Synonym for Otherworldly: Roger Federer. Synonym for freaking brilliant: Roger Federer. Synonym for masterful: Roger Federer. Synonym for sublime: Roger Federer. One word synonym for "the man born to play the game of tennis": Roger Federer.
Words, adjectives in any language will not be able to paint the perfect picture of the brilliance of this man. The man who, after a major surgery, came back and won two of the first three Grand Slams of the year. The man who continues to defy logic on a tennis court and the man who continues to break records every time he steps onto one of them.
Once Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all left the Wimbledon 2017 stage, there wasn't even the slightest of doubts over who was going to win the title; not even the slightest.
When Federer moved into the final of his favourite Grand Slam, not even Marin Cilic, even with a blisterless foot, was going to be able to stop the man from Basel.
The outcome of the final was as set-in-stone as strawberries and cream being the bestseller at these Wimbledon Championships. Federer was going to win the Wimbledon title, and there wasn't anything anyone was going to be able to do to stop it.
And the manner in which he won the title was even more impressive.
Over the seven matches, Federer did not drop a single set, and while he did end up getting a kind draw as opponents fell by the wayside, the fact that, at nearly 36 years old – he turns 36 in August – the former world number one was able to produce such insane levels of tennis, of the "everyone shake their heads in disbelief at the brilliance of the man" kind, is something to be marvelled at.
These two Grand Slam wins, Federer's 18th and 19th – the next closest is Nadal at 15 – has to end that greatest ever conversation.
It cannot be Nadal or Djokovic anymore; nor Pete Sampras or Bjorn Borg or Rod Laver or anyone else.
The greatest ever is Roger Federer.
All those first few majors he won when Sampras and Agassi had retired and Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray hadn't come into the picture yet cannot be used anymore as a stick to beat him with in the greatest ever conversation.
Federer isn't just a flat-track bully. It isn't his fault that he only had to get past the likes of Mark Philippousis, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, Marcos Baghdatis and Fernando Gonzalez in his first few Grand Slam wins.
Even if Nadal, Djokovic and Murray had been at their peak, Federer would have had 15 and more Grand Slam titles, you just know he would.
Great players always find a way to win, and after missing the last six months of 2016, Federer has found his mojo again. His smartest decision was to skip the clay-court season, because there was only ever going to be one winner at the French Open.
Rejuvenated, well rested and full of determination, Federer came into this Wimbledon with both eyes firmly on the prize. And as Nadal, Djokovic and Murray broke down, Federer went into top gear, playing the kind of relentless, flawless glide-full tennis that makes him look like a magician on court.
Sunday was just the culmination of what looked inevitable two weeks ago, and now it is onto the US Open and a 20th Grand Slam title.
