Come on. Did anyone really think he was going to lose? After all, his wife Mirka looked rather calm throughout. Even down two sets to none, the storyline just seemed too apparent and obvious: He'll get his game together, and the final set will make the match look nearly routine.

But even he, the six-time champion, admitted afterward, "I shouldn't have won today." Indeed.

Roger Federer faced the most surprising and stunning first-round deficit of his immortal career Monday when unheralded, unseeded, 60th-ranked Alejandro Falla pushed the defending Wimbledon titlist around. The 26-year-old veteran with nary a title etched on his resume nearly pulled off what would have been the greatest upset in the history of Open tennis - in Federer's own words, "neutralizing" his game. Federer eventually triumphed 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0.

How did Falla nearly pull off the impossible? For one thing, he copied fellow southpaw Rafael Nadal's time-tested strategy of relentlessly firing into Federer's weaker and more vulnerable backhand side. The inspired Colombian also took chances on his second-serve returns and gained crucial positioning in extended rallies, frequently making Federer toil laterally. Finally, Falla served brilliantly for the first four sets, taking off speed in the ad court in favor of spinning the ball out wide while also surprising Federer with serves to the forehand on major points.

It was a brilliant game plan that almost worked. But Falla played a loose game while serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, and from that point it was a matter of seconds before Federer reacquired his supreme confidence.

Federer's peerless defense won him the match. When faced with a 0-40, 4-4 predicament in the third set, Federer did what he does best, keeping the ball in play with extraordinary scrambling and waiting for the inevitable error from the nervous Falla. It was vintage Federer and is emblematic of why he is so great. He finds ways to win when it appears he's ready to fall.

Ironically, it was Federer's clay-court game that aided him. With his usually perfect grass-court footwork not at its best, Federer delivered perfectly timed drop shots that disrupted Falla's rhythm at important moments.

The near loss will doubtlessly induce further analysis claming that Federer's dominance is over, as he has never struggled so mightily and so early in a Grand Slam.

But the point is not that Federer had such a trying day at the office under such unusual circumstances. No one predicted he'd be even mildly challenged in the first round. Yet the signs have been present for months that Federer's air of invincibility has diminished significantly.

Actually, despite his utterly historic consistency in Slam events that will likely never be duplicated, Federer's last days of true dominance were in 2007, his remarkable fourth consecutive year when he truly was above the field.

Consider ...

In 2008, he was beaten in Australia by Novak Djokovic, absolutely demolished by Nadal in Paris and defeated by Nadal in that epic Wimbledon encounter before finally righting course and winning the U.S. Open.

Then in 2009, Nadal beat Federer in Australia, and it appeared Federer was finished as the top player on the planet. But Nadal got hurt, and Fed slipped through to win the French. Then, of course, he was the beneficiary of Andy Roddick's blown opportunities in last year's Wimbledon final before being blown off the court in the fifth set by Juan Martin del Potro in New York.

Federer started this year in spectacular fashion by beating a clueless and frustratingly tepid Andy Murray in Australia. But he hasn't won a title since, and he lost in the quarters at the French Open to Robin Soderling. Finally, he has not defeated nemesis Nadal in a Grand Slam event since 2007, going 0-3 against him in finals over that span.

Now it appears that he'll have to pick up his game dramatically if he harbors any hope to win Wimbledon and tie Pete Sampras' mark of seven victories at the Big W.

The good news for Fed fans is that his draw is still, I dare say, fairly easy until the quarterfinals, where he may meet Tomas Berdych. And then in the semis a revenge-seeking Roddick likely will await. That is a match everyone wants to see.

In the end, it will be surprising if Federer fails to reach the semifinals. And it would be wise for fans to enjoy this late-career version of The Roger. No longer the cool stylist who mechanically and elegantly used to mow down his competition with annoying ease, he's more of an escape artist now than anything else.

In some ways, it's more fun to root for him. He's scrambling, fighting, exhorting and willing himself to victory as he no longer can dictate matters at will. Appreciate it now, because it can vanish quickly.