Changing of the guard

For years, people have been saying Roger Federer is declining and nearing the end of his reign of dominance.

Now, it appears he really has. After losing to Robin Soderling in the quarterfinal of the French Open, failing to reach a grand slam semifinal for the first time since 2003, Federer has fallen in the quarterfinal of Wimbledon to Tomas Berdych.

Federer has been nearly unbeatable at Wimbledon, losing just once there since 2004 (to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 epic final). But now he's fallen the quarterfinal, and fallen for the second consecutive grand slam prior to the semifinal. The door is open for Rafael Nadal to become the world's dominant player, with little challenge.

(Of course, saying this, watch Federer dominate the U.S. Open.)