Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick 2003: The Match With No Winners

The rivalry between Andy Roddick and Roger Federer are one of the few rivalries in the sport that have tempted and intrigued the fans all around the world. The two players have enlightened and amused everyone in the tennis world for years.

On August 10th, 2003, the third-seeded and Wimbledon champion, Roger Federer was set to win his fifth consecutive match against the maverick sixth-seeded, Andy Roddick in Montreal. As the Montreal Open 2019 is already under its way, let’s take a look back another chapter of the epic rivalry between Andy Roddick and Roger Federer.

The 2003 season was the mark of the rise of Roger Federer’s dominance. The Swiss won his maiden Grand Slam title and ATP Finals titles in the 2003 season. Federer was seeking his second  ATP Masters 1000 title of his career as met Andy Roddick for the fifth time in his career in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup 2003.

The American claimed his first victory against the Swiss, beating him 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 to go through to the title match. Roger Federer had already celebrated his fourth win against Roddick in the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships, a few weeks earlier.

Going into the match, a win could have earned the No.1 spot for Federer at the ATP rankings for the first time in his career. However, it was Andy Roddick who crossed the finishing line to reach the finals. The victory helped Roddick to gain some confidence as he went on to win his first major singles title after defeating David Nalbandian in straight sets in the finals.

Roddick won the first set 6-4 but Federer answered by winning the second set 6-3. In the third set, they went to their fifth tiebreaker in five matches. Roger Federer had a big opportunity to secure the crucial final set as he earned a lead with a break up at 4-2.

However, the American rallied past through the 22-year-old Wimbledon champion to win the final set in the tiebreaker 7-3 when Federer double-faulted and made four unforced errors.

The greatest aspect of the semifinal was despite all the predictions and drama, it was pure tennis brilliance that made it the spectacle that it was. That is what Andy Roddick and Roger Federer brought up to the table.

The match is still remembered by many as it was the start of Federer’s dominance on the ATP tour and the rise of Andy Roddick as he went on to win the Rogers Cup title and his maiden major title at the US Open, three weeks later.