"This is a disaster, Paris was nothing in comparison," said the 12-times grand slam champion, who had hoped to close in on Pete Sampras's overall record of 14 major titles.

With the Swiss now a month shy of turning 27, Sunday's defeat would almost certainly have ended his dreams of emulating William Renshaw's 1880s record of six Wimbledon titles in a row.

Twenty-seven years after a left-handed John McEnroe wrecked Borg's hopes of landing six in a row, Federer's dreams were scuppered by another left-hander.

Nadal had stepped out for his third All England Club final knowing the numbers were clearly stacked against him.

The Spaniard had captured one title on grass, Federer's total stood at 10.

Nadal had a 30-7 win-loss record on grass, the Swiss's was a far more impressive 81-11.

No one had been able to beat Federer on his favourite turf for 65 matches.

However, Nadal also knew that he was capable of tearing apart the Swiss's game plan, as he had done in the Paris final just four Sundays ago when Federer had bagged only four games.

As Federer struggled with the gusting conditions, Nadal leapt in the air administering his crackling top spin, hammering the ball relentlessly into the corners and stretching his opponent to the limit.

Nampa-Reuters

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