12 years later: Can Roger and Venus be crowned Wimbledon champions again?

Venus Williams and Roger Federer pose with the trophies at the Wimbledon Winners Dinner in 2005. Photo / Getty

By Alex McLeod

It is as rare as it is impressive to find sports stars who manage to dominate at the peak of their chosen sporting careers for more than a decade at a time.

Athletes who are able to maintain such a high standard of performances at an elite level for a prolonged period of time often go down as the all-time greats of their sport.

Think of the likes of six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan, three-time FIFA World Cup winner Pelé, and 28-time Olympic medallist Michael Phelps among others.

The vast majority of fans of basketball, football and the Olympics would label these three megastars as the undisputed greats of their respective sports due to the unrivalled and elongated dominance they displayed throughout their sporting careers.

After qualifying for their eleventh and ninth respective Wimbledon finals over the past 24 hours, many observers can make increasingly valid claims that both Roger Federer and Venus Williams can join the ranks of the aforementioned athletes as two of the greatest stars to have graced the planet with their talents within the realm of tennis.

Their qualification for the sport's blue ribbon event comes 12 years since the pair claimed the men's and women's titles back in 2005.

That year, Federer defeated American Andy Roddick in straight sets to take home his fifth career Grand Slam, while the more experienced Williams was victorious against compatriot Lindsay Davenport to claim her third Wimbledon title since 2000.

Since then, the pair have gone on to rake in a plethora of accolades, with Federer currently sitting on 18 career Grand Slam victories, seven of which were won at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, while the older Williams sister has added a further two Grand Slams to her name, bringing her tally to seven.

Take into account that these honours exclude the various doubles titles, Tour Finals and Olympic medals won throughout the Swiss and American's decorated careers.

However, their success hasn't come without a spell of disruption.

Their rise to Wimbledon's showpiece event marks a comeback of somewhat significant proportions for the two veterans following years in Grand Slam wilderness.

Federer had only claimed two titles in four final appearances throughout 26 Grand Slam events across a seven year period heading into 2017.

His victory over long-time rival Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open in January marked the beginning of his comeback at the ripe old age of 35 after a five-year title drought.

Williams - who has long lived in the shadow of her younger, 23-time Grand Slam-winning sister Serena - has had to endure an even longer title-less Grand Slam period of nine years, making this, only the 37-year-old's second final appearance in eight years, even more significant.

The second coming of both Federer and Williams following their rise and then fall from grace from the summit of tennis is just one match away, with the Swiss set to face Croatian Marin Čilić in the final, while the American will take on Spaniard Garbiñe Muguruza.

A loss for the duo could potentially see them slip away back into the wasteland of Grand Slam tennis that they have previously occupied in the twilight of their careers.

Alternatively, a victory has the potential to further etch their names into history books as two of the greatest players to grace the sport, a feat that would catapult the veterans back up to the dizzying heights they reached all those years ago in 2005.