Roger Federer set for his sweetest moment in tennis

Twelve months ago, Roger Federer played in a Wimbledon final which amounted to sporting perfection encapsulated in five sets.

Defeat at Wimbledon had become an alien concept for the maestro. But after five titles, Federer had to cope with losing to a better player, namely Rafael Nadal, the man he had beaten in the two previous finals.

It might have crushed him.

Not only did defeat cost him his prized status as Wimbledon champion, but it also positioned Nadal as the superior player on all surfaces, and just weeks later the world rankings reflected that, with Federer demoted to second place behind the Spaniard.

No wonder Federer sounded so depressed. "Later on in life I'll think it was a great match to be part of but it doesn't feel so good now," Federer said. Considering Federer was at a low ebb, it says everything for his character that today he can secure his third Grand Slam title since that harrowing defeat to Nadal.

Victory over Andy Roddick will hand him a record 15th slam, nudging Federer ahead of Pete Sampras whose total he matched with his triumph at the French Open last month.

It was in Paris that Federer completed the career Grand Slam of all four majors, which is a feat Sampras fell a Roland Garros trophy a 'Coupe des Mousquetaires' short of achieving.

If such issues were not subjective and could be determined simply by statistics, Federer would be officially crowned the greatest of all-time with victory on Sunday. Some will make a case for Rod Laver, but many of the sport's biggest names already acclaim Federer as the best.

Significant factor

The fact he has reached 21 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals is a significant factor.u00a0 The absence of the injured Nadal from Wimbledon this year has denied Federer the chance to exact revenge for last year. But given the evidence of the first 12 days of the Championships, there is every chance 27-year-old Federer would have swatted away the Spaniard.

He has dropped just one set so far, on a tie-break to Philipp Kohlschreiber. Watching Federer on Centre Court is one of sport's thrilling experiences. The elegance of his game, and the way he makes it look effortless when it can only be anything but, defines the man. Everything falls into place for Federer on Centre, where he won his first Slam six years ago.

"It's a great opportunity to get into the history books," Federer said. Victory could be his sweetest yet.