Federer puts Nadal to sward

Tennis/Wimbledon Men's Singles final: The questions now will inevitably settle around the issue of how great Roger Federer has become and how great Rafael Nadal can be. Federer's fourth successive win at Wimbledon yesterday has rightly aligned him with the greats of the game.

Only Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras have won four successive titles here in the Open era but at 24 years old Federer has time with him. Even Borg's run between 1976 and 1980 is now under threat, then who knows?

Sampras won three in succession between 1993 and 1995 before the Netherlands' Richard Krajicek broke the run, leaving the American to begin another four-year streak.

But there are few who doubt Federer's pedigree and over these two weeks he has rarely been out of cruise control. Only the 20-year-old French Open champion was able to get within touching distance and even his efforts, although valiant, perished as the Swiss world number one kept his Wimbledon house in order and swept him aside 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3.

Nadal, struggling in the first set to deal with Federer's deliberately mixed game, sank 6-0. At that stage thoughts centred on how easy this whole Wimbledon fortnight had been for the champion.

Just one of Federer's six games in the run-up to the final lasted more than two hours. None of Nadal's matches were under the two-hour mark, one - against Robert Kendrick - going on for over three and a half.

But the young Spaniard is nothing if not a fighter and from there until Federer stepped up a level in the closing set just narrow margins separated the two. In fact, had Nadal not totally misfired on a simple volley in the fourth set and on a service break point, which crashed against the back wall, they could still be out there playing now.

A tiebreak then fell Federer's way for a 2-0 lead but the frequently astonishing tennis, played in a blustery wind, wasn't all from the Swiss player, despite the fact Nadal came to London this year as a grasscourt novice. This was only his fifth grasscourt singles event at any level of professional competition.

"I tried to make a difference early in the second set but couldn't do that," said Federer. "I fell back with a break but was lucky enough to break back when he served for the set. That was maybe key to the match because I played a very good tiebreaker and was two sets to love up."

Nadal had also arrived with a past that had caused Federer significant heartbreak and brought a career head-to-head of six wins and one defeat into the match.

The last time Federer had beaten him was in Miami last year and Nadal had won all four of their meetings since then, the most recent in the French Open final.

With both players scampering around trying to get it onto their strong forehand sides, the third set went relentlessly with serve before a tiebreak was again called, this time Nadal taking advantage and dismissing Federer 7-2 for the set.

That episode was Federer's only real lapse, and in the fourth set he took control. While both players struggled to get into each other's service games, it was Federer who found the higher gear and from 1-1 picked up the next four games to take a 5-1 lead.

Nadal's powers of resurrection are widely known but nobody could see Federer surrendering such a margin on his favourite surface. Nadal did snatch one of Federer's almost impossible service games as unbelievable retrieves and his natural inclination to fight for every point kept the match alive.

"I cannot see where he serves," lamented the Spaniard afterwards.

"He can serve here, he can serve there. If no one is there he'll serve here, if no one is here he'll serve there. That's tough."

As Federer closed the final set 6-3, he also brought his unbeaten grass run to 48 consecutive victories. One more record for the man until he takes it up again next year at the Halle grasscourt tournament in Germany.

"I am very well aware of how important this match was for me," said Federer.

"If I lose obviously it would have been a hard blow for me because he wins the French and Wimbledon back to back and I was twice in the finals. It was important for me to win a final against him for a change and beat him for a change. At Wimbledon I knew it was going to be the easiest place to do it."

The rivalry with Nadal will continue as the two face the run-in to the US Open in two months' time.

"I don't really look at the rivalry too much," said the champion. And why should he when he is so far out on his own?