'Felt like I was trying to shoot Bambi' - Roddick on Wimbledon 2009 final vs Roger Federer

Roger Federer has won many titles in what has been a long and successful career spanning over two decades now. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has, however, had a particularly special time on the grass at Wimbledon.

The Swiss maestro has picked up the All-England trophy a record eight times, and has entertained fans in several incredible encounters over the years. But Roger Federer has been on the losing side of many of his SW19 epics, be it the five-set classic in 2008 against Rafael Nadal or the crushing defeat to Novak Djokovic last year.

One marathon match that did go his way, however, is the 2009 final against former World No. 1 Andy Roddick. And the American has a lot to say about what was an absolute heartbreaker for him.

Speaking in a Q&A session with the International Hall of Fame of Tennis, Andy Roddick recalled the epic encounter with Federer and talked about what the aftermath of the result was like for him.

2003 @usopen champion, Hall of Famer and American tennis great @andyroddick joins us on Facebook today at 2pm EST for #HallofFameLive!Tune in to hear what Andy has to say to your questions! Want a reminder before we go live? Sign up here: https://t.co/JbfGeeCG8t pic.twitter.com/oOIxI0w8A1

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Sampras isn't often around tennis, but he came to see Roger Federer break his record: Andy Roddick

Roger Federer (L) and Andy Roddick at Wimbledon 2009

Roddick revealed that going into the game he was aware of the historic nature of the match. At the time, Roger Federer was just one of the all-time Slam record held by Pete Sampras, who incidentally was in attendance that day.

"I was pretty aware of all of it," Roddick said. "When I walked out and I saw Sampras there, and he is never usually around tennis, he came to see Roger break his record. And you certainly feel the weight of all of it."

The 2009 final is sometimes given less importance, since it came just a year after the Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal 2008 classic - which many consider to be the best match of all time. But Federer's match against Roddick was a great contest in its own right, going the full five sets and then some.

Despite some brilliant clutch tennis from Andy Roddick, Roger Federer finally took the match 5-7 7-6 7-6 6-3 16-14. To this date, the match holds the record for being longest Wimbledon men's final in terms of games (77).

Roddick further went on to talk about the magnitude of the match, which he was made to realize the moment he stepped into the arena.

"I walked out on to the court and the I saw the royal box that day, seeing the caliber of players who were there to witness that moment for Roger Federer. I said that it felt like I was the guy who was trying to shoot Bambi that day (laughs)," Roddick said.

"I can only imagine what Pete's response would have been like having flown all that way and then having to do it again at the US Open," he added with a chuckle.

Wimbledon final against Roger Federer is my Starbucks match: Andy Roddick

Roddick achieved a lot of great things in his career; he won the US Open in 2003, and held the World No. 1 ranking for a while too. But he feels all those successes pale in comparison to the Wimbledon 2009 final when it comes to fan recall.

The American went on to talk in detail about what the match against Roger Federer did for his own career. He believes it has become the most striking piece of Andy Roddick trivia that anyone visiting a Starbucks would want to know about.

"I say if you are lucky as a tennis player you have that moment where you go to a Starbucks and people want to know about," said Roddick. "That's my Starbucks match. The US Open is not, finishing World No. 1 is not, the Davis Cup triumph is not, it is the Wimbledon final of 2009 that people remember."

"It created a relationship with fans for the next 4 years that was different than any equation I shared with them going into that match. In the grand scheme of things, there were definitely a lot of positives that came out of that one," Roddick added. "That match is one of my favorite Wimbledon memories."