By champion Rafael Nadal’s admission, his Wimbledon title has been the “best and his most emotional so far” in a glittering career. The fact that he defeated Roger Federer in what is now being considered to be the greatest men’s Grand Slam final of all time, just adds to the greatness quotient.

There’s something special about the Wimbledon. Here’s a look at the 10 most memorable moments of this editon:

1. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal put on a greater show than the John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg classics. Even McEnroe agreed with that. “It was the best final ever. There was so much drama, class from both players and their levels were incredible. People talk about my matches with Bjorn, but this was better.”

“It was an incredible effort from both players. I’ve never seen tennis like this. I don’t know how Nadal did it because Roger was playing brilliant tennis after the first two sets. At 2-2 in the fifth set, I didn’t know who was going to win. But Rafa held his nerve and I’m sure this is the changing of the guard,” the former Wimbledon champion said.

2. We are going to miss the rain-delays. Next year, Wimbledon’s Centre Court will have a sliding roof in place, to shut out English summer’s incontinent skies and guarantee television executives that play will continue, but wasn’t the men’s final in some way enhanced by the two rain breaks?

Imagine if the roof had been ready for this year’s tournament; Federer and Nadal had effectively played an ‘indoor’ match under artificial light, walking out at 2pm and finishing just before 7pm. It wouldn’t have been the same.

3. Federer’s backhand pass down the line that staved off Nadal’s second championship point in the fourth-set tie-break, was the shot of the tournament. But only just, as the forehand winner that Nadal had smoked through the court on the preceding point would be a close second.

4. Since Federer lost the final, the prize for the best fight back of the tournament went to Britain’s Andy Murray for coming back from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet of France to make the quarter finals for the first time. Murray was back in the top 10 on Monday, moving up two places to ninth.

5. Nadal’s celebration was a first, the Spaniard walking across the roof of the television commentary boxes to shake hands with Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe. “When I walked from the players’ box to the Royal Box, on the roof, I felt very comfortable. But getting to the players’ box was scary,” Nadal disclosed on Monday. “If I had put my foot in the wrong place I could have fallen and hurt myself.”

6. The women’s tournament was a disappointment, with Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova the most disappointing of all. The tournament confirmed the feeling that, when the Williams sisters are fit and in the mood, the only person who can stop either of them from winning the title is the other. Venus, by beating Serena to win her fifth title, became an all-time great.

7. British qualifier Chris Eaton —remember him? He has gone up on Monday by jumping 256 places in the rankings to 405.

8. On-court fashions can come back to bite you; Sharapova, in her men’s shorts and ‘tuxedo’ top lost to a Russian girl who didn’t like her outfit.

9. Wimbledon was all the richer for Marat Safin making it through to the semi-finals for the first time; if only the Russian had realised years ago that there was much more to the All England Club than “over-priced strawberries”. He also made Laura Robson extremely happy by writing her a letter of apology for not being able to accompany her to the Champions Dinner.

10. Wimbledon remains the greatest tennis show on earth.