Summer Olympics 2012: 7 Reasons Roger Federer Will Come Away with Gold

Roger Federer is, without a doubt, a legend in the sport of tennis.

He has won seemingly everything that the sport has to offer—except a gold medal at the Olympic Games.

2012 in London could very well be the year that the Swiss maestro writes himself into the history books as one of the greatest players of all time.

Here are seven reasons why Federer will come away with gold from the 2012 London Olympics.

Venue Suits Federer

Tennis at the London Olympics will be staged at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club—known to everyone else as Wimbledon.

The fact that the tournament is being played on arguably Federer's favorite surface is a huge reason why he will be sure to win gold at the Olympics.

On grass, Federer has recorded 102 wins and just 15 losses, and has notched up an impressive 11 titles on the same surface. With an overall win percentage of 87.2 percent, no other player on the ATP circuit is as dominant on grass as Roger Federer.

To take this a step further, during Grand Slams, Federer holds a 59-7 record at Wimbledon and has won an impressive six titles through his 13 years at the tournament.

He wins 79 percent of his first-serve points, a quarter of all his opponents' service games and an incredible 92 percent of his own service games when playing on grass. The venue and surface of the 2012 London Olympics suits Roger Federer extremely well.

Current Form Is Superb

2012 has already been an excellent year for Federer who, despite failing to make the final at the Australian Open, has already won three titles and recorded just three losses.

With wins at ATP 500 events Rotterdam and Dubai, as well as a win at the ATP 1000 event at Indian Wells, the Swiss champion is once again showing that his career as one of the sport's elites is nowhere near finished.

Federer currently sits top five across the entire tour for first-serve points won, second-serve points won, breaks points saved and service games won. It is this current form that could well see him to success during the Olympics.

Good Health

Without any major health concerns, Federer will enter the Olympics full of confidence and ability—proving once again that he is one of the fittest men on tour.

A great article by a fellow Bleacher Report writer explains that whilst injuries continue to plague both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer's consistency shows that his health is one of his greatest characteristics.

After their epic 2009 Wimbledon final, Andy Roddick said of Federer:

"

He gets a lot of credit for a lot of things, but not a lot of the time for how many matches he digs deep and toughs it out. He doesn't get a lot of credit for that because it looks easy to him a lot of the time...

"

Federer's solid health this year will hold him in great stead for a chance at gold at the 2012 London Olympics.

Current Form of Rivals

Another key reason for as to why Roger Federer will claim gold at London, is the current decline in form of his three main rivals—Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

Novak Djokovic won the 2012 Australian Open back in January, but has only managed one other title win since then. Of particular concern must be the fact that Djokovic is dropping out in big matches, with two semifinal losses and a final loss already this year.

Rafael Nadal has won his last two tournaments, though both of those have come on clay surfaces and not on a hard court or grass surface. Similar to Djokovic, Rafael Nadal has three semifinal losses and a final loss also.

Andy Murray hasn't won a tournament since the Brisbane International in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Having said that, Murray will surely be more competitive on grass than he has been on clay surfaces in recent weeks.

No player out of the three is justifying themselves as the man to take down Federer, and they can't seem to string successive performances together in the same manner that the World No. 3 has of late.

The exception to this is Nadal, however his recent wins have come on clay, which the 2012 London Olympics won't be played on.

Dominant Serve

Over the years, Roger Federer's serve has grown into one of the most critical parts of his game—far from what it was in the early days of his career.

So far this year, Federer currently ranks eighth in total aces, fourth in first-serve points won and first in second-serve points won. He also ranks second for service games won, winning 92 percent of his service games throughout his 26 matches this year.

At London, having a strong serve will be a crucial factor for a player's chances, with the ball likely to shoot through on the grass surface. Federer's strong serve—particularly his second serve—will hold him in great stead throughout the tournament, and ultimately give him an advantage that no other of his main rivals have.

Powerful Ground Strokes

The same can be said for Federer's ground strokes, which will once again shine on the grass surface.

Federer has an advantage over Nadal here, as the Spaniard's tendency to whip the ball and force it to spin and dip won't be as effective once removed from the clay court.

The same goes with Djokovic who, to an extent, won't get the same bounce and rise from the ball that he gets from hard-court surfaces. With the ball shooting through and gathering pace as it reaches the player, Roger Federer's definitive ground game will set him above the field

The World No. 3 will no doubt utilize his powerful forehand and quick backhand to expose his opponents from the back of the court and, as a result, will more often than not emerge from rallies as the winner. His powerful ground strokes are an important reason behind Federer's chances at gold in London.

Missing Jewel in the Crown

The final reason why Federer will win gold at the 2012 London Olympics is because it is the only missing jewel in his crown; it is the only thing missing from his superb career.

He has won all four majors at some point, and he has won ATP Tour finals. He has won ATP 1000 events, the Hopman Cup and Olympic doubles with Stanislas Wawrinka, but not gold in the singles event.

Federer's crown of career achievements sparkles brighter than any other player in the current game, and possibly any other player in the history of tennis—success in the Olympics would surely complete that crown.

His current form, dominant serve and powerful ground strokes, combined with the grass surface, will see Federer not only triumph over his rivals, but win gold at the 2012 London Olympics also.

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