For Andy Roddick, coming close to beating Roger Federer can feel like an accomplishment. Roddick was 1-12 against Federer, the world’s top-ranked player, entering their semifinal match at the 2006 Australian Open.

For Roddick, and perhaps an entire generation of players who would like to add their name to the tennis honour roll, Federer has become the source of intense frustration. Not only can they not beat the Swiss maestro, they can’t even hate him.

The only way I can see the other top men’s players beating the Federer is if they gang up on him three-against-one, but I don’t think the rules allow for that kind of competition.

But that doesn’t mean the other players and Roddick can give up on trying to beat Federer.

The only way to get to Federer is to be aggressive and attack, but that’s not easy because that’s just not the way players are thinking these days. Roddick has to try and crowd him and make him try and pass.

There’s always the hope that Federer has an off day, but that’s a tough strategy to bank for the other men trying to win majors.

No matter what progress the American makes, however, barring injury or an unlikely loss of form, Federer, one year the older of the two, will always be there to block him at his two favourite tournaments, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Roddick though feels that inch by inch he is getting closer to working out how to match the sport’s supreme talent.

He must start beating FedEx on Thursday or else Federer will distance himself from his peers that history is already his only yardstick.

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