Jonas Bjorkman had a spectacular view of Roger Federer's near perfect tennis on Friday and said he enjoyed it despite being thrashed 6-2, 6-0, 6-2.
The Swede, already stunned to have reached a Wimbledon semi-final at the age of 34, could only watch in wonder as winner after breathless winner rebounded off the champion's racket.
"I played a guy who was as near perfection as you can play the game," Bjorkman said. "I had the best seat in the house..."
Bjorkman, a Davis Cup stalwart who has made doubles his speciality in recent years, was not unhappy with his own performance and quite cheerful despite suffering the worst Wimbledon semi-final defeat since 1922.
"I felt relaxed and good out there. I didn't feel I was hitting the ball that bad," he said. "But obviously the ball came back much more often then it has done in all my other matches here at Wimbledon," he said.
Bjorkman suggested Federer, who will be playing for his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title on Sunday, had the edge over Pete Sampras who won seven in total because Sampras had chinks in his armour.
"I felt Pete, like we all think and believe, that he is the greatest because all the records of Slams and everything, but it always felt that you can find a way to get some games here and there against Pete.
"And against Roger today, I felt I had to do whatever I can. He didn't give me any freebies. Didn't have couple of shots here that it looks like he was a little flat or lazy. He was looking like he wanted to win every point.
"That makes it so much harder to play Roger than maybe against Pete."
Bjorkman, on the professional circuit for 15 years, said the only weakness he had ever noticed in Federer's game was an occasional lack of concentration.
"Maybe sometimes he can feel a little off. I think that's probably what guys would hope for, to feel that he's not really there 100 percent.
"But most of the time he is there 100 percent, which is very impressive to be that sharp every single match when you keep winning like he does.
"But he does play really, really solid. I mean, if you look at this tournament, he hasn't looked like he had any times during matches where he's been off.
Double French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who beat Marcos Baghdatis in the second semi-final on Friday, is the only candidate to get near Federer at Wimbledon, Bjorkman suggested.
The Spaniard beat Federer on his favoured clay in Italy and in Paris in the last two months and that fact could nag at the Swiss even on grass.
"I think the only one who has any idea is probably Nadal at the moment...He managed to get into the head of Roger a little bit," Bjorkman said.
