Federer sets his sight on Olympics

Federer sets his sight on Olympics

Roger Federer has come up with full vengeance this summer at Wimbledon along with London Olympics to seek gold in both tournaments. Having won Wimbledon, now he sets his sight on London Olympics with almost impeccable Swiss timing, Roger Federer has a last chance to fill the remaining spot in his bulging trophy cabinet on the court that witnessed the blooming of a tennis genius. Roger loves Wimbledon which will also host the Olympic tennis tournament in a few weeks and at 30, and with a record 17 grand slam titles to his name, Federer knows time is running short. 

Now, it is a trivalry, with emergence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who have been dominant in last two seasons of Slams. The recent domination of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic has left Federer waiting for a 17th major since he won the Australian Open in 2010. Federer is fast losing his touch while he is nearing 31, so he has to fight it out against Nadal and Djokovic. It was foolish to discount him from this year's grass court grand slam, a title he has won six times, which he won for seventh time. But his best chance of glory on the lawns of south-west London might come a few weeks later at the Olympics. From the moment he surprisingly lost to James Blake in the quarter-finals of the Beijing singles four years ago, Federer has been eyeing his shot at gold in London on Aug. 5. 

But while the 17-time Grand Slam winner watches from the wings as Djokovic and Nadal contest the big prizes. But returning to No. 1 in grand fashion with Wimbledon win was absolutely like the old Roger Federer. Not only does he have to deal with Nadal, now he’s got Djokovic and there’s still Murray and maybe Del Potro in line-up. Let's not forget the extraordinary run of 32 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals, a record that surely will never be broken. And of course the Olympics is a substantial and realistic goal later in the summer. 

Some believe that tennis does not need the Olympics. However, Nadal's joy at winning in Beijing proved how much the title meant to him and should Federer crown his career this year it could become one of the iconic images of the London Games. Federer clearly believes Olympic recognition is good for tennis.  Federer has twice carried the Swiss flag at the opening ceremony and it would be a surprise if that were not to happen again. After all, he is Switzerland's greatest sportsman and, each summer in London, he has become almost royalty.

7/8 For Roger At Wimbledon

7/8 For Roger At Wimbledon

Roger Federer, unmoved by the tide of hysteria that was closing in around him, sang his song like only he can on a bitter-cold London evening to claim his 17th Grand Slam title with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win. Final stroke silenced the will of a nation that was urging, pleading, begging its hero, 25-year-old Andy Murray, to bring home the title.

As expected, there were going to be tears at the end of this Wimbledon men’s final, because both Roger Federer and Andy Murray have some precedent there. In the end, they came from the winner and the runner-up. Federer’s tears began almost before he fell to the court in triumph, tears of joy and relief as he won his seventh career title at Wimbledon, the 17th major of his career, the first in 2½ years.

Roger Federer left the door tantalisingly ajar for local hero Andy Murray in the Wimbledon men's singles final, then slammed it shut to win a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title and in so doing return to the top of the world rankings. The Swiss great, contesting his eighth final at the All England Club, flirted with danger in the second set after losing the first but just when Murray looked like ending 76 years of plucky British failure Federer gave a stunning reminder of his genius to win 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 on Centre Court. 

For the second time in three grand slam finals against Murray he reduced the Scot to tears, although this match, unlike the others, was a contest to savour.  At 30 years and 335 days he also became the oldest men's champion since Arthur Ashe in 1975 and, to put the icing on the cake, the win gave Federer his seventh Wimbledon crown and the world No. 1 ranking, which will take him past Pete Sampras' record of 286 weeks at the game's top. He's the second oldest player, at the age of 30 years and 335 days, to hold the No. 1 ranking, following Andre Agassi at 33 years and 131 days.

Number of championship wins for Federer at the Wimbledon as he equalled William Renshaw's and Pete Sampras' world record of winning the coveted singles title on seven occasions each. Federer has won in 2003 to 2007, 2009 and now in 2012, while Renshaw did it in the era of Challenge Rounds in 1881 to 1886 & 1889, and Sampras more recently in 1993 to 1995 & 1997 to 2000 (both years inclusive).

RECORD 17 GRAND SLAM TITLES - 

Wimbledon, 2003-2007, 2009, 2012; U.S. Open 2004-2008; Australian Open 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010; French Open 2009. 

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS OF ROGER’S CAREER -

* In 2003, becomes the first Swiss man to win a grand slam after beating Mark Philippoussis in the Wimbledon final. 

* Is the only man to win five consecutive titles at two different grand slams - Wimbledon and U.S. Open. 

* Is the first man to win Wimbledon-U.S. Open double four years in a row. 

* Is the only man in the professional era to win three consecutive majors twice in his career when he captured the 2007 Australian Open title. 

* Equalled Bjorn Borg's record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles in 2007. 

* His run of reaching 10 consecutive grand slam finals is snapped by Novak Djokovic in the 2008 Australian Open semi-finals. 

* The 2008 five-set epic at Wimbledon is regarded by many as the best ever tennis match. He lost the match to Rafael Nadal. 

* His 2009 French Open crown made him the sixth man - after Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi - to have won all four grand slam titles during his career. Nadal has since become the seventh to achieve the feat. 

* Breaks American Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles with his 15th win in the 2009 Wimbledon final to reclaim the world number one spot from Nadal. 

* In 2009, becomes the first man to reach seven successive Wimbledon finals since the abolition of the Challenge Round in 1922. Reaches a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon final in 2012, extending his overall major final appearance record to 24. 

* His record run of reaching 23 consecutive grand slam semi-finals is snapped by Robin Soderling in the last eight of the 2010 French Open. That record is widely considered as one of the most astonishing in sport as it means Federer finished in the top four at a major for almost six successive years. His streak is more than double the previous record held by Ivan Lendl, who reached 10 consecutive major semis.

Five Point Wimbledon For Serena

Five Point Wimbledon For Serena

American powerhouse Serena Williams recovered from a second-set wobble to defeat Agnieszka Radwanska and take her Wimbledon women's title tally to five. The 30-year-old American won her fifth Wimbledon title last Saturday on Centre Court, beating Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 to claim her 14th major championship. With grand slam final debutant Radwanska playing despite a respiratory problem, it appeared the sixth-seeded Williams could choose how long she wanted the match to last when she took the opening set for the loss of one game in 35 minutes.

Radwanska had been so severely affected by an upper respiratory illness over the last few days that she withdrew from the doubles and cancelled her pre-match media commitments. The 23-year-old, the first Pole to reach a Grand Slam final for 75 years, recovered sufficiently to play, but she might have wished she was back in her sick bed in the first set. Radwanska, who was aiming to take the world number one position with a win - showed admirable resilience and a fair slice of talent in the second set to level the match.

After hitting a backhand winner on match point, she fell onto her back to the grass. She then rose with a grin as big sister Venus — another five-time Wimbledon champion — smiled and applauded, along with the rest of the crowd. After shaking hands with Radwanska, Williams climbed into the box where her family was seated. She hugged her father, Venus, their mother and others.

Williams has now equalled her sister Venus’s tally of five titles at the All England Club, but more significantly the 30-year-old’s 14th Grand Slam crown is her first at the majors since her last Wimbledon triumph in 2010. Inspired by the painful memory of her shock French Open first round exit against Virginie Razzano last month, Serena has spent the last month in a determined bid to re-establish her primacy. It is mission accomplished, but only just. 

Serena, who pocketed a cheque for £1.15 million, is the first woman over 30 to win Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova in 1990 and she needed all the experience gathered over her illustrious career to survive a remarkable revival from Radwanska. Williams is the first woman in her 30s to win a Wimbledon title since Martina Navratilova, who won at the All England Club in 1990 when she was 33.