Andy Murray vs. Roger Federer: Singles Gold Medal Continues to Elude Swiss Star

Roger Federer can still call himself the world's No.1-ranked tennis player, but he still can't dub himself a gold medalist in Olympic singles.

Federer entered his fourth Games seeking his first-ever Golden Slam, having already beaten opponent Andy Murray in four sets (4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4) a mere month ago at Wimbledon.

But on this day, Federer was dominated by Murray in three straight sets (6-2, 6-1, 6-4), as the British No. 1 took advantage of the home crowd and never looked back.

ESPN took note of the crowd's support for Murray with this tweet:

"

What you just heard was all of Great Britain cheering Andy Murray’s gold medal victory over Roger Federer.

— ESPN (@espn) August 5, 2012"

According to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Federer wasn't too down on himself after settling for a silver medal, saying, "Don't feel too bad for me. I felt like I won my silver, I didn't lose it. So I feel really happy."

Federer may seem content with a silver on the outside, but he's got to be burning on the inside.

That's now four consecutive Olympic games in which the world's best tennis player has failed to bring home a gold medal in singles play.

Federer got his first taste of gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing, when he paired with fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka to win the doubles, but has yet to do it on his own.

But if not owning a singles gold medal gets him down, Federer can always hang his hat on the fact that he's won several Grand Slams and is still the No.1-ranked tennis player on the planet.

Despite his struggles, I have to say that Roger Federer is one of the classiest athletes in the world.

Even in defeat, he helped his opponent with his flag and held his head high, accepting that his opponent had earned the gold (via ESPN): "I was very happy for him. It's a long time coming for him, and he did great."

Stay classy, Roger Federer.

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