Federer reclaimed the title after being beaten in an epic by Rafael Nadal last year [AFP]

The final set was the longest in history as neither player could find a way through the other's serve - until Federer forced Roddick to sky a shot with the clock standing at nearly four and a half hours.

No man in the history of the sport has won 15 grand slam titles - and this was Federer's sixth at Wimbledon.

"He played an unbelievable tournament," said Federer of Roddick, who was desperate for only his second grand slam title after winning the US Open six years ago.

"Don't be too sad, I went through some tough ones as well - I lost it here last year," he advised his rival, before Roddick called out: "You won five."

Missed chance

Roddick took the first set and looked like going 2-0 up before he lost a tie-break after being 6-2 in the lead.

"Sorry Pete, I tried to hold him off," Roddick said on court afterwards as 14-times grand slam winner Pete Sampras sat in the stands.

"I still hope one day my name will be up there. I'll be back." 

Federer, who also regained the world number one spot from the injured Rafael Nadal, could make no headway on the Roddick serve but remained solid on his own delivery to win the third set on another tiebreak.

Few imagined that Federer's seventh consecutive Wimbledon final could come anywhere near close to emulating last year's epic when he lost his crown to Nadal in a five-set thriller that ended in near darkness.

The Swiss, who claimed his first French Open title last month to complete his career grand slam, dropped just one set in reaching the final and had won 18 of his previous 20 matches against the American.

Reinvented

Roddick has reinvented his game though in the last 12 months after his career began to slide and after stunning British hope Andy Murray in the semi-final he came agonisingly close to another shock.

Federer was stretched to the limit in an unforgettable duel of enery-sapping tension despite firing 107 winners.

Roddick, beaten twice in previous finals here by Federer, refused to buckle and broke at a crucial moment of the fourth with a great backhand to set up an enthralling decider.

But with Wimbledon greats Sampras, Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver watching intently from the Royal Box, Federer kept his nose in front in a nerve-racking decider and clinched victory after four hours and 16 minutes when Roddick's resistance finally cracked and the Swiss broke serve for the first time in the match.