WIMBLEDON, England (AP) _ A year ago, plenty of people were feeling sorry for Roger Federer.

They were sending him letters with good wishes or _ believe it or not _ tennis tips. They were offering advice about how to deal with a perceived drop in performance and ideas for how to beat Rafael Nadal.

``If you achieved a lot, like I did, for so many years, and then you don't win some tournaments, people say, 'Oh, you're already on the decline,' very quickly,'' Federer said Saturday. ``I hope it just opens some eyes, these last few months.''

Yes, indeed. Look at Federer now.

When he steps onto Centre Court to face No. 6-seeded Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final Sunday, Federer will be trying to collect his 15th Grand Slam singles championship, breaking a tie with Pete Sampras for the most in history.