Roger Federer has a chance to pull away from Pete Sampras and become arguably the best player ever. Can he do it?
If Federer felt his surprise victory at the French Open was fate, breaking Pete Sampras' grand slam record at Wimbledon would surely make it the best month of his life.
The 27-year-old's three-set win over Robin Soderling at Roland Garros not only saw him finally complete his set of slams but also took his overall total to 14, the same as Sampras.
The American, of course, never managed to win on the Paris clay but his dominance at Wimbledon was rarely threatened.
Federer took over the mantle as the king of SW19, winning five years in a row from 2003 to 2007, and a sixth title would surely secure his position as the best player of all time.
The statistics certainly support Federer - most consecutive weeks ranked number one, most back-to-back titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open in the Open era, longest winning run on grass, most consecutive grand slam finals and semi-finals - and he is only the sixth man after Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, Don Budge, Rod Laver and Andre Agassi to win all four slams.
He certainly did not hide his delight at clinching his first French Open title after three final defeats at the hands of great rival Rafael Nadal, dropping to his knees in tears as Soderling netted a return.
"I do feel like it was meant to be," said the world number two after getting his hands on the trophy he craved most.
"I was in desperate situations this tournament. It was an emotional rollercoaster for me."
The fact he did not have to beat four-time champion Nadal - stunningly defeated by Soderling in the fourth round - may diminish his achievement in the eyes of some, but he was certainly pushed all the way.
Three times he seemed to be in deep trouble - against Jose Acasuso in round two, Tommy Haas in the fourth round and Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals - but his belief never wavered.
And while trophy number 59 of his illustrious career was arguably the most important, number 58 may just have been the one that really turned his fortunes around.
As a distraught Federer watched Nadal lift the Australian Open trophy in January having imploded in the fifth set, the chances of him breaking the Spaniard's stranglehold in Paris seemed slimmer than ever.
The following months brought more disappointment and it was not until the Madrid Open, two weeks before Roland Garros, that Federer picked up his first title of the year, beating Nadal in the final and ending his hopes of a clay clean sweep.
Yes, the world number one was tired after an epic semi-final against Novak Djokovic and below his best, but the confidence Federer gained from his first win over his nemesis in 18 months was clear for all to see.
He took that into the French Open and will surely be more buoyant than ever at SW19, the pressure of winning that 14th slam having been lifted from his shoulders.
Wimbledon was where it all started for Federer back in 2003 but it was also the scene of one of his most painful defeats when Nadal took away his crown 12 months ago after possibly the greatest match of all time.
The Spaniard would surely have been favourite to retain the title before the incredible events of the last fortnight in Paris.
He will be desperate to get his season back on track, while Djokovic and home favourite Andy Murray are also likely to have a say, but the force behind Federer may well be an irresistible one.
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