But the Swiss ace’s five-set victory over Spanish rival Rafael Nadal served as a timely reminder of his greatness. Federer has now equalled Bjorn Borg’s record of five consecutive Wimbledon wins and moves to third, behind only Pete Sampras and Roy Emerson, on the list of grand slam tournament winners.
Federer’s dominance of his sport isn’t just measured in tournament wins. He has been ranked the world’s best player since February 2004 and, having won 55 straight games on grass, has proven to be all but unbeatable on his favourite playing surface. He has been awarded the prestigious Laureus World Sportsman of the Year title for the past 3 years.

Have your say: is Roger Federer the greatest ever tennis player?
Modern day sporting greats

Only a select handful of elite sporting stars can claim to equal Roger Federer’s level of modern day sporting dominance. With seven world titles and an unprecedented 91 Grand Prix victories, Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher certainly fits the bill. The German single-handedly popularised motor sport in his homeland and the official F1 website names him “statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen”.

Another sportsman able to match Federer’s impeccable record is Tiger Woods. Despite his relatively young age, Woods is already the 2nd most successful golfer of all time in terms of major wins. He also ranks fifth in all time PGA tour wins and has been ranked world number 1 for an unprecedented 450 weeks.

Although it would be churlish to compare the success of the majority of British sporting stars to that of Woods, Schumacher and Federer, one Briton can make a legitimate claim as a dominant figure in his sport. Unbeaten in 43 fights, Welsh dragon Joe Calzaghe is acknowledged as one of boxing’s supreme champions and is the longest reigning title holder in his sport.