Federer: The Greatest Tennis Player Of All Time?

Roger Federer, long considered one of the greatest tennis players ever, has etched himself further into legend with his remarkable victory over Andy Murray in yesterdays Wimbledon gentleman's singles final.

Forget about the statistics for a moment: this was a display of tennis genius. Some of the shots that Federer pulled off were simply unbelievable. Other players do not even dare to attempt such majesty, never mind succeed in it.

Federer has the full repertoire of shots in his arsenal. He is the complete player. Sublime drop shots from the baseline, incredible touch on the drop volley, and magnificent passing shots on the backhand – he has it all.

There was a time when it was feared that the days of touch and subtlety would be forever lost to tennis in a maelstrom of ferocious serves and ever more powerful ground strokes. Federer has proved this wrong, and in the same way as the Spanish football team triumphing once again in the European Championships last month, showed that true skill and technique will always prevail.

It was tough on Andy Murray, the plucky Brit who played his heart out, and carried the expectations of a nation on his back. But despite his courage and conviction in raising his game for this scintillating showdown, it was not enough to depose the true master of his crown.

Federer has now won seven Wimbledon finals, equalling Pete Sampras' record. He also returns to the world number one spot, and in a weeks time will overtake Sampras' record of 286 weeks at the top. Furthermore, this most recent Wimbledon title takes Federer's total of grand-slam victories to an unsurpassed 17. For many, there is little doubt that he is the greatest player of all time.

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