Lars Graff is umpiring at the Newport Hall of Fame Championships this week.

Courtesy of International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum / Michael Baz

Lars Graff has umpired more than 5,000 professional tennis matches, but even if he does another 5,000, it's doubtful he'll be in the chair for a more tense, more thrilling, more momentous, more memorable match than the Wimbledon final in which Roger Federer won his record 15th Grand Slam title by outlasting Andy Roddick in five fabulous, unforgettable sets over 4 hours and 16 minutes.

"It was fantastic," said Graff, who has come straight from umpiring his first Wimbledon singles final to Newport, where he's officiating this week at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.

"The atmosphere was unbelievable," Graff said of Sunday's historic final. "Wimbledon is truly something special. To do Wimbledon was a big honor. You realize how big an event it is when you walk out on Centre Court and see the flowers, the decorations, all the people in the stands, and the respect they have for the players and the game. For a tennis fan, it's holy ground.

"When the players are warming up," he continued, "the crowd is buzzing. But then, when I say: 'Ready . . . Play!' it's quiet as a church. You can hear yourself breathe."

The play of Federer and Roddick in their epic battle was breathtaking.

It was a match for the ages — in part because it took ages. The fifth and final set alone lasted more than 90 minutes as both players continued to hold serve. The match finally was decided when, for the first time all afternoon, Federer managed to break Roddick's serve in what was the 77th game of the match, enabling him to win the last set, 16-14.

"The serving of both guys was amazing," Graff said.

Federer, who now has won six Wimbledons, five U.S. Opens, three Australian Opens, and, this year, for the first time, the French Open, is amazing.

"Federer," Graff said simply, "is Federer. He always seems to win the close matches. Some way or another, he pulls them out."

Two examples:

Roddick won the first set, 7-5, and was leading in the second-set tiebreaker, 6-2, but let all four set points slip away and wound up losing. Then, with the final set knotted at 8-all and Federer serving, Roddick had two break points.

"Federer had a great service ace to make it 30-40," Graff recalled. "Then he made a good serve, came to the net and hit a swinging, winning volley."

Did Graff appreciate what he was seeing? Or did he have to concentrate so much on his umpiring that the joy of the moment was lost on him?

"I have to focus on the play, on the next point," he said, "because the most important call is the next call. I can't be thinking: 'On this next point, Federer could win his 15th Grand Slam.'

"But it was impossible not to enjoy what I was watching. I love tennis. Tennis is my life. When I first learned I would be chair umpire for the (men's) final, I made up my mind that I would enjoy every minute of the match."

Graff, who grew up playing tennis in his native Sweden, has been a professional umpire for the ATP since 1994.

"Without John McEnroe," he said with a chuckle, "I might not have a job. When he was playing, there were no professional tennis umpires. Because of all his complaining, his questioning of authority, tennis realized professional umpires were needed in order to provide consistency all over the world."

A former SEAL in the Swedish Navy, Graff's authority is not the sort that's readily questioned. A nationally-ranked junior player, his playing career ended when, after serving a year of mandatory military service at the age of 18, he went on to attend the Swedish Naval Academy and then became a highly-trained SEAL, spending a total of 10 years in the Navy.

So it's not surprising that he can handle the pressure of sitting in the umpire's chair for a Wimbledon final.

"There's a lot of pressure, no doubt about it," he acknowledged. "Of course, I was a bit nervous. If you're not a little nervous, you're not going to do a good job."

He's delighted to be working at Newport for the first time.

"I've never been to the Tennis Hall of Fame," he said. "That's a big attraction for me, along with seeing the induction ceremony (on Saturday.) There's a lot of history here, a lot of tradition."

Graff saw history made last Sunday in Wimbledon. Federer is assured a place in the Tennis Hall of Fame, and his match with Roddick also will be commemorated in the venerable Casino in Newport.

"It will be hard to top," Graff said. "But you never know."

jdonalds@projo.com