Roger Federer: The Lessons and Significance of His Wimbledon 2012 Win

By now, it is common knowledge that Roger Federer finally broke his almost 24-month wait for a Grand Slam title. In doing so, he equaled Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon title wins, will surpass the American's record number of weeks at No. 1 in the rankings and has now bettered Sampras' previous record of 14 Grand Slam titles by three.

Surprisingly, Federer was many people's pick for the title, and the Swiss national didn't disappoint. In a final that seemed likely to be Andy Murray's date with destiny, especially with the Scot winning the first set, Federer fought back to claim the title.

Significance

1. Federer equals Pete Sampras' Wimbledon title haul, will equal and better Sampras' record number of weeks at No. 1 and has put further distance between himself and the chasing pack in the Grand Slam title stakes.

2. If the trend from the last few tournaments holds and if the rankings stay as they are, the next few draws will pit Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the same half, with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the other half.

3. Is Ivan Lendl another final loss away from failure?

4. Rafael Nadal will need a groundbreaking next 12 months to have any realistic hopes of catching Federer's Grand Slam record.

Lessons

1. Federer's run to the No. 1 ranking was built mainly on his post-US Open performances last year. As such, if Djokovic or Nadal are to trouble Federer—who usually comes into his own during this stage of the season—they will need to make the most of this year's close season.

2. Federer's Wimbledon win reinforced his supremacy when playing indoors, and if the Olympics are washed-out, Federer would be the best bet for gold.

3. Seems like it is open season once again on Novak Djokovic.

Wimbledon 2012 was as much a story of missed opportunities as it was one of taken opportunities. For all we know, 17 could be just that one step too far for the rest of mankind. For all we know, it is the first step of many into the unknown.

Congratulations, Roger Federer.