As a dominant figure lifted the trophy in front of an adoring south-west London crowd in the summer of 2017, there was plenty to be glad about.
A consistent sporting performer had come back yet again to remain at the top of their game and be crowned as the winner of a gruelling exercise. Opponents respected them for the hardwork, dedication and grounded sporting excellence to win the competition.
It wasn't all down to the work of the athlete, a key coaching change, that had brought success in 2014 and 2015, was adapted for 2017 to bring its own success and one that was seen on a different level. Perhaps the story that since that day in 2017 the fan favourite hasn't won the same trophy again tells its own tale.
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Even with such specific parameters, this could have been several people. One is Roger Federer and the others are members of Chelsea's 2016/17 Premier League title winning team, most notably the current club captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
Today, September 15, 2022, Federer announced that he would be retiring from professional tennis next month, bringing to an end one of the all-time great sporting careers. His last Wimbledon win - the Grand Slam he won eight times, more than any other - was in 2017. He would only win one more slam after that.
For Azpilicueta, whose Chelsea career started in 2012, 14 years after Federer turned professional, he is coming to the end of his own spell at the top of his chosen profession, with the Spaniard having come close to securing a move away from the club after a decade of unimaginable service and success.
The versatile defender pioneered two league title victories and one Champions League success, becoming a standout defender in multiple teams and captaining more than 200 matches for Chelsea. He is a club legend, no doubt.
However, his recent performances have coincided with poor team standards. Chelsea fans don't want to become frustrated by Azpilicueta, now 33, but mistakes and weaknesses in his game have become exposed.
Although not primarily his fault, a structural risk, five missed tackles and some questionable goalkeeping all contributed to RB Salzburg's equaliser in Graham Potter's first Chelsea match, but Azpilicueta, once a stalwart in front of goal as a defensive shield, protector and master, was run across at the near post far too easily.
His Chelsea reputation was built on solidity, one-on-one defending and extracting the best from his strengths, limiting his weaknesses. Now, under the tactically flexibility of Potter and the on-ball demands of his system, Azpilicueta's flaws are too visible. Should Wesley Fofana or Kalidou Koulibaly have been trusted in defence, then maybe Potter would be celebrating victory in his first match.
Again, it's not all down to Azpilicueta, but the notion that he must play due to being captain is a flawed one. In a team that includes admired leaders like Thiago Silva and Reece James, Azpilicueta is not an entirely necessary addition. His benefits at Chelsea were always the seven or eight out of 10 marks each week, but this season, according to the WhoScored ratings, he has only gone above seven once.
In his 10 campaigns he has never ranked below a 7.00 rating, even in 2015/16 when his side finished 10th. Although his leadership is valuable and off the field can provide key help to Potter in a transitionary role, he still has a fresh two years on his contract and given the downward slope of performances, it is tough to see the value he currently offers in defence.
In 2016 Jose Mourinho experienced a similar set of circumstances. His reliable Branislav Ivanovic had succumbed to a loss of pace and didn't have the cover he needed to thrive. The Serbian rock was dropped within six weeks of the season and never fully recovered. He was effectively then replaced by Azpilicueta.
That was six years ago now and with Fofana in the wings, Chelsea fans would prefer to see less of Azpilicueta than to see him become the villain of the show. He deserves a proper send off, and seeing him struggle is not the image that fans should have of their much-loved captain.
Just as Federer has moved on from the sport he loved, his retirement came with questions circling his future for years after 2017.
At 41, he has earnt that. Azpilicueta is reaching a comparable stage now - at 33, there aren't many top level performers in football above that age and Federer's undoubted legend status has not been tarnished by his relative troubles in recent years. Azpilicueta won't want to damage his own.
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