• What the Deuce

Groundhog Day for tennis' great rivalry

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer's rivalry may be coming to an end © Getty Images

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While his three-set victory over Tomas Berdych will not go down in history as one of the greatest Wimbledon finals of all time (which the previous two men's finals can arguably lay claim to), Rafael Nadal took another step towards greatness on Sunday.

In many ways it felt like déjà-vu. That legendary final back in 2008 when Nadal unseated Roger Federer from his Wimbledon throne, subjecting him to his first defeat in six years at the All England Club before going on to deprive him of the world No. 1 status for the first time in four years.

It was hailed as a historic day - a changing of the guard; the young, ferocious Spaniard with the bulging biceps and taking over from the graceful, serene Swiss.

Federer's days were numbered; his reign at the top of the men's game had come to an end. At 27, he didn't have the strength or the power to contend with the young big hitters coming through.

And yet, just a year later, Federer defied the odds, winning the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam. Four Grand Slam titles later (2008 US Open, 2009 French Open, Wimbledon 2009 and 2010 Australian Open - a Grand Slam in its own right), and we have come full circle.

But this time, perhaps it is for real. After producing one of the performances of his career to deny Andy Murray his maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne, Federer has lost his mojo.

Once upon a time, the Swiss would walk onto a court knowing the outcome of his match. He had the swagger of a man who knew he couldn't lose. And his opponents knew that too. Putting it simply, Federer is no longer invincible.

Between them Federer and Nadal have given us one of the greatest sporting rivalries - like McEnroe and Borg, Agassi and Sampras; like Torvill and Dean, the names Roger and Rafa will be forever associated.

Nadal has won 31 of his last 32 matches © Getty Images

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Should Federer's extraordinary reign at the top of the men's game be coming to an end, the great man will leave an enormous void.

If there is little danger of Federer returning to reignite his rivalry with Rafa, the danger is that Nadal is unchallenged at the top of the pile. After missing out on the grass court season last year with injury, the Spaniard is picking up ranking points for fun. Already on 10,745 points, Nadal is nearly 4000 points ahead of the new world No. 2 Novak Djokovic.

Now it is time for the young pretenders to step up and challenge the established order, like Nadal did to Federer. Murray and Djokovic have been in the top five for the last couple of years, and while Djokovic has a Slam to his name (2008 Australian Open), Murray's quest continues.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga showed his potential when he reached the final at the Australian Open last year; Juan Martin del Potro burst onto the scene with his US Open victory and the latest man to show his potential was Berdych.

But if none of these players can crack the code and find a way of beating Nadal, the Spaniard may find his only challenge being an inherently more personal one.

"I expect to play my best on every point and fight for every point like it is the last one. I don't think if the match is going to be difficult. I just go on court and fight point by point," Nadal said after his victory on Sunday.

When Nadal steps onto a tennis court, he plays in the only way he knows how. With intensity and passion, his greatest challenge over the coming months will be to stay fit. Perhaps the one obstacle to Nadal becoming the greatest player could be his troublesome knees.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.