Even stranger is the fact that Lleyton Hewitt, his conqueror in the ATP Tour event final in Halle, Germany, had been Federer’s rabbit to such an extent that the Australian had lost in their fifteen previous meetings.

The 29-year-old Hewitt — the 2002 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Champion — defeated Roger Federer, adding the great Swiss to the list of glitterati in men’s tennis who have suffered setbacks ahead of converging on London SW19.

The World Number One, Rafael Nadal, lost his quarterfinal at the Queen’s Club in London to fellow Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez.

Nadal was joined by Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick as Queen’s Club casualties in what must be seen as an imperfect week of preparation for Wimbledon. And now Federer has lost a title which he has won each of the last five times he entered at Halle.

Hewitt joins Nadal as the only man to have beaten the Swiss on grass since Croatia’s Mario Ancic in 2002 at the All England Club.

Nadal’s defeat to Feliciano Lopez ended his run of 24 wins in a row. It also ended his 14-match unbeaten run on grass.

So who do the defeats hurt most?

Federer will have winced at Roland Garros, not just because he lost in the quarterfinals to Robin Soderling, but with Nadal triumphing for a fifth Roland Garros title, the Spaniard regained his World number one spot. And Federer likes being number one. The number two tag does not suit his persona or his Rolex sponsorship.

Federer’s defeat on the clay in Paris, on the back of a woeful clay court season, meant that he lost his record of making the semifinals or better in 23 consecutive Grand Slams. It is another microscopic fracture in his aura, but that is something which is automatically reinforced the moment he walks through the gates at Wimbledon.

After all, Federer is the man who has won more Grand Slam titles than anyone else — sixteen of them, six at Wimbledon and he is the defending champion. But it is also true to say that Federer, for all his wonderful dominance performed with such grace and aesthetic agility, is something of a paradox.

Even his most ardent fans are at a loss to explain how lesser mortals on a tennis court can go out there and beat him. Nadal though, is a special case, and his record against Federer stands at 14 wins to Federer’s 7.

These two are the main protagonists at Wimbledon, being number one and two in the world, and they have contested seven Grand Slam Finals, of which Nadal has won five, three of them in Paris, the incredible 2008 Wimbledon Final and the 2009 Australian Open.

Federer leads Nadal two wins to one on grass, both of them Wimbledon Finals.

Federer’s win-loss against Andy Roddick stands at 19-2.

But there is no doubt that Federer’s rivals are getting closer to him.

Britain’s number one, Andy Murray, also holds an advantageous win-loss record against the Swiss, standing at 6-5 in favor of the Scot.

Murray has an impressive record against Roddick (6-3), Juan Martin del Potro (5-1), Nicolay Davydenko (5-4), but he is down against Nadal (3-7) and Djokovic (3-4). The British crowds will once again expect great deeds from their number one player.

The final factor could well have the final word — the British weather. Center Court does have its roof and that does confer a distinct advantage for those lucky enough to play on the hallowed turf, but for those on the outside courts, it could be a tougher proposition.

For another year at least, the main players on center stage will be Federer, Nadal and the Williams
sisters. Center Court favors the great champions that these four players all are…but strange things are happening in the world of professional tennis.

Catch presenter Alan Wilkins with tennis expert Vijay Amritraj on STAR Sports coverage of the Wimbledon, starting on June 21.

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