Federer too much for Roddick

Roger Federer called his 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 victory his best match in Melbourne.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- If he could pick any player from any era to test himself against, Roger Federer would like a shot at Rod Laver or Bjorn Borg.
Laver, the last man to win all four majors in one season, was in the stadium that carries his name on Thursday to witness Federer dismantle Andy Roddick in the Australian Open semifinals. After what he saw, Laver would just as soon stick to meeting Federer in the locker room -- after the matches.
Federer likes to put on a show when Laver is at Rod Laver Arena, and called his 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Roddick his best match in Melbourne.
"I had one of these days when everything worked," the Swiss star said. "I was unbeatable. I was playing out of my mind. I am shocked myself."
The win put him in his seventh consecutive Grand Slam final, tying a record set by Jack Crawford in 1934, and left him only one victory from a 10th Grand Slam title. He will meet the winner of the Fernando Gonzalez-Tommy Haas semifinal in Sunday's championship match.
Laver and Borg
With seemingly few challengers among his contemporaries, Federer is often asked about facing one of the greats from another time -- Laver and Borg come to his mind.
Both won 11 majors -- Borg from 16 finals spanning 1974 to '81, and Laver in a five-season run wedged around his absence from the Grand Slam tournaments from 1963-67.
By Sunday, Federer is likely to be only one major title behind, although Laver expects him to go a lot further and break Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles.
"I think the art of Roger is probably the best player I've ever seen ... The way he's compiling the Grand Slam titles, I think he's got a great chance of being the best ever," Laver said.
The 68-year-old Laver made a rare return to Melbourne from California to marvel Federer again.
"Roger's got too many shots, too much talent in one body," Laver said. "It's hardly fair that one person can do all this -- his backhands, his forehands, volleys, serving, his court position ... the way he moves around the court, you feel like he's barely touching the ground. That's the sign of a great champion."
And that's a daunting prospect for Gonzalez or Haas. Haas, a two-time semifinalist in Australia, has never reached a Grand Slam final. Gonzalez is into his first semis at a major.
Deprived of Grand Slam
Federer reached the finals of all four majors last year, deprived of a Grand Slam in a four-set loss to Rafael Nadal at the French Open. He has led the rankings since February 2004.
Laver, who had Grand Slam seasons in 1962 and 1969, thinks Federer is setting himself up for a run at a Grand Slam season and has all the shots he needs to shatter the tennis records. After that was said, Federer put his full repertoire on display, leaving the sixth-seeded Roddick and bewildered in their 83-minute match.
"I've played good matches here, but never really almost destroyed somebody," Federer said. "I've done it at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open. Maybe not so much here because I didn't get so many chances yet. For me, that's a highlight of my career. I'm very, very happy about it."
Federer broke Roddick's first service game, and then was broken back immediately. It was the only chance Roddick had in the match, with Federer winning 11 straight games from 3-4 in the first set to go up a break in the third.
Roddick, at coach Jimmy Connors' urging, rushed the net in his exhibition victory over Federer. He thought those tactics would work again. This time, he got scorched. Now with a 1-13 record against Federer, Roddick is back to square one.
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