Owner of dazzling tennis skills displayed in virtually every possible stroke on a court, Roger Federer has built a historic kingdom. Since ascending to World No. 1 ranking, Federer has held the top spot 229 consecutive weeks.

No one — man or woman — has been able to maintain that privileged place for so long without interruption. But the image of an unbeatable player could vanish in a blink of an eye: Federer’s number one ranking could be at stake at Wimbledon where he will have an enormous burden on his shoulders as he continues his quest to break the Open Era record of five consecutive Wimbledon crowns he shares wtih Bjorn Borg, while holding off the charge of four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal nipping at his heels.

The day after capturing his second career Grand Slam at the Australian Open on February 2nd 2004, Federer took sole ownership of the No. 1 world ranking. Since then, the gap between him and the rest has grown bigger and bigger.

During 2005 the Swiss stylist lost only four of the 85 matches he played, an astonishing achievement that was the best single-season match winning percentage since John McEnroe posted an 82-3 mark in 1984. The following year, Federer finished the season with 8,370 points in his ranking, an eye-popping and unprecedented figure which will definitely stand as a challenge to meet for the next generation. In 2007 he managed to stay at the top but his aura of invincibility over the fastest courts had already begun to evaporate.

Nearly six full months into this season, Federer has claimed two tournament titles: Estoril in April and Halle on Sunday.

During the recent clay-court season a journalist dared to ask the Swiss: "Is this the beginning of the end?" Federer kept silent. But the truth is that a poor performance at Wimbledon might trigger an escalating confidence loss.

Still, Federer will attempt to become the first man in the history of Wimbledon to triumph for six years in a row over a surface on which he hasn’t been defeated since 2002. When he walks on Centre Court at 2 p.m. on Monday to launch defense of his Wimbledon crown, he will carry the confidence that comes from compiling a 59-match winning streak on grass over the past six years.

During his reign as Wimbledon king, he has rarely been tested in five-set matches. Federer has gone the distance just once in amassing a 34-match Wimbledon winning streak his five-year reign: in the 2007 final when Nadal provided his toughest test before the champion prevailed, 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2 to capture his 11th Grand Slam championship.

Due to the rain during the fortnight, the second-seeded Spaniard was playing for the seventh straight day on the final Sunday yet still earned four break points in Federer's first two service games. But the Swiss elevated his game when it mattered most in winning 12 of 13 points in a crucial stage of the fifth set to seal a stirring three, hour 45-minute match.

While Federer is bidding for a record sixth straight Wimbledon championship, Nadal is also aiming for a prestigious piece of history in attempting to become the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back. Furthermore, Nadal will ride a 17-match winning streak into the opening round of Wimbledon with his confidence bolstered by the 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 thrashing he administered to the man he has been chasing in the French Open final.

The pressure is fixed firmly on Federer's shoulders: Nadal could claim the top spot if he wins the title and Federer does not reach the quarterfinals. Third-ranked Novak Djokovic also has a remote chance to rise to the top if the defending champion suffered an unthinkable upset loss int he opening around and Djokovic won the title.

Two Grand Slam titles removed from equaling Pete Sampras' record of 14 majors, Roger Federer finds himself at a crossroads between the glory of history and the possibility of a devastating dual loss. Which way will the road turn?  

For official Championships news, please visit Wimbledon.org. 

Tennis Week.com contributing writer Bruno Lisnovsky is a tennis writer for Argentina's solotenis.com.ar/lc