 straight victories on hard courts. Longest hard-court winning streaks in the Open era (1968-present):

*--* 52 Roger Federer 2005-06* 34 Pete Sampras 1994 34 Pete Sampras 1996-97 31 Ivan Lendl 1985-86 29 John McEnroe 1984-85

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-- current

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FEDERER IN SLAM FINALS (7-0)

* 2003 Wimbledon: def. Mark Philippoussis, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3).

* 2004 Australian Open: def. Marat Safin, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2.

* 2004 Wimbledon: def. Andy Roddick, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

* 2004 U.S. Open: def. Lleyton Hewitt, 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0.

* 2005 Wimbledon: def. Andy Roddick, 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

* 2005 U.S. Open: def. Andre Agassi, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-1.

* 2006 Australian Open: def. Marcos Baghdatis, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.

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LOWEST-RANKED MEN’S FINALISTS

* 212: Mark Edmondson def. John Newcombe, 1976 Australian Open

* 188: John Marks lost to Guillermo Vilas, 1978 Australian Open

* 125: Goran Ivanisevic def. Pat Rafter, 2001 Wimbledon

* 100: Andrei Medvedev lost to Andre Agassi, 1999 French Open

* 91: Chris Lewis lost to John McEnroe, 1983 Wimbledon

* 86: Marat Safin lost to Roger Federer, 2004 Australian Open

* 66: Gustavo Kuerten def. Sergi Bruguera, 1997 French Open

* 54: Marcos Baghdatis lost to Roger Federer, 2006 Australian Open

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BOX SCORE

*--* Federer Category Baghdatis 53 First serve pct. 48 11 Aces 6 6 Double faults 2 48 1st-serve win pct. 48 71 2nd-serve win pct. 71 51 Total winners 37 50 Unforced errors 34 8-12 Break points 3-10 32-41 Net points 12-23 142 Total points won 116

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* Time of match: 2:47

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Grand list

At 24, Roger Federer won his seventh Grand Slam title. The leading men’s winners:

*--* Player A F W US Total Pete Sampras 2 - 7 5 14 Roy Emerson 6 2 2 2 12 Bjorn Borg - 6 5 - 11 Rod Laver 3 2 4 2 11 Bill Tilden - - 3 7 10 Andre Agassi 4 1 1 2 8 Jimmy Connors 1 - 2 5 8 Ivan Lendl 2 3 - 3 8 Fred Perry 1 1 3 3 8 Ken Rosewall 4 2 - 2 8 Roger Federer 2 - 3 2 7 Henri Cochet - 4 2 1 7 Rene Lacoste - 3 2 2 7 Bill Larned - - - 7 7 John McEnroe - - 3 4 7 John Newcombe 2 - 3 2 7 Willie Renshaw - - 7 - 7 Richard Sears - - - 7 7 Mats Wilander 3 3 - 1 7

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Note: A-Australian Open; F-French Open; W-Wimbledon; US-U.S. Open