For a man who was won 16 previous Grand Slam title, the seventeenth one was quite special as he displaced all his critics. Roger Federer said that, that win on Centre Court was a process and not a one off win.

The Swiss ace had now gone two and a half years without winning a major, and even the most relentless of fans had their doubts as he struggled past Julien Benneteau in the third round.

As he defied odds and overcame a highly motivated Andy Murray and thousands in the crowd, Federer also reclaimed the World No.1 ranking. His ascension will bring him level with Pete Sampras for the most weeks as World No. 1 with 286. The now 7-time Wimbledon champion believes that it was amalgamation of highs and lows, including a crushing defeat against Novak Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals last year that enabled him to reclaim the top spot.

“I think it was a time where I just had to believe that things were going to turn around for me, and not just naturally, but work at something,” said Federer. “This is where I did take a long break off… Because I played a lot of tennis, good tennis, but I wanted to win titles, not just lose in the [quarter-finals] and [semi-finals].

“I think when I came back to Basel, which was a home tournament, things obviously changed for me to winning ways again, I would believe. Then the confidence rose as I went to Paris and also to London. I think this is when I realised a lot is possible in 2012.”