Roger Federer Aims for Greatness Again at London Olympics

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 24, 2012

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For a player so accomplished as Roger Federer, it is hard to find an ornament lacking in his crowded crown.

Having already one of the most complete tennis games in history, he has possessed just about every tennis great's career in nutshells. He has Borg's five straight Wimbledons, Agassi's Career Grand Slam, has been to the final of all four grand slams in a calendar year multiple times like Rod Laver, is matching the longevity of the feisty Connors and all the while plays with the fiery quiet of Sampras.

Somewhere in there one is likely to find elements of his idols—Boris Becker in the serve, McEnroe in deft touch, Edberg with the volleys and Lendl in commanding one-handed groundstrokes. 

The one ornament that does stand out for its absence is a singles gold medal at the Olympics. He won gold in 2008 with Stanislas Wawrinka, but in doubles; for all the diffidence with which Federer has sought to placate the inevitable questions on the pressure he might face on trying to win one in singles, however, he is sure to be no less than terribly upset should he not do so. The grandest tasks in tennis demand the steepest of climbs to complete.

No fewer than seven different men have won gold in singles at the Olympics (six officially, with the 1984 event not having been fully recognised), and among them only four having been grand slam champions—Edberg in 1984, Kafelnikov in 2000, Agassi in 1996 and Nadal in 2008. For an achievement only quadriennally possible, and thereby more precious than victory at a grand slam, winning gold at the Olympics has been something rarely achieved by the greats.

Tennis is a calendar sport, and careers are defined over years, not single events. It is for that reason that the gold of Nicholas Massu, for instance, in 2004 will only ever be remembered for it. Precisely because it is so rare an opportunity to win something that will define one's career in a unique—I refra...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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