Tennis witnesses the passing of another titan today. After more than four years at the top of the tree, Roger Federer, 27, is displaced as the world No1 by Rafael Nadal and the Swiss, before being deposed, paid tribute to his successor, saying that the Spaniard “totally deserves” the ATP top spot.

Speaking after Nadal, 22, added an Olympic singles gold medal yesterday to his Wimbledon title, Federer said of the end of his 237-week reign: “It's fine. Rafa played great to get it. That's what I expected and hoped for many years ago when I got to No1, that if ever somebody were to take it away, he would have to play an incredible tennis schedule, win the biggest tournaments, dominate the game basically, and then like this he can take No1.

“I didn't want it to happen that I would play completely bad and somebody would pick up No1 in the world. So Rafa totally deserves it."

Federer, who won an Olympic doubles gold medal with Stanislas Wawrinka despite a recent dip in form that included a quarter-final singles exit in Beijing, now plans to concentrate on winning another grand-slam title. With 12, he remains two short of the record set by Pete Sampras. His next could come later this month in the US Open at Flushing Meadows, where he has not been beaten for the past four years.

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That Nadal should triumph at the Olympics was only right. He has been the man of the year in his sport and this was his 48th victory in his past 51 matches. His win over Fernando González was founded on the phenomenal speed around the court for which he has become renowned and it is to the Chilean's great credit that the scoreline - 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 - looks so respectable. It could easily have been humiliating.

In fact, González almost sneaked the second set. Using his massive forehand to ever greater effect, he had two set points on the Nadal serve at 5-6, 15-40. González worked the first set point so well that he had an easy backhand volley, but it came at the end of a long rally and drifted wide.

A forehand error on the second set point proved his last chance as Nadal was faultless in the tie-break and was always ahead in the third set, winning in two hours and 22 minutes.

Yet even if González had won the second set, the chances are it might have made little difference. Hard courts have generally been Nadal's weakest surface, but he is playing so well this almost does not matter and he must now be considered favourite for the US Open, which begins a week today. A year in which he wins the French Open, Wimbledon, Olympic gold, US Open and the Davis Cup is not beyond his reach.

“I know in tennis, the grand slams are a little bit more important than here, but you only have one [Olympic] chance every four years,” Nadal said. “When I win here, I feel like I win for all the country. That's more special, I win for a lot of people, not only for me.”

The women's gold went to Elena Dementieva, representing her biggest triumph to date. Her 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Dinara Safina was mildly fortunate as Safina had looked the likelier winner. She had break points at 5-5 in the second set, but then wilted in the twelfth game and never recaptured the momentum. Venus and Serena Williams, of the United States, crushed Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual, of Spain, 6-2, 6-0 to win their second Olympic women's doubles title, after success at Sydney 2000.