THE SENTIMENT remained one of respect rather than a lack of empathy but the long-time top 10 player was clear and measured with his words: “Don’t ever feel sorry for Roger because he’s done that to the rest of us for years.”

Seven days on and the memory of the Wimbledon men’s final still promotes rapture, with one notable and obvious exception, in everyone who cares about tennis. Roger Federer, serial champion that he has been, has no time for that historic assertion of Pierre de Coubertin that it is not the winning that matters, but the taking part.

While Rafael Nadal has bathed in his glory, Federer has proved as adept at seclusion as he was in winning five successive Wimbledon finals and 65 consecutive matches on grass until last week. He clearly wanted to disappear as he uttered the words: “Probably later on in life, I’ll say that was a great match, but right now it’s not much of a feel-good thing.”

The world No 1 is due to return this week in Dubai, where temperatures are predicted to peak at 109F (43C). Then he and Nadal will compete in eight days when the year’s sixth Masters Series event begins in Toronto. After that it is on to Cincinnati - and then the chance to fulfil an ambition prominent in Federer’s mind.

When the International Tennis Federation’s late president Philippe Chatrier secured the return of tennis to the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988 there was much resistance, with critics maintaining the winning of gold should be the pinnacle of any contested sport. Neither Chatrier nor anybody else could deny that the trophies at Roland Garros and Wimbledon would hold that position of eminence in tennis.

But Federer has long cherished the prospect of having a gold medal hung around his neck and turning to see the Swiss flag. On August 8 he will celebrate his 27th birthday as the Beijing Olympics begin. Almost a year ago, as he celebrated the most recent of his 12 Grand Slam final victories in New York, he was quick to point out that the prospect of emulating fellow Swiss Marc Rosset (men’s singles 1992 gold medallist in Barcelona) was equal to anything on his list of ambitions for 2008.

“For many reasons, aside from just the sheer thing of getting a gold medal, the Olympics are something I want to win,” he said. “Maybe some players and fans need more convincing that the Olympics is big for tennis but for me it is already.”

The outcome in Toronto and Cincinnati, the latter won most recently by Federer, is likely to determine who will be top seed in Beijing, where the court will be of the same composition used at the US Open. Federer’s lead at the top of the world rankings is down to 545 points but history and fitness issues favour him. The look of excruciating pain on Nadal’s face as he fell in the fourth round of last year’s US Open sticks in the memory. American cement, the most unforgiving of tennis surfaces, tests the resilience of those suspect knee tendons which require precautionary taping before every match.

Apart from American James Blake, Nadal has not beaten a leading player on an outdoor hard court since overcoming Andy Roddick and then a still emerging Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells nearly 18 months ago. Since then the knees have become more of an issue and he had an MRI scan during Wimbledon, where he fell against Mikhail Youzhny and then against Federer in the final. Djokovic, Australian Open champion, certainly the most consistent player on hard court over the last 12 months and rested after his early Wimbledon exit, will also be a contender.

But if anyone should have the last word it is probably Pete Sampras, who won seven Wimbledon titles in eight years. “Can anybody say Roger's fallen off the pace, or that his game has holes in it?” asked Sampras. “No way. He's right there, ready to strike, and he will, given the opportunity."

Five classic Wimbledon finals

Pat Cash has seen a few Wimbledon finals in his time, but where does last week’s classic figure in his list?

2008: RAFAEL NADAL v ROGER FEDERER Last Sunday, as darkness fell on Centre Court and Rafael Nadal held the trophy on high, there was sheer euphoria. Everybody agreed they had just seen the greatest match ever. A week on we can all think a little more clearly, but for me, the feeling is still the same. Nadal’s 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7 win had everything and I don’t expect to see anything so fantastic again

1980: BJORN BORG v JOHN McENROE I was just 15 when this match took place, but I have since become pretty familiar with another classic contest between two men who were complete opposites as players and individuals. It was wooden rackets and from 5-5 onwards in the fourth-set tie-break, every other point was either a match point or a set point. Now 28 years on, Borg’s 1-6 7-5 6-3 6-7 (16-18) 8-6 triumph still makes enthralling viewing

2001: GORAN IVANISEVIC v PATRICK RAFTER Ivanisevic’s 6-3 3-6 6-3 2-6 9-7 win was both a Wimbledon final and a story that I’ll remember forever. Who could ever forget the atmosphere on Centre Court that Monday morning after people rushed through the turnstiles? As an Aussie I loved those blow-up kangaroos being tossed around the crowd, but destiny dictated it was to be Ivanisevic’s day at the end of a truly unbelievable fortnight

2005: VENUS WILLIAMS v LINDSAY DAVENPORT Women’s tennis never gets me too excited, but Venus Williams is one of the finest athletes ever to pick up a racket. She had been written off after her worst ever run of form, but in the longest ever Wimbledon women’s final (2hrs 45 min) she emerged the 4-6 7-6 9-7 victor to became the first female in 70 years to win the final from match-point down

1984: JOHN McENROE v JIMMY CONNORS Some say McEnroe’s 6-1 6-1 6-2 victory was not a contest but an annihilation, and they would be correct. To me, sitting in the stands after losing to McEnroe in the semi-finals, it was a hugely influential experience. He showed me exactly how to play the game if I ever wanted to win a Grand Slam tournament. The memory stuck for my entire career