Roger Federer: Tennis Star Will Fall Short at US Open

Roger Federer is back.

Or is he?

The Swiss star did just remarkably win his 17th Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in July, cementing his status as one of the best two or three players in the history of the game. (Tying Sampras for all-time singles titles, as well as breaking his supposedly unimpeachable record of 286 weeks atop of the world rankings is no small feat.)

And now that he's back on top, many see him holding that spot for the foreseeable future. It's just too bad that Andy Murray is hungry and primed to knock Federer off at the U.S. Open this week.

Murray has been so close to the mountaintop, yet he has been unable to grab onto and find purchase on the biggest stages. He has been one of the best players in the world for years now, except in title matches when the all-time greats shine.

But Murray has one thing going for him that Federer doesn't—a victory in the 2012 London Olympics.

Murray surprised everyone at the 2012 games, knocking off Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the semifinals to set up his duel with the World's No. 1 in the Gold medal match. Murray won in impressive fashion, and even denied Federer a Career Golden Slam, or someone who's won all four Grand Slam tournaments in addition to a Olympic gold medal.

Murray is going to use that victory as a springboard this week, and knock off the world's No. 1.

That doesn't mean Federer is going to lay down to his British foe. The Swiss star told Steve Ginsburg of Reuters:

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"It's going to take something special from my opponent to win. That's kind of how it feels right now."

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Yes, Federer is entering play this week in Queens, NY, playing some of his best tennis. And yes, history dictates that when he catches fire at any point in his storied career, it usually doesn't go away overnight.

But the circumstances are different this time around. Andy Murray has always had the physical tools to compete with Federer. Now, he has his mind squared away, and he will swat away the game's No. 1 ranked player.