Olympic Tennis 2012: Most Surprising Results from London

Olympic tennis in London had a tough act to follow at the All England Club, but clearly didn't disappoint.

With Wimbledon not even a month in the books, fans once again packed into the beautiful All England Club to cheer on beloved Andy Murray, Roger Federer and the rest of the field.

This year's Olympic tennis tournament was loaded with upsets and surprises, with story lines ranging early first-round exits to Andy Murray's triumph at his home major.  

John Isner's Dominance

It's been several years since America could pride itself on a championship contender, but it appears John Isner is emerging as one of the world's best players.

The 6'9" Isner has the world's biggest serve, but more importantly, has fine-tuned the rest of his game.

With his long arms and improved footwork, he now covers the court about as well as anybody, boasts one of the world's best forehands and has done a better job getting to the net.

These improvements translated to results in London, winning each of his first three matches in straight sets. This includes a stunning straight-set upset of seventh-seeded Janko Tipsarevic.

Marcos Baghdatis' Resurgence

The oft-injured and unseeded Marcos Baghdatis made a surprising resurgence in London, advancing to the third round.

Granted, it was only the third round, but the result was still a major surprise.

The Cypriot defeated No. 16 seed Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-4 in the second round and nearly beat gold-medalist Andy Murray in the third round, losing 4-6 in the third and final set.   

Baghdatis, who has often dealt with injuries over the years, looked comfortable on grass. The turf is easier on the body than hard court is, allowing Baghdatis to preserve his health, energy and elite athleticism. 

If Baghdatis can stay healthy and continue to play like he did in London, tennis fans can expect a return to the top 25 sooner rather than later.

Tomas Berdych Loses in First Round

Tomas Berdych, the No. 6 seed in the Olympics, was shockingly beaten in straight sets by unseeded Steve Darcis of Belgium.

Viewed as one of the best players in the world, most expected Berdych to earn a spot in at least the quarterfinals. However, Berdych, known for his big serve and forehand, performed horrendously in the first round and lost 6-4, 6-4.

Is this the beginning of the end for the Czech? At Wimbledon, he lost in straight sets in the first round to unseeded Ernests Gulbis, prompting many tennis fans to write off Berdych as a championship contender.

However, grass isn't Berdych's forte. He should do much better at the U.S. Open, but if not, expect Berdych to free fall out of the top 10.

Least Surprising: Andy Murray Defeats Roger Federer

After numerous failures at his hometown major Wimbledon, many tennis fans were expecting a repeat of this year's Wimbledon final: Roger Federer dominating Murray.

Yet, in what looked like a shocker, Murray smashed Federer in the Olympic final, winning 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

However, this result should hardly come as a surprise to fans who watched the rest of the tournament.

A day and a half before, Federer played a marathon match against Juan Martin Del Potro. Federer defeated the Argentine 19-17 in the final set, which was enough to exhaust Federer for the entire finals match.

This isn't to say that Murray doesn't deserve a lot of credit. He played wonderfully the entire tournament and will have a great chance to win Wimbledon in 2013 if he replicates his Olympic performance.