The end of a supreme era

As Roger Federer bowed out of the 2010 Wimbledon quarter-final, the inevitable end to his incredible supremacy in tennis has finally arrived.

During 2008, and especially after his epic loss to Nadal in the 2009 OZ Open final, most of us kind of had the same feeling, and it was a more than a pleasant surprise that he could put this - by his standards - mediocre period behind him, reclaim the Nr. 1 spot and reach the final at all four Grand Slams, winning three of them.

After his Australian Open triumph in January, there was even a realistic chance for a Calendar Slam. During the spring, though, he had been looking a bit out of sorts.

The fact that he came to Roland Garros without any Master Series titles was not alarming in itself, since he doesn't really concentrate on those events anymore, and I would say his quarterfinal loss against Söderling in Paris also didn't come as a huge surprise.

Failing to win his favourite Halle tournament however started to ring some alarm bells, even though Fed admittedly suffered from a leg injury throughout the tournament.

Then came Wimbledon where he barely escaped a first-round defeat against Alejandro Falla who probably played the match of his life. Federer then started to find a bit of form in the later rounds, but completely failed to deliver the right goods against Tomas Berdych in the quarter-final.

He said afterwards that the persistent leg injury, together with a stiff back problem had been troubling him through all his matches, and he was not able to play his game to 100%.

Whatever the reason, with this early defeat on his "living room court", the tennis world has to get used to the fact that King Roger's supreme rule is over.

I think that even though the feeling of becoming "one of the top players" after having been a player in his own class must be terrible for Fed, this new situation might actually benefit him in a way that he no longer must meet the overwhelming expectations on him.

Realistically, his career at the top might last another 2-3 years, and I'm absolutely sure that he will still produce some great tennis, and possibly even win a few more Grand Slams. But it will be more difficult now, as the young, powerful players all know they have a chance to beat him.

We'll see what happens - King Roger has proved many people wrong before and if he can keep fully fit and fully motivated, we could surely be in for more magic from the Master.

However, this magic will have to come from a player in a different, more human role than before.