 Nadal (left) was tantalisingly close to beating Federer |
Immediately after capturing his fifth straight Wimbledon title and his 11th Grand Slam crown, Roger Federer joked that he was happy to win while he can "before Rafa takes them all". He was later asked if those were the words of a humble champion or of a man sensing a younger contender in Rafael Nadal breathing down his neck.
"What I meant was that he came so close that I think he deserves a title here and, you know, he's not getting any worse," said Federer, who at 25 is four years Nadal's senior.
Indeed, Nadal is getting better at a phenomenal pace.
The Spaniard is already the world's best player on clay, arguably the best ever on that surface, and in only his fourth Wimbledon, he stretched the man many have crowned the greatest on grass to five enthralling sets.
In doing so, he forced Federer, who for four years reigned majestically unchallenged on grass, to produce his brilliant, breathtaking best.
In a dazzling final set, the world number one saved four break points with serving of astounding quality before unleashing four magnificent forehand winners to break at 3-2 and finally end Nadal's resistance.
"Nadal is now a lot closer to Federer on grass than Federer is to Nadal on clay," former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski told BBC Sport.
 | To compare me with Roger right now is not possible... but I am young, I am improving every season |
"Nadal is really making a push. If he had won Wimbledon, he would have had almost a 200-point lead in the ATP Race [which judges form in the calendar year]. That would have been almost insurmountable for Federer." World number two Nadal was justifiably proud of his performance but has already set his sights on improving again.
"I am a better player than last year, for sure," he said.
"To compare me with Roger right now is not possible because he has 11 Grand Slams, me three. But I am young, I am improving every season.
"This was tough for me but, at the same time, it was good for me to play a final like this against the best of the world on grass, playing at a similar level."
Federer, meanwhile, continues to chase history.
Pete Sampras' records of 14 Grand Slam titles and seven Wimbledon crowns are now tantalisingly close.
Could Federer's light-hearted comment about Nadal coming to steal his trophies prove to be true?
In reality it is an unlikely scenario that Federer, who has won seven of the last nine Grand Slams, will not win at least four more before he retires.
"I think he'll get there," said Rusedski. "Some people seem to think he might be coming to the end of his period of dominance, but I see him continuing.
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"He wants to be known as the greatest player to ever play the game."
In Federer's favour is the fact that Nadal - who has reached consecutive Wimbledon finals and leads Federer 8-5 in head-to-heads - is yet to get beyond the last eight at either the US or Australian Opens.
"The bounce is lower and quicker at the US Open so Nadal is more susceptible to players going through him," said Rusedski.
"But he is improving and he's now more complete as a player. This year's US Open will be one of the telling points of the season.
"But I don't see Rafa overtaking Roger this year. I still see Roger winning the US Open and the Masters Cup in Shanghai where the quicker surface favours him."
Rusedski is not alone in hoping the pair meet again in New York. As one of the great rivalries in tennis - perhaps even in sport - begins to build so does its audience.
"We've been at the top of the rankings for over 100 weeks together. It is maybe building up to one the great rivalries, I don't know," said Federer.
"Sometimes we haven't lived up to the expectations in the past, in our matches in majors especially. I think maybe that was maybe a bit of a problem.
"I'm happy it happened [this way]. I left as the winner. It was perfect."
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Highlights: Wimbledon day 13
