Federer rallies for five-set win at Wimbledon

Associated Press

WIMBLEDON, England

The situation was so unfamiliar to Roger Federer, so “uncomfortable,” to use his term.

On a surface he rules, at a tournament he owns, against an opponent he dominates, Federer found himself in serious trouble Monday: He dropped the first two sets against 60th-ranked Alejandro Falla of Colombia, then was a mere three points from losing in the first round of Wimbledon.

“I had Federer against the ropes,” Falla would say later.

Eventually, the unheralded Falla succumbed to some jitters, and six-time Wimbledon champion Federer called upon his experience, summoned his customary excellence, overcame the daunting deficit and pulled away to win 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0 in the event’s opening Centre Court match.

“You definitely feel, you know, uncomfortable, because if you’re used to being down the whole time, your whole life, it’s something that’s kind of normal. For me, it’s not normal to be down two-sets-to-love, especially at Wimbledon and early on in Grand Slams,” said the top-seeded Federer, who hampered himself with seven double-faults. “But still, I was able to find a way. That’s most important right now.”

Had Falla finished off Federer, it would have been one of the most stunning upsets in the history of tennis — perhaps THE most stunning, taking into account the participants, the setting and the round.

Consider the resumes entering the day:

Federer was 92-13 for his career on grass, including 76-2 since 2003; Falla was 7-11.

Federer was 51-5 for his career at Wimbledon, with those six championships and a record seven consecutive final appearances; Falla was 3-5 and never got past the second round at the All England Club.

Federer was 199-28 with a record 16 titles in Grand Slam action and reached the final at 18 of the past 20 major tournaments; Falla was 11-14, only once making it as far as the third round at a Slam.

“I don’t think anyone expected it,” said No. 5 Andy Roddick, a three-time Wimbledon runner-up who beat Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind., 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 later Monday. “Everyone was pretty surprised, especially when it became very, very real there in the latter stages.”

Indeed, Falla’s near-defeat of Federer generated much more buzz than any of the upsets that actually occurred.

The seeded men who exited were No. 11 Marin Cilic, No. 17 Ivan Ljubicic, No. 20 Stanislas Wawrinka and No. 30 Tommy Robredo. No. 3 Novak Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion, appeared on his way to joining them, but he came back to beat Olivier Rochus of Belgium 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.