Roger Federer's Wimbledon Triumph Makes Him Clear Olympic Favorite

With apologies to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, Roger Federer is the man to beat in the London Olympics after his terrific display en route to the Wimbledon title.

Federer also has the motivation factor on his side. Despite the numerous accomplishments throughout his career, the Swiss superstar has never been able to take home an Olympic singles medal. Even though he's still playing well at 30, time is running out.

He will never have a better opportunity to make it happen. He's coming off his first major tournament crown since early 2010, his play has returned to the level fans had come to expect from one of the greatest ever and the event is taking place at the All England Club.

That's what you would call a perfect storm of circumstances for Federer. A gold medal would not only be another thing he can mark off his career checklist, but would also make his case for being considered the best player to ever step on a tennis court.

He has 17 Grand Slam titles and has been a dominant force in the sport for the better part of a decade, which makes it shocking that he hasn't won gold. But he should be considered the clear favorite in London once plays gets underway.

That's not only because of how he played at Wimbledon, but also the results of his closest competitors. The top four have really separated themselves from the pack, so Federer knows who he has to worry about the most.

He faced Djokovic, who had a stranglehold on the top ranking for awhile, in the semifinals and made the match look easy. Federer won in four sets, and at no point during that match did it seem like he was in serious danger of losing control.

The Maestro then went on to the Final and dispatched Murray in four sets as well. The deciding factors were Federer's aggressiveness, which Murray couldn't match, and net play. Those same keys will be important once again in the Olympics.

Then there's Nadal, who flamed out in the second round against Lukas Rosol. Give Rosol credit for playing the match of his life, but the fact of the matter is Nadal hasn't been as dominant outside of clay matches recently.

Although that trio of players will obviously be the biggest threat to Federer, he must maintain his focus throughout the tournament. Four years ago he fell to American James Blake, so he needs to carry the Wimbledon momentum into the first round and beyond.

If he does, the rest of the field is in serious trouble.