Roger Federer stakes his claim to being the greatest

After eclipsing Pete Sampras's record by winning a 15th grand slam, the sport is preparing for the Swiss master to set a new all-time target that may never be bettered.

Federer, who is 27, has time to win 20 slams, something considered unthinkable not so long ago and the figures add up to a strong argument to put this wonderful athlete at the very pinnacle of current sporting icons.

His domination of tennis has come at a time of fierce competition from superstars including Sampras, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal and has required the world No1 to produce his very best on grass, clay and hard courts in all kinds of weather without the help of fervent home support to help him through the bad times as Switzerland doesn't stage a major tournament.

Federer's drive to be the very best in the world comes from within and his most recent triumphs have been achieved without the need for a full-time coach. He prefers to use the experience gained over his professional career to formulate strategy and he takes great heart from the input and support of wife Mirka, who is expecting the couple's first child.

Men like his friend Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps are vying for the title of the "greatest" and Federer's domination of tennis is such that he warrants serious consideration as the best.

By defeating Roddick 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 to claim a sixth triumph in SW19, Federer added the Wimbledon crown to the US Open and French Open titles he already holds. Federer also regained his coveted No1 ranking, although he is only too aware that this was due to the knee injuries that kept Nadal away from Wimbledon.

The Swiss held the top spot for 237 consecutive weeks until last August and Nadal took over until those suspect knees left him exposed a remarkable charge from his arch rival. In terms of games played, it was the longest men's grand slam final in history - the 77 games beating the previous record of 71 at the 1927 Australian Open.

The final set was the longest in terms of time as well, and Federer served 50 aces in the match - 22 in the final set - to beat his previous all-time best in a match which stood at 39.

Roddick, one of the most destructive servers in the history of tennis, had used this weapon to end Andy Murray's Wimbledon dream in the semi-finals and it was his seemingly tireless right arm that had Federer in all kinds of trouble.

Roddick reached a high of 143 mph in the final but his 27 aces were dwarfed by Federer's total.

Serving excellence was the key to Pete Sampras's reign at the top of the game and when he won his 14th slam, the mark appeared untouchable. Having the American at courtside only increased the pressure on Federer, who struggled to handle the power Roddick was directing his way with that famed serve and more consistent groundstrokes.

In previous Wimbledon attempts, Roddick's suspect back hand had let him down but, thanks to the help of new coach Larry Stefanki, that shot proved to be a reliable asset as Federer was made to look flustered before he finally claimed victory after 4hrs 17mins on Centre Court.

Federer said: "It was a bit special to have Pete there and when he walked in and I saw him for the first time, I did get more nervous.

"He promised me a long time ago he would be there and had hoped it was maybe going to be in New York so it's closest to him. He said maybe not Australia if possible. But I always knew he would keep his word.

"It's staggering that I've been able to play so well for so many years and stay injury-free and it's crazy that I've been able to win so many in such a short period of time. It was difficult because I thought Andy played great.

"It was frustrating at times because I couldn't break Andy until the very end, so the satisfaction is maybe bigger this time around to come through because I couldn't control the match at all. The second set was obviously key to what came after."

Federer has beaten Roddick three times in Wimbledon finals and the American had to hold his serve 10 times in succession during the final set to stay in the match. The statistics of the contest showed there were 187 unreturned serves delivered by both men, highlighting the intensity of the action over such a long period.

"Tennis is cruel sometimes," added Federer. "I had to play my very best to come through."

Roddick will attempt to gain revenge in New York, where he has tasted slam success, and said: "I did give myself that opportunity - I gave myself a look. Roger just makes it real tough."