Roger Federer: Fed-Ex Can Cap Off Perfect Summer with Gold
The first day of the 2012 Summer Olympics has ended at the All-England Club, and Roger Federer has come out victorious.
He played a solid first two sets but then allowed his game to get unusually shaky. His opponent, Alejandro Falla of Colombia, was quick to capitalize on the opportunities.
He rolled off an impressive four games in a row from 5-3 and triple match point down to take the second set, and the crowd, by surprise.
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The Maestro was able to squeeze the match out in the decisive set, and his game play leaves fans with questions.
Typically in his career, the early scares in tournaments have proved to help his success in the long run. The most recent example was at Wimbledon a few weeks prior, where Federer came from two-sets-to-love down in the third round and wound up winning the event in style.
We still have to see how the other top players in the men's field will perform to determine just how tough of a test Roger is in for these two weeks.
The Swiss superstar was winless in Majors, dating back to the 2010 Australian Open, until he secured a record-tying (to Pete Sampras) seventh Wimbledon.
Continually reaching the quarterfinals and semis, he was still coming up short and empty-handed.
After experiencing his first Major-less year (in 2011) since 2002, Roger needed to regain a high position in the tennis world—because No. 3 in the world is simply not good enough to him.
He won the World Tour Finals at the end of 2011 in London, the ATP 1000 tour events in Indian Wells and Madrid as well as his 17th Major at Wimbledon.
He is undefeated in London since participating in Wimbledon last year, and by winning the Olympic Gold for the first time ever, he could solidify his summer as incredibly respectable even without a great performance at the US Open.
Surely a good showing here would give him even greater confidence while distancing himself from the other top guns. Continuing his win streak at the Olympics makes him appear all the more invincible and strong.
This tournament is nearly as important to Federer as a Major, and earning two Majors this year after several disappointments will allow the sun to shine for the athlete this summer.
Follow Bleacher Report Tennis Community Leader and Featured Columnist, Jeff Cohn, on Twitter for more Olympic tennis coverage.
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