After a Wimbledon splattered by the weather and hardly brimful of memorable encounters, a men’s final of the very highest quality was required. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal conspired to produce an encounter that can be cherished in the memory for decades to come.

Never in his Wimbledon run as a champion that now stretches to five successive titles has Roger Federer found his game so severely tested. Never again can anyone question Nadal’s aptitude to transfer his clay court game onto grass and surely the young Spaniard will one day savour the feeling of lifting that famous golden trophy on high.

However once again it was Federer who came through in the most crucial moments of the fifth set to win 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 and equal Bjorn Borg’s record that has stood for more than a quarter of century. And the predominant reason the Swiss prevailed in the most gripping final since Goran Ivanisevic overcame Patrick Rafter in 2001 was his supreme serving ability.

Twice in the final set Federer stood desperately threatened by the young Spaniard at 15-40. Three of the break points were averted by service winners as the champion’s nerve held so admirably. And once he had broken the Nadal serve in such stunning fashion, Federer moved in for the kill with a morale thumping last service game that included three clean aces and took his total for the match to 24. Compare that figure to the solitary ace unleashed by Nadal throughout the encounter that lasted three and three-quarter hours.

Throughout the tournament Federer’s serving has been exemplary. Going into the final he had won 81 per cent of the serves on his first service and the average only dropped minimally against an opponent that had previously beaten him in eight of their 12 encounters. Increasingly it is harder to find a dividing line between the brilliance of these two marvellously gifted players but so long as Federer serves like this he will have an advantage on the faster surfaces.

Right from the outset of the final, when Federer drove his opening ace down the centre of the court, it was clear that his delivery was always going to be one of strong suits. And regularly throughout the match it came to his rescue when Nadal upped the pressure although the Spaniard’s willingness to take risks and play in a more aggressive nature meant he was always in with a chance. But in the third set tie-break a timely ace and service winner put the champion into an unassailable position.

Whether Nadal’s knee injury which required lengthy treatment in the midst of the fourth set was crucial to his demise, only the runner-up will truly know. Afterwards he was insistent it did not matter and lamented the fact that he was not able to capitalise on his opportunities.

Conclusions that can be taken from the match are of course that Federer now looks even more of a certainty to soon overtake Pete Sampras as the holder of the most grand-slam trophies. He is now just three short of the American’s best ever mark of 14 but Nadal is guaranteed to deny him plenty of the prizes he cherishes.

The rivalry between the pair becomes ever more engrossing with each major they play and although Nadal clearly maintains the upperhand on clay with Federer the more dominant on grass, the gap is closing. Now they will again switch to the neutral ground of American cement and the outcome should be fascinating.