2010 Wimbledon: Roger Federer's Near Defeat Blown Out of Proportion

We all know that almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

So sorry, Alejandro Falla, your near-upset of Roger Federer won't have its place in history forever.

In fact, should Federer win Wimbledon, or even come close, people will forget all about this match.

ESPN decided that because of Federer's comeback, they would count down the best comebacks in the history of sports on SportsCenter.

Honestly, coming back from down two sets is impressive, but considering the difference in ranking between these two players, it's hardly surprising Federer rallied to win three straight sets.

Yes, Federer saw the match flash before his eyes. But newsflash: The world's best player does pretty well in pressure situations. He's no different from Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, or other superstars who time and time again rise to the occasion when they need to most.

The first two sets Federer dropped were close as well. Losing 5-7 and 4-6 is ultimately no different from 0-6, 0-6.

Yet the fact that Falla was playing his best, while Federer was playing his worst, and the scores were still that close, showed Federer was poised to make a comeback.

Some see this opening-round test as a sign of weakness from the player who has been atop the men's tennis world for so long. It may show that he's human, but it doesn't mean he is vulnerable.

Federer has been like a machine in the past. Everything he did was so accurate, so calculated, that it appeared he could not be broken.

That was not the case Monday, when he made uncharacteristic errors that did nearly end his Wimbledon run far too early.

But he corrected those problems in time. And now that he has played his worst, he can only play better.

We've already seen some of the top contenders in the World Cup suffer surprising defeats or draws. But in the end, they are likely to be among the final few teams standing.

Same with Federer. Better to play poorly against an opponent he could handle on an off-day, than against a top-10 player who would make him look silly.

Of course, not as silly as thinking this was a great comeback. This was the best player letting his guard down and not coming out ready to play, and making the necessary adjustments to refocus and get the win.

Federer is not falling anytime soon.