Roger Federer: World No. 1 Will Fail in Bid for Olympic Singles Gold in London

Tennis star Roger Federer will fall short in his bid to win his first Olympic gold medal in men's singles this summer at the 2012 London Olympic Games. 

Despite winning his seventh career Wimbledon championship in early July and reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking, Federer will turn 31 during the London Games, and will have to run the table against the same stiff competition he faced at the All England Club a few weeks ago.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion shouldn't be disrespected, of course. But is it realistic to expect him to survive a field that will include both No. 2 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Rafael Nadal?

Sure, Fed supporters will point to his four-set win over Djokovic in the Wimbledon semifinals this summer, but Nadal was knocked out in the second round of the grass-court tournament, pitting Federer against Grand Slam-less Andy Murray in the final rather than forcing him to play the world's two best tennis players in back to back high-stress matches.

Federer failed to even medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Nadal won gold, and Djokovic brought home bronze while Federer bowed out in the quarterfinals to American James Blake. 

Fans can expect Nadal to be even hungrier to defend his gold this summer as well, after his shocking second-round loss at Wimbledon. Nadal and Djokovic are both half a decade younger than Federer, and more likely to bounce back from a grueling tournament run quicker than Fed can.

Fed's victory in London earlier this month felt like a last call for one of tennis' greatest champions. With Federer about to turn 31, the No. 1 ranking is more of a gift for all of Fed's career accomplishments than it is a true marking of the best tennis player on the planet. 

There is simply no way Federer is ready to defend the ranking he has won.

The present and future of tennis, that being Nadal and Djokovic, have won nine of the past 10 Grand Slam tournaments. Federer's breakthrough at Wimbledon proves that he is still among the sport's elite, but expecting him to morph into the Federer from five years ago is a mistake.

Federer will fail in his bid to win Olympic gold this summer in London, but his trophy case remains the stuff of legend, even without Olympic glory. 

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