WIMBLEDON, England -- As the precedents have slithered away like snakes into the grass, Roger Federer's defenders have rallied around him.
Sure, this year Federer has lost to some players he has handled in the past, but he's the all-time Grand Slam singles champion, with 16 major titles. Yes, he fell in the quarterfinals of the French Open to Robin Soderling -- his earliest Parisian exit in six years -- but hey, Soderling took out Rafael Nadal a round earlier the year before, right? When Federer recently lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the final at Halle, it ended an 0-for-15 run of futility against Federer for the gritty Australian. It was only Federer's second loss on grass in seven years, but his seeing-the-glass-half-full supporters pointed to his 76-2 mark on grass as more telling.
For two years now and counting, the forensic psychologists in the tennis world have been searching for the hidden ark -- the jewel-encrusted relic that would indicate that Federer is no longer the dominant player in the game.
On Monday, in the fortnight's first match on Centre Court at Wimbledon, they might have found it.
Down two sets to love -- and dancing on the precipice of disaster for the better part of two sets -- Federer was exceedingly lucky to escape a journeyman named Alejandro Falla, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0.
Federer might have been saved by a slight groin injury to Falla -- or the 26-year-old Colombian's late-emerging nerves. Falla, who has an ATP-level record of 56-64, had never, ever been this close to nirvana, to what Federer called "an incredible look."
How close did Federer come to becoming an upset victim of historic (and hysteric) proportions?
Falla had four break points at 4-all in the third set and was a single point from serving for the match. But he could not convert any of those chances. Falla actually served for the match in the fourth set, but (you guessed it), could not convert.
And so, for only the sixth time in 888 matches, Federer was forced to come from two sets down to win -- for the first time at Wimbledon. There were several occasions, Federer said later, when he actually thought he was going to lose.
"For me, it's not normal to be down two sets to love at Wimbledon," Federer said. "You definitely feel uncomfortable.
"Today, for some reason, I wasn't really able to serve. I was really rattled. Thank God, I found it. To come out of this match, I got lucky, but that's how it goes."
The win considerably relaxed the taut souls at the All England Club, who are still hoping the defending champion can win his record-equaling seventh title here.
With Federer's favorite soccer team, the Swiss national team, playing Chile in its third World Cup group stage, there was speculation that this match would end in three swift sets. It very nearly did, but no one dreamed Federer might have been on the losing end.
Switzerland ultimately lost 1-0, and Federer was fortunate not to follow form.
Falla was playing Federer for the third time in about four weeks after they met in the second round at Roland Garros and, more recently, in Halle, Germany. There was nothing to suggest that the left-hander could win even one set from the champion, let alone two. In four previous matches, Falla had never won a single set.
What happened this time?
Falla was simply solid, and Federer looked tentative as he opened the tournament with the first match on pristine Centre Court for the seventh straight year. In Paris, Falla found himself serving for the first set and couldn't finish the deal. This time, he did, stunning the crowd into an awkward silence.
A gorgeous forehand volley got Falla a set-point opening, and Federer accommodated him with an errant forehand.
Falla looked pretty comfortable returning Federer's serve -- probably because he has seen so much of it -- and continually came forward and worked his backhand, like another, more familiar left-handed opponent. Federer, meanwhile, looked surprisingly tentative.
He had two break points when Falla was serving for the second set, but didn't deliver. Falla, for his part, converted his fourth set point when Federer sent a wobbly forehand volley into the net. No one present saw it coming.
"I'm having a hard time believing that this is actually taking place," said John McEnroe from the BBC commentary booth. "It is just astounding to believe that the defending champion is a set away from losing in the first round.
"To be honest, I've seen him play worse. Falla's just outplaying him."
The strange thing? After winning the two most important sets of his life, Falla immediately called for the ATP trainer. It was a curious decision, a seemingly terrible time to announce to a six-time Wimbledon champion on the ropes that you are not altogether well.
Falla missed those critical break chances in the ninth game of the third set, and Federer went on to take the third set with a forceful forehand winner.
"The whole game was in disarray," Federer said when asked whether he had panicked in the third set and given Falla a chance to win.
He won the fourth with a nearly flawless tiebreaker, winning seven of eight points. Federer, for the record, has won 15 of 16 tiebreakers at Wimbledon in the past three years, as close to money as you can get.
The fifth set? Falla melted down like the ice cream they sell here, going quietly in 27 minutes. The champion, ever more confident, slashed his way to earn a spot opposite Serbia's Ilija Bozoljac, a four-set winner over Nicolas Massu.
"People won't talk about that, but I did play a great fifth set," Federer said. "I was able to serve, and the backhand started to click. One thing you can do is push the luck on your side. That's one thing I haven't been doing this year."
Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.