It was inconceivable that Roger Federer should lose a second Wimbledon final in a row.

But at times today he looked merely a tennis mortal, his multi-dimensional game vulnerable against the mighty power and mental strength of the rejuvenated Andy Roddick.

Roddick is no longer a boom-or-bust player, given the progress he has made on his groundstrokes under new coach Larry Stefanki, and he had Federer in all sorts of trouble.

However, with Wimbledon greats Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver watching from the Royal Box, Federer eventually showed why he is this decade's king of Centre Court, and a supreme athlete, and now he stands alone as the most successful male player in Grand Slam history.

A record that shows three slams from the last four tells its own story about how Federer has recovered from the agonising five-set defeat he suffered at the hands of Rafael Nadal this time last year.

Federer, once apparently invincible on his favourite court, suffered his first defeat since 2002 as his Spanish rival positioned himself as the superior player across all surfaces.

And by mid-August the world rankings reflected that, with Federer demoted to second place behind the Spaniard.

But Federer will return to the top now, and once again we seem set for a thrilling battle for supremacy between the great rivals this summer.

It was in Paris last month 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.

That first French Open title brought Federer level with Sampras on 14 slams, and made him only the sixth man to triumph in Paris, at the US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon - after Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi.

Agassi said: "It ends the discussion of where he fits in the history of the game.

"This is going to mean so much to him, to have that hole filled. I think it will change his life."

If such issues were not subjective and could be determined simply by statistics, Federer could now be officially crowned the greatest of all time.

But many will make a case for Laver, the Australian who won 11 slams and would surely have had more between 1963 and 1967, when, after turning professional at the peak of his career, he was barred from entering the four majors, which only admitted amateur players. In 1969, a year after the rules changed, Laver achieved a clean sweep.

Sampras, asked who is the greatest, went for Federer on Sunday. "I think he is," the American said.

Following his Wimbledon setback in 2008, Federer suffered a run of poor results and it was not until the US Open that his confidence was restored. In New York, in September, he dashed Andy Murray's hopes of a first Grand Slam by overwhelming the Briton. Nadal had slumped to Murray in the semi-finals.

There was another devastating five-set defeat by Nadal to come at the Australian Open at the start of this year, when Federer was reduced to tears, saying during an emotional post-match speech: "God, this is killing me."

Agassi later suggested Nadal could win all four majors in 2009, and it was hard to contest that. The Melbourne victory was a fifth in succession for Nadal against Federer.

Federer married former tennis professional Mirka Vavrinec in April of this year, and will become a father soon.

And in May he hit a hot streak on clay, landing the Madrid Masters Series title before heading to Paris for the French Open. When Robin Soderling eliminated Nadal, who was seeking a fifth successive Roland Garros title, the door opened for Federer and he crushed Soderling in the final.

The loss of the injured Nadal from Wimbledon this year denied Federer the chance to exact revenge for last year.

It was suggested, cruelly, this should be considered the 'asterisk Wimbledon', to recognise Nadal's absence.

But Federer was at his imperious best on his march to the final, producing the form that brought him his five previous slams on the grass courts, and it was only when he met an inspired Roddick that the problems began.

He was lauded by Laver this morning but even Laver would have been unnerved by the 140mph bullet serves Roddick was firing at the body of Federer.

There was scant opportunity for Federer to produce anything beyond the routine against Roddick, however, he would probably admit he was below his very best.

Watching Federer on Centre Court can be one of sport's thrilling experiences. The elegance of his game, and the way he can make 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.

But in title matches it is a case of getting the job done, and Federer eventually made sure of a 15th triumph in 20 Grand Slam finals, ensuring Nadal remains the only man to have beaten him on the biggest stage.

And his reaction - "I want to keep enjoying tennis for many more years so I hope to come back here and play some good tennis in the future" - means more majors are surely on their way.