Anja Niedringhaus / AP

Roger Federer survived his sternest test yet from Rafael Nadal to win his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title, a victory that Bud Collins of MSNBC.com says was achieved as much on heart as on talent.

Proving the skeptics wrong
Nadal was seeded second, but there were doubters that he could make a second-straight Wimbledon final (he lost last year's title match in four sets to Federer). But not only did he repeat the feat, he did so by enduring a slew of rain delays and postponements over the two weeks. All the rain meant that against Federer Nadal was playing for the seventh straight day. In stark contrast the near-constant wetness resulted in Federer having a six-day layoff during the fortnight.

It was just two years ago that Nadal exited from Wimbledon in the second round. Look at how far he's come so quickly. Amazing, and a credit to his drive and determination to become a top contender on grass. The Spaniard was dead on when he said he was playing much better in London this year than he did last year. He was much better at this Wimbledon -- so much better that he came about as close as one can come to winning the title.

With the impact of all the bad weather there really wasn't a time when Nadal had the opportunity to rejuvenate his body and mind. Yet by far his performance against Federer was Nadal's best match at Wimbledon. He served well, volleyed well, hit excellent groundstrokes, and had magnificent touch on his shots. He played high-percentage tennis. He played precision tennis.

Nadal has unbelievable ability, and he works incredibly hard at bettering his game. The 21-year-old has to be admired for how much his serve has improved. He has more pop on it than in the past. Federer certainly found that out. Nadal can hit a winner from anywhere on the court. Against Federer he was aggressive from the baseline and at the net. He didn't win Wimbledon this year, but he left little doubt this grasscourt major could hail him as king one day in the not-to-distant future.

A rivalry that just keeps getting better
The Federer-Nadal rivalry has come of age. Federer rules on grass -- although anyone can see Nadal is closing fast on that surface. Nadal does the same on clay. Federer owns the rest of those on the men's tour, but not Nadal. Against opponents not named Nadal, the Swiss has a record of 278-12 since 2004. Against Nadal over that same stretch he is 5-8.

This rivalry is great for the sport. It really makes people take notice of tennis. Even casual fans of the game are drawn in. Nadal has had his way with Federer in the last three French Opens. Now Federer has come through this close encounter of a five-set kind on grass at Wimbledon. So these two stars will be feeling pretty competitive for the next few months. They may meet up over the summer, and come the U.S. Open I suspect that Nadal will be after some revenge for his losing in London. If they clash in New York, it will be fireworks long after the Fourth of July.

Federer and Nadal give tennis fans something great to look forward to for not just the rest of this year, but for years to come. Federer has still not captured the French Open -- the only major he has not won. Nadal stands in his way, and as such presents to him the same sort of challenge the Swiss presents to the Spaniard at Wimbledon. One rules on clay, the other on grass. Who will be first to win on the other's most dominant surface?

Federer continues to work hard at his tennis despite playing at a level of greatness. Nadal is still developing his overall game, and as we've seen from him on the grasscourts the past couple of years he's quick on the learning curve. Neither one is coming back to the pack. If anything, they are both moving further ahead of it. That should only fuel their rivalry even more, and tennis will be most fortunate to have these two great players vying to be No. 1 in the world for years to come.

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Gregorio Borgia / AP

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Headlines

• Label

Djokovic, Federer could meet in French SF again

Serena Williams says sister Venus is 'inspiring'

Sharapova ready to take game by storm again

I lost focus after French Open title, says Li

Monfils pulls out of French Open with knee injury

Almagro beats Simon to reach Open de Nice final

Radwanska reaches final of Belgian Open

Schiavone reaches Strasbourg semifinal