Federer win breaks Sampras record

Roger Federer became the greatest player in Grand Slam history as he beat Andy Roddick in five dramatic sets for a sixth Wimbledon and 15th major title.

The Swiss won 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to surpass Pete Sampras’s 14 Grand Slam wins and regain the title he lost to Rafael Nadal last year.

And Sampras was back at Wimbledon for the first time since 2002 to watch from the Royal Box as Federer made history.

Federer, 27, will now return to the top of the world rankings ahead of Nadal.

But he had to dig deep against an in-form Roddick, who had four points for a two-set lead and then battled back to force an epic fifth set as the match became the longest men’s singles final ever in terms of games played.

Federer lost 9-7 in the fifth to Nadal 12 months ago, but this year’s final set alone lasted 95 minutes and with 30 games was considerably longer than the previous Grand Slam record of 11-9 in the fifth set at the 1927 French Open.

“Andy played unbelievable,” Federer told BBC Sport, adding: “It feels great. It was a crazy match with an unbelievable end and my head’s still spinning, but it’s an unbelievable moment in my career.”

Federer, who claimed a first French Open title last month, has now won Wimbledon six times, the US Open five times, the Australian Open three times and Roland Garros once.

Sampras was the last man to set a new mark in Grand Slams when he beat Pat Rafter in an emotional final at Wimbledon in 2000, and the American chose to return to the All England Club to witness Federer’s achievement.

The 37-year-old arrived to applause during the changeover after the third game and, with his wife, took his seat alongside Manuel Santana, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase.

With so many tennis greats on hand, Roddick appeared to be very much the support act as Federer attempted to make history, but the American has been a rejuvenated force this year and played one of his best ever matches in beating British hope Andy Murray in the semi-finals.

He went into the final having won just two of his previous 18 matches against Federer, but with the confidence of having arguably the world’s best serve and a new variety to his game brought out by coach Larry Stefanki.

Both men started strongly on serve but it was the Swiss who put the pressure on first, forcing four break points in a tense game at 5-5.

Federer was twice denied by Hawkeye, while Roddick saved two break points with trademark heavy serves, and the five-time champion was quickly made to regret the missed chances.

Moments later he was under pressure as he leaked a forehand into the tramlines to give Roddick a set point from seemingly nowhere, and when the Swiss made the same mistake in the following rally the American’s supporters were on their feet applauding as their man took a shock lead.

The second set followed the same pattern, with neither player able to fashion a break point and Roddick now making 80% of his first serves.

It came down to a tie-break and, knowing his title hopes were under serious threat, Federer made a nervous forehand error to hand over the mini-break before the Roddick serve took over, sweeping the American to 6-2 and four set points.

An imperious Federer backhand and two service winners cut the deficit before Roddick had a chance on his own serve, but he put a high backhand volley well wide.

Federer fired a cross-court backhand pass to win a fifth straight point and earn a set point for himself, and Roddick pushed a backhand well over the baseline to bring Federer level at one-set all.

It was a body blow for the American and he headed straight to the locker room on the changeover before marching to the wrong end on his return to Centre Court.

Roddick’s head cleared sufficiently for him to get a foothold in the third set and he saved a break point in game five with a serve.

The 26-year-old could win only two points on the Federer serve throughout the set but he forced another tie-break, and a chance to amend for the disaster of the second set.

A backhand approach into the net gave Federer the mini-break though and, although Roddick did well to close the gap to 6-5, the Swiss converted his third set point with a thumping forehand.

If anyone thought that the smooth coronation of Federer was now back on track, Roddick had other ideas, playing a magnificent volley at 2-1 to earn two break points and taking the second with a backhand pass that Federer could not handle.

Roddick served out valiantly from 0-30 in game nine, thrilling the Centre Court crowd who were about to enjoy a fifth set that few had expected to see.

Federer had the first chance at a break in the decider but again Roddick served his way out of trouble, and the Swiss had still not broken his opponent after nearly three hours.

Both men appeared to be getting stronger and stronger and they were well and truly in the groove on serve, with Federer ahead in the ace count as the fifth set rolled on.

Roddick made his move at 8-8, firing a spectacular backhand winner down the line for 15-40, but five-time champion Federer responded magnificently with a service winner and a nerveless drive-volley.

The set became the longest in a men’s singles final when Federer fired three aces in a row to move ahead 13-12, and Roddick began to look the more tired – but he refused to yield until the 30th game of the set.

The American looped a forehand long at deuce, and when he did the same on championship point Federer had his first service break of the day – and a historic victory after four hours and 17 minutes that takes him to the top of the Grand Slam list.

“It’s not one of those goals you set as a little boy but it’s been quite a career and quite a month,” said Federer.

“This is not why I’m playing tennis, to break records, and this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop playing tennis. I hope to come back for many years.”

Roddick told the crowd: “I’m one of the lucky few who gets cheered for, so thank you for that. I just want to say congratulations to Roger, he deserves everything he gets, so well done Roger.”

And looking up to the Royal Box, he told compatriot Sampras: “I tried, sorry Pete.”

Liverpool defender Dossena would “run to Juve”

Liverpool defender Andrea Dossena seems destined for a return to Italy after asking manager Rafael Benitez for a transfer.

The 27-year-old international left-back failed to establish himself after being signed as John Arne Riise‘s replacement in a £7million transfer from Udinese last summer.

Dossena made just 12 Premier League starts and towards the end of the season was third choice behind Fabio Aurelio and young Argentinian Emiliano Insua.

The Italian has told Benitez he would like to return to his homeland, with Juventus his preferred destination.

“Before coming back to Italy I talked to Benitez and explained to him my doubts,” he told Tuttosport. “I told him I wanted to leave. He is an exceptional person and understood my problem.

“He told me that if they receive an offer that satisfies both the club and me, he will take it into consideration and try to facilitate my transfer.

“I would run to Juve. They showed interest in me last year, but then Liverpool stepped in and wrapped things up in less than an hour.

“Of course I would accept an offer. You’re talking about one of the biggest clubs in Europe.”

Real chief Perez builds bridges with Man United

Real Madrid’s relationship with Manchester United is more important than signing Cristiano Ronaldo, according to club president Florentino Perez.

Madrid’s high-profile pursuit of United’s Portuguese winger appears to have been put on the backburner this summer as they attempt to sign AC Milan’s Brazilian superstar Kaka. Real have also been linked with Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery as the summer transfer rumour-mill goes into overdrive.

And Perez, who recently returned for a second stint as president at the Bernabeu, insists he would not pursue the club’s targets in a manner which could jeopardise his relationships with other top clubs.

“If one day there is a chance of [Ronaldo] playing for Real Madrid, that would be an honour for us,” he told The Times.

“But if I had to choose between the friendship with Manchester United and the signing of Ronaldo, I would choose the friendship.

“Plus, I have never said that Cristiano will arrive in June. That is an arrogant and false statement.”

He continued: “I shall be talking with [United manager Sir Alex] Ferguson and [chief executive] David Gill to build bridges.

“If we sign Kaka from Milan, I can assure you that we will still have a very good relationship with [vice president Adriano] Galliani.”

Zhirkov interested in Chelsea, if offer comes in

Russia international Yuri Zhirkov has denied reports that he has agreed to join Chelsea this summer, but admits he would be interested in a switch if an offer comes in.

Speculation had suggested the CSKA Moscow winger was set for an impending switch to the Premier League, having struck a deal with the Blues. However, the highly-rated 25-year-old claims he has no knowledge of any such agreement, and insists Chelsea have not even made an approach for his services.

“I honestly know as much about it as everyone else,” he told Sport Express ahead of Russia’s impending 2010 World Cup qualifier against Finland.

“I read the papers, listen to the radio and I am genuinely surprised, given that no actual offer from Chelsea exists.”

While distancing himself from a switch to Stamford Bridge at the present time, Zhirkov did admit he would be open to a move to West London should a suitable opportunity arise.

“Clearly we are talking about one of the best clubs in the world, who regularly compete at the highest level,” he added. “It is very possible that I would say yes. But before that I would have to weigh up the pros and cons.

“To sit on the bench and only get on the pitch from time to time doesn’t interest me, not even at Chelsea.

“Moreover, I have nothing to lose (by staying in Moscow), given that CSKA now have a very interesting team who will begin competing in the Champions League in the autumn.”

ICC World Twenty20

Chris Gayle smashed 88 off 50 balls as West Indies claimed a stunning win over Australia in the ICC World Twenty20.

He hit six sixes and four fours and Andre Fletcher made 53 off 32 balls to put their side, who were chasing 170 to win, in total control at The Oval.

Ramnaresh Sarwan then hit the winning runs as West Indies reached 172-3 and claimed a seven-wicket triumph.

Australia had earlier been restricted to 169-7 with Jerome Taylor taking two wickets in the opening over.

“It was very satisfying. Andre Fletcher took the pressure off me and allowed me to pace my innings. I wanted to put a smile back on the West Indies’ fans faces, but this is only the first game and we still have a long way to go,” Gayle said afterwards.

TV technology measured one of Gayle’s blows at 105 metres and he added: “It’s the first time I have hit it so far but if the ball is in the slot in Twenty20, these things happen and you will have guys who hit it further than me as well – maybe Shahid Afridi or Virender Sehwag.

“Once I can clear the boundary I am satisfied with that, it doesn’t matter how far it goes.”

West Indies are now in pole position to qualify from Group C, while Australia will be eliminated if they lose to Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Monday.

Gayle’s side have now beaten Australia twice in the Twenty20 format and will fancy their chances of going far in this tournament, provided they improve their fielding.

Backed by a large and highly vocal section of The Oval crowd, Gayle’s men emerged from the pavilion with a spring in their step and, despite losing the toss, they made a fine start.

Just one run was on the board, courtesy of a wide, when Jerome Taylor teased Shane Watson into driving a full-pitched delivery straight to Sarwan at mid-off.

And things went from bad to worse for Australia as Ricky Ponting, facing his first legitimate delivery following two more wides, was trapped plumb in front of his stumps.

At 3-2 after one over and with David Warner (63) and Michael Clarke yet to score against a buzzing West Indies side, Australia were staring at the prospect of an embarrassingly low score.

That seemed very possible when Clarke attempted to loft Fidel Edwards over the off-side field but ended up cutting him straight to Sulieman Benn at third man.

But Warner and Brad Haddin steadied the innings with a mix of intelligent strokemaking and ruthless abandonment.

Warner pulled Edwards for a stunning six over mid-wicket and Haddin weighed in with a couple of eye-catching shots, but the latter soon holed out to Benn as he looked to smash Kieron Pollard out of the ground.

Warner soldiered on and passed 50 with a single and new batsman David Hussey was quickly into his stride, despatching Pollard over long-off and Benn through mid-wicket for maximums, but lost Warner when he sliced a Dwayne Bravo full toss to Benn in the covers.

That left Australia at 113-5 after 15.3 overs and in need of a run-surge to give themselves a competitive total to defend.

Hussey tried to oblige but, moments after being dropped by Shivnarine Chanderpaul at long-on, he hoisted Bravo to a forward-diving Fletcher at mid-wicket.

Australia, 153-6 going into the final over, lost Mitchell Johnson cheaply yet ended on a high as Mike Hussey clubbed an Edwards no-ball for six and then saw an outside edge race past short fine-leg for a bonus four.

But the momentum quickly shifted back to West Indies who, despite requiring a little over nine runs per over, set about their chase in spectacular fashion.

Gayle, who marked the first match of the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 with a hundred, carved two of Brett Lee’s first three deliveries for four while Fletcher hit a four and a six off Mitchell Johnson’s opening two balls.

Fletcher, playing in only his third Twenty20 international, should have been dismissed when he skied Johnson high into the air but Mike Hussey failed to get a hand on the ball as he fell backwards at mid-on.

The openers might have been expected to adopt a more cautious approach after that reprieve but Gayle had other ideas and opted launched a breathtaking assault on Lee in an unforgettable fifth over.

The 29-year-old left-hander hit three sixes, one of them flying out of the ground, and two fours to take his side from 44-0 to 71-0.

The Oval was rocking to the beat of West Indian celebrations but the whole ground stood to applaud Gayle’s 23-ball half-century, secured with a tidy single to log-off.

Fletcher passed 50 off 31 balls by heaving David Hussey over wide mid-on for four but his superb knock came to an end a ball later when he miscued pull shot straight back to the bowler.

Another steepling six followed before Gayle lofted a catch off Lee to Watson and Xavier Marshall chipped Johnson to James Hopes at mid-off.

There was, however, no chance of an Australian fightback and Sarwan, partnered by Chanderpaul, led his side home with an edged boundary.

“They outplayed us today for sure. If a couple of their batsmen keep playing that way, they can beat anybody,” said Australia skipper Ponting.

“We spoke about getting the first over of each innings right and as it turned out we lost two wickets in our first batting innings and they took a lot off our first bowling over as well.

“With the game being as short as it is, you can’t afford to give momentum like that away in either innings and we did it in both.”

Kuznetsova wins French Open title

Svetlana Kuznetsova beat fellow Russian and world number one Dinara Safina to win the French Open at Roland Garros.

Seventh seed Kuznetsova, 23, controlled a tense encounter to come through 6-4 6-2 for her second major title, following victory at the 2004 US Open.

Safina had hoped to confirm her number one status with a first Grand Slam title, but was well below her best and double-faulted on match point.

Kuznetsova reeled off the last four games to win in one hour 14 minutes.

“Today I think she was too tight,” Kuznetsova said of her opponent. “She had so much pressure on her but I could bring my better game today – that’s why I won.”

An emotional Safina slammed her racquet into the dirt in frustration after making her seventh double-fault of the day on match point.

The 23-year-old has now lost in the French Open final for two years running, and was also heavily beaten by Serena Williams in January’s Australian Open final.

“Here I am back in the same situation as last year,” said Safina. “Hopefully one day I can win here.”

Kuznetsova has been a fixture in the upper reaches of the women’s game since winning the US Open aged 19 but had struggled to live up to that early achievement, having been comfortably beaten by Justine Henin in the 2006 final in Paris.

Both players were therefore desperate to get their hands on the trophy and not surprisingly began in nervous fashion, trading breaks in the first two games.

Kuznetsova was the more adventurous, making regular visits to the net while looking solid from the baseline, but it was Safina who missed the next chance to move ahead.

At 2-2, Kuznetsova took matters into her own hands at break point down and attacked the net, punching away a forehand volley to save.

Four games later it was the seventh seed’s chance to take control and she did so, thanks in part to a net cord as she broke for 5-3, but Kuznetsova was then broken to love as Safina pegged her back.

Kuznetsova finally clinched a scrappy first set when she fired a huge forehand return winner followed by a wrong-footing backhand in game 10.

The opening four games of the second set went with serve but it was Safina who was feeling the pressure, throwing in double faults and angrily swiping her racquet as the pressure took hold.

It came to a head when a wayward forehand on break point saw the top seed fall 4-2 behind and she was unable to mount any form of recovery.

After little over an hour’s play, Safina netted a backhand in game eight to face match point and then delivered her seventh double-fault of the day, leaving the crowd hushed and Kuznetsova seemingly stunned.

The world number seven commiserated with her compatriot at the net before climbing through the stands to begin the real celebrations with her supporters.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time,” said Kuznetsova.

“Really, I didn’t expect it to happen this year but I give my best, I played with all my heart, I had unbelievable matches, I had unbelievable support. It’s my favourite tournament.”

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Benitez hopes for Man Utd slip-up

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is pinning his team’s title hopes on a slip-up from Manchester United as the season reaches its climax.

The Reds returned to the top of the Premier League on goal difference after a 3-0 win over West Ham at Upton Park.

But Benitez is relying on other teams – starting with Manchester City on Sunday – to do Liverpool a favour.

“We needed to get three points and put them under pressure, and now we will be cheering and supporting City,” he said.

“United will have a difficult game, a derby is a derby.”

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have two games in hand over Liverpool, with the game against City followed by Premier League matches against Wigan, Arsenal and Hull.

Liverpool will take on West Brom on 17 May before finishing their season against Tottenham a week later.

“We have done our job. We have to keep winning, that’s all we can do,” added Benitez.

“It’s a derby and if they make a mistake they will be feeling the pressure. Manchester City are a difficult team to play against.

“Clearly our position is very good, we have to keep pushing and wait – hopefully we can be top of the league next weekend.”

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard put Liverpool in front after just 76 seconds for his 22nd goal of the season, following up with a penalty rebound on 38 minutes before Ryan Babel’s effort six minutes from time sealed a comfortable win.

“We’re happy with the clean sheet, it puts more pressure on Manchester United,” said Gerrard.

“They have a tough game against Manchester City, who have come into form recently, and it’s a derby match, which are never easy. We hope Manchester City can do us a favour.

“When you come to tough places like West Ham, it’s important to go in front and we did that. Looking at the game, we deserved to win.”

Gerrard saw his 38th-minute penalty saved by Robert Green, only to tap in the rebound past the outstretched dive of the Hammers goalkeeper.

And the midfielder admitted a morning conversation with Jamie Carragher had put the curse on his miss.

“He said to me this morning, ‘You haven’t missed a penalty for a while’, so he’s getting the blame,” joked Gerrard.

“The win shows we are a good team and have a winning mentality. We deserve to be on top of the league.”

Meanwhile, Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola said the 3-0 scoreline was somewhat harsh on his team.

“I don’t think on the pitch there was a big difference,” he said.

“In the first half we probably played better than them, the quality of the passing was good.”

Tevez expecting to leave Man Utd

Carlos Tevez has said he thinks he will leave Manchester United in the summer.

“I am very sad about this but I guess what I’m saying is goodbye,” the striker told the News of the World.

“I don’t think I’ll be a United player next season. I’ve done everything I possibly can but they have never made me an offer or given me a contract.

“I have not been treated as a member of the family. The fans treat me like family but United have not signed me so they don’t respect me as a footballer.”

Tevez joined United in the 2007 close-season on a two-year loan deal which ends this summer.

His first English club was West Ham and he became a free agent when his agent Kia Joorabchian paid the Hammers a £2m settlement.

Tevez said he is still committed to helping United this season, despite not holding down a regular place in the side, adding: “I still have the same hunger and I will give my all to win the last two trophies we are chasing so I can move on knowing I have done everything for the team.

“Things have changed dramatically this season. I was dropped but didn’t perform badly. Sir Alex never gave me an explanation but I never asked him for one because it is not in my character.”

The Argentine international said he would not rule out moving to one of United’s Premier League rivals at the end of the season.

“It’s not true my family are unhappy in England. It’s not true I want to leave England for Spain.

“My four-year-old daughter is learning English and my wife is very happy living in England.

“We want to stay. I want to play in England because it is the best League in the world and it suits my style.

“I would like to thank the United fans for their support. They will always have a special place in my heart.

“If I was a United fan I wouldn’t want to see their player in any other shirt but I think they will accept I’ve done everything I can.”

Reds rule Alonso out of Hammers clash

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed that Xabi Alonso will be missing for the Premier League title chasers’ crucial trip to West Ham United on Saturday.

The Spanish midfielder suffered severe bruising in the tackle that landed Newcastle United’s Joey Barton a red card – and subsequently banishment from the club by his manager Alan Shearer – in last weekend’s 3-0 win at Anfield.

But the injury blow has been softened by the news that fellow midfielder Javier Mascherano has recovered from an ankle injury and hamstrung striker Fernando Torres have both been passed fit to travel with squad.

“Xabi is not fit and cannot play,” Benitez said. “We think maybe in the next week he will be okay. We had an idea that he could be fit for this game but in the end it was impossible.

“Javier was training and is in the squad, and so is Fernando.”

Benitez will be hoping to call upon both stars against one of the meanest defences outside of the ‘big four’. With the Hammers closing in on seventh spot and a place in the Europa League next season no quarter will be given at Upton Park.

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola thinks his side still need a win and a draw from their last three games to book their place in Europe and is aiming to pick up valuable points against the Reds.

“It is another opportunity for us to beat a top team and also it has got double the value that if we win this game we have a great chance to get into Europe,” Zola said.

“We are just saying we need four points but we are going to try to get nine – that is the approach we have.”

Zola is determined to earn his first win against one of the league’s top-four clubs as a manager, although he is wary of Liverpool’s style away from home.

“In my opinion they are a team you’d rather play at their home than away as if you look at their record away it must be one of the best in the Premier League,” the Italian said.

“So it is a really tough match for us but my players are determined to beat one of the really top sides.

“We played Manchester United at home and Chelsea at home and we went very close and were unlucky. We keep trying as we lost against those teams but we learnt a lot from them and we are confident that Saturday is going to be a different game.”

Striker Carlton Cole is approaching a return from his groin injury but the Liverpool clash may come too soon.