Olympic Tennis 2012: Roger Federer Straight-Set Loss to Murray Likely a Fluke

It wasn’t Roger Federer’s best day. Don’t count out the world’s No. 1 player, though. He'll just keep coming back for more.

The Olympic men’s tennis gold belongs to Andy Murray, who finally got over the hump to win a top-level final 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

On a Centre Court surface that Federer had tasted victory so many times, Olympic gold slipped from his grasp. Losing in straight sets, he never had a chance.

All the credit goes to Murray, but to say that Federer’s misstep is more than a blip, consult a doctor about short-term memory loss. The Brit’s finals win was his first victory over Federer in best-of-five-set match, including three losses in grand slam finals.

Let’s not forget to rewind back to a month ago, when Federer had bested Murray on the same court for his seventh Wimbledon trophy.

Murray had taken the first set that day, only to surrender the next three in a gut-wrenching loss. British hopes for a significant milestone in tennis were raised, then shown the door through a brilliant comeback win by Federer.

Sound familiar? That’s the Federer we all know. We will see that version again soon enough.

If anybody still doubts the 17-time grand slam winner, check his resume for credentials. He owns the English tennis court more than Murray ever has, mainly due to his winning ways at Wimbledon. Bet against “The King on Grass” on most days, you’re a loser.

His struggles in the first half of 2012 were a significant narrative, and then Federer took Wimbledon just to remind the world that his best tennis is still in present tense.

This loss against Murray will merely fuel Federer more. Between Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and now, Murray, there’s plenty of competition for the world’s No. 1 to hold interest.

Doubt Roger Federer. That's is when he is at his best.