Crash of the Titan- Now Federer may never win it again

The King of Wimbledon may not be dead but, for 12 months at least, he has been overthrown.

And with a gaggle of aspiring heirs apparent snapping in line - yesterday's conquering hero Tomas Berdych for one - Roger Federer may never regain his crown.

At 28, with 16 Grand Slam titles and oneyear- old twin daughters tugging him in different directions, time is not on his side.
There was nothing final about his departure. Head down, disappointed almost to the point of grief, he packed his bags and waited politely for his opponent. It was much more dutiful and respectful, it has to be said, than his subsequent claims about injury and bad fortune.
Federer is a classy individual, a sportsman of whom tennis is rightly proud. There was nothing classy about these remarks. Only the previous day Venus Williams said in the wake of her own shock defeat: 'I never talk about injuries.'

Only at the point of exit did Federer raise his left arm to acknowledge his beloved Centre Court crowd and turn 360 degrees. The roar reflected their affection. But his return in 2011 will be less likely to herald a triumphant march towards another final and a recordequalling seventh title. Nine years ago, that other Wimbledon legend Pete Sampras lost a fifth set 7-5 in the fourth round on the same court against a young pretender called Federer to end a 31-match winning streak at The Championships having secured seven singles titles. He never won an eighth.

There was an echo of that landmark occasion yesterday, just a hint of the end of an era if not the passing of a baton. Although there is no suggestion that Berdych can come close to the astonishing achievements of Federer, there are enough young sluggers around to combine to block the Swiss in his quest to match and then surpass Sampras.

Not that Federer would entertain any negative thoughts about his future at the event he relishes most and on the court he has come to cherish above all other arenas. 'God, I can't wait for Paris and Wimbledon to come round again,' he said in defeat. 'They have been frustrating tournaments for me. Quarters is a decent result. People think quarters is shocking but people would die to play in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.'

But Federer is not people and, in any case, he provided his own counterpoint. 'It is not something I am used to doing, losing in quarterfinals. It's not something I have done in the last six years.'
That defeat also means Federer will fall outside the top two ranked players in the world. He has not done that for seven years. Further evidence of change.

Federer is having none of it. Asked if he felt he could get back to a position of domination, he said: 'Yeah, I do think that. That's why I am here.'

He was here for the opening match as defending champion and he was here, immaculately turned out as usual, for the visit of the Queen. But he will not be here on Sunday for the final for the first time since 2002, when Andy Murray was 15.

Whether Berdych can improve on his first Grand Slam semi-final in Paris remains to be seen. He has the power to beat Novak Djokovic. That's what did for Federer.

The final point was a microcosm of a match Berdych controlled for all but one service game in the second set: a booming 138mph serve and a bruising forehand winner which Federer never laid a racket on. The Swiss would be forgiven for having nightmares about the Berdych forehand and balls flying past him, to the port and starboard. Berdych is not the first big, flat hitter to have troubled Federer. So, is there a weakness there? Will he have to modify his game?
'Well, if I'm healthy I can handle these guys,' Federer said. He had beaten Berdych on eight of their previous 10 meetings, though one of the defeats came in Miami a few months ago. Berdych learned from that, principally in maintaining an aggressive approach.

'I think he went after it,' Federer said. 'That's the way he plays. He has been more consistent last year. I was just not able to defend well enough and I didn't come up with the good stuff when I had to.'

The winners flowed from the racket of Berdych as errors ebbed in the other direction. When have you ever heard of Federer losing a set 6-1, as he did in the third? Nerves had taken over Berdych in the past. But not here. He is older, more experienced, more mature.

He fully deserved a moment of victory which he greeted with disarming disbelief. 'Not many moments can be comparing to this, to standing on Centre Court here, beating the six-time champion. Yeah, it couldn't be, I would say, better.'

Then he had an afterthought. Victory tomorrow would be better - and on Sunday better still.