Federer on top of the world again

Roger Federer has ended his two-and-a-half year wait for grand slam glory
9 July 2012

Roger Federer never stopped believing that he would be a grand slam winner again and on Sunday night he was back on top of the tennis world.

The Swiss great ended the hopes of Britain's Andy Murray in an enthralling Wimbledon final under the Centre Court roof, winning 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 to join his idol Pete Sampras with seven titles at the All England Club.

With two and a half years having passed since Federer's last slam title, he reflected on the barren spell, saying: "I see it more as a stepping stone, a period I had to go through as well. To win 90 per cent of my matches throughout the year is impossible every single year. So you're always going to go through ups and downs."

Sunday's triumph saw him claim a 17th grand slam title overall, moving him three clear of Sampras, and he has now officially taken over from Novak Djokovic as world number one for the first time having last been at the top heading into the French Open in May 2010.

It will be Federer's 286th week on top of the rankings, matching Sampras' record, and he is guaranteed to surpass that mark next Monday.

He added: "I knew how close I was for the last few years, and some people didn't quite see that maybe for different reasons. But I knew and I think the belief got me to victory."

Federer has endured some tough losses since his Australian Open victory in 2010, being defeated by Djokovic from match point up in consecutive US Open semi-finals and losing to Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the last two Wimbledons.

He revealed those defeats played a part in his approach on Sunday, saying: "This one hasn't quite sunk in yet for some reason. I guess I was trying to be so focused in the moment itself that when it all happened I was just so happy that it was all over and that the pressure was gone.

"I guess that came due to the tough loss I had against Tsonga here last year, and the US Open as well. I really almost didn't try to picture myself with the trophy or try to think too far ahead.

"There was so much on the line, so I didn't try to think of the world number one ranking or the seventh Wimbledon or the 17th title. I think, for a change, it's going to take much longer to understand what I was able to achieve. It was crazy how it all happened under the circumstances. I played terrific."

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