• Chris Wilkinson

Resurgent Rafa one step away from greatness

Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon title was his eighth Grand Slam © Getty Images

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What a great couple of weeks. I think we have just been treated to one of the best Wimbledon tournaments in recent memory.

The weather was fantastic, and from the first ball there were some great stories - Roger Federer nearly lost in the first round, Rafael Nadal had a couple of scares, and then there was the epic match between Nicolas Mahut and John Isner. Obviously it was difficult for the final to live up to the last couple of years with Nadal knocking Federer off his throne in 2008 and then Federer beating Roddick last year, but I think the men's tournament was outstanding.

Rafa's resurgence has been great for the game. He is playing better than ever - his serve has improved and he is hitting his forehands harder. He is a great champion. I was at the Champions' Dinner last night and he attracted all the attention when walked in. He's a very popular guy and he's happy to talk to the media - he's a great ambassador for the sport.

He didn't have any points to defend from last year so he has shot ahead now; he is miles ahead of everyone else. He has got nearly 11,000 points, nearly 4000 ahead of Djokovic at No. 2. I don't see why he can't now go on and complete his career Grand Slam at the US Open - he is playing well and he will be the man to beat. It's the only major he hasn't won, and if he can win there he can be considered an all-time great.

I've said it before but the important thing is for Nadal is to tone down his schedule and make sure he doesn't overdo it. It's all about peaking at the right time, and if he can stay fit he is going to be the dominant force in the men's game for some time to come.

The beginning of the end
Federer is struggling at the moment, and I really can't see him returning to No. 1 now. When Nadal beat Federer at Wimbledon in 2008 and took over as world No. 1 we all said Federer was finished but he fought his way and proved us all wrong.

But the difference between now and two years ago is that he has lost that aura in the locker room - he is no longer invincible and players go onto the court believing they can beat him. Even when he was struggling he was still winning tournaments, but his record since the Australian Open is poor and I really think this is just the beginning of the slide for Fed.

Murray back on track
Murray's return to form coincided with a return to Wimbledon, and I don't think that's a coincidence. He hasn't really been playing very well since the Australian Open, but the British crowd got him fired up and it really showed in his game and he played better than he has done in months.

Andy Murray enjoyed an impressive run to the semi-finals © Getty Images

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It will be interesting to see how Murray kicks on from here. How he responds in the next six to eight weeks is crucial. He had a difficult time after making the final in Australia, but now we are heading into the American hard-court season, which is Murray's strongest surface.

Murray was a little bit unlucky with the draw - if Nadal had been the top seed he may have had a better chance of reaching the final, but to win a Grand Slam you have to beat the best and you have to be able to beat players like Federer and Nadal on the big stage.

It was disappointing from the ladies' point of view, I think the tournament never really got going. Serena Williams winning was all a bit predictable in the end. When Justine Henin met Kim Clijsters in the fourth round you felt that the winner of that match would go through and challenge Serena, but in the end the final was a bit of a mismatch.

A glimmer of hope
It's great that we had a British pair win in the boy's doubles, and Laura Robson and Oliver Golding in the singles, but I think people are reading too much into it. The most important thing is what you do when you become a senior.

All the papers are waxing lyrical about our two British champions, but if you go back to the 90s when Martin Lee and James Trotman won the boys' doubles at Wimbledon they were expected to make waves on the men's tour, but they never lived up to the expectation. We have had plenty of junior Grand Slam champions over the years, but it doesn't paste over the fact that British tennis isn't in a good state.

The depth just isn't there - there wasn't a single Englishman in the men's draw - Murray and Jamie Baker are both Scottish - it's really not good enough.

Chris Wilkinson is a former British No. 1

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