ESPN Peter Bodo Blog

WIMBLEDON, England -- Now that Roger Federer has secured the all-time singles Grand Slam title record (15), in a match that is already burned into tennis history in a number of departments (including most games in a fifth set -- Federer won 16-14), let's try to put this match in context by ranking the top 5 among those 15 triumphal finals:

5. U.S. Open, 2004: Federer def. Lleyton Hewitt, 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0: This was just the fourth major for Federer, and his first title in New York. The U.S. Open traditionally had been a real hurdle for European players; until recently, non-American players too often focused on the negatives (the noise and general chaos, the heat and humidity, and the raucous New York crowd) and ended up underperforming at the Open. Those who overcame that prejudice moved into the elite class of Grand Slam champs who were able to solve the maddening challenge of the Big Apple. And the sheer brilliance Federer demonstrated in destroying one of the best competitors in the game foreshadowed the way he would dominate the sport.

4. Wimbledon, 2007: Federer def. Rafael Nadal, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2: This was by no means the most dramatic meeting of these two great rivals. (That honor goes to the 2008 Wimbledon final, which has been dubbed "the greatest match ever played" and was won by Nadal.) But this win was a key element in Federer's attempt to hold Nadal at bay at a time when Nadal's superiority at the French Open was emerging, and people were beginning openly to question whether Federer could withstand the onslaught. He did, and this victory earned him more time as the uncontested top player in the game.

3. Wimbledon, 2004: Federer def. Andy Roddick, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4: This was Federer's second Wimbledon title, won over a better player than he handled in his first triumph (Mark Philippoussis, whom Federer beat in straights). Roddick, like his countryman Pete Sampras, has a scorching serve, and by that time he was also a former No. 1 and Grand Slam title holder. By winning his second straight title at Wimbledon over a man who's a paragon of a grass-court tennis player, Federer established the special relationship he enjoys with Wimbledon.

2. Wimbledon, 2009: Federer def. Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14: Although Federer has a whopping head-to-head advantage over Roddick, Sunday's match reinforced the idea that Roddick, when he's playing well, is still a major force on grass. I'm giving the match such high importance for two reasons: It was undoubtedly the most difficult and well-fought of all of Federer's major wins, and it earned him that magical 15th title. That Federer can so thoroughly dominate Roddick yet claim that two of his greatest wins came over him may seem incongruous, but as they say, you had to be there.

1. French Open, 2009: Federer def. Robin Soderling, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4: This was one of Federer's easier finals, and it was against a journeyman on an unlikely career run. So why should it top this list? Simply because it's the key to Federer's legacy as the greatest player of all time. Until Federer won the French Open, his status as GOAT was debatable. And if he was lucky that Nadal was upset, the fact that Federer played the final against the man who beat Nadal confirmed the legitimacy of his win. It wasn't always pretty in Paris, but Federer, under enormous pressure to step up when he had the chance, got the job done with signature ease and grace.