A-Rod rues his indecision over shot that could have put him in driving seat of Wimbledon final...

IT will go down in years to come as That Volley. Andy Roddick has blamed indecision and the prevailing wind conditions as he raked over the glorious opportunity he missed to take a two-sets-to-love lead over Roger Federer on men's singles final day.

It was one of four points the American world No.6 had to clinch a second-set tie-break, having taken the first set 7-5.

But his misjudged volley flew wide, then Federer eventually won a record 15th Grand Slam title after a 95-minute final set.

However, it is hard to avoid the suspicion that things would have been very different had That Volley crept in.

"There was a pretty significant wind behind him at that side," said a distraught Roddick.

"It was gusting pretty good at that time. When he first hit it, I thought I wasn't going to play it.

"Then, last minute, it looked like it started dropping. I couldn't get my racquet around it. I don't know if it would have dropped in or not."

Federer went on to take the tie-breaks which clinched the second and third sets, and Roddick admitted it was pivotal.

"There's no way it doesn't cross your mind," he said. "We're human. We're not Cyborgs. But at that point, like everything else, there's two options.

"You lay down or you keep going. The second option sounded better."

It was the American's third Wimbledon final defeat, all to the same opponent, but Roddick was cheered to the rafters by the Centre Court crowd throughout the match's four hour, seven minute duration.

He paid tribute to his support, vowing to return as a winner.

"That was nice," Roddick said. "It showed that they appreciated what we did out there.

"It was a nice and appreciated gesture. I am one of the lucky few that gets cheered.

"It was a pleasure playing here in front of champions like Pete Sampras, Manolo Santana and Bjorn Borg," he added.

"I still hope one day that my name will be up there with theirs as winners of this tournament."

Roddick was at an all-time low when he lost in the second round to Janko Tipsarevic last year, so will have much to feel satisfied about when the initial disappointment has dissipated.

He has lost a stone in weight since hooking up with new coach Larry Stefanki in December.

"It was to give myself a chance to win tournaments like this," Roddick said. "It didn't work out but I gave myself a look."