Roger Federer has had 08.08.08 marked in his calendar for a long time – the day he carries the Swiss flag at the Olympics opening ceremony on his 27th birthday.
Win or lose in Beijing, Federer’s record 235 weeks as number one will end the day after the tennis final, with arch-rival Rafael Nadal set to top the rankings on Monday, August 18.

And there are signs that after Nadal ended Federer’s five-year Wimbledon reign, and humiliated him in the French Open final,

it is all getting a bit much for a man often billed as the greatest player in the history of tennis.Whatever the reason, the smooth-talking Swiss has maintained a deafening silence on Nadal’s coronation as the new number one. The contrast between the two camps could not be more striking as Nadal joked with Ana Ivanovic and Tommy Robredo at Olympic Green while Federer stalked off to the showers.

Federer also preferred to look ahead after a year that has gone from rough patch, to slump, to full-blown crisis . “For me it is really important over the next couple of weeks, starting here at the Olympics, going on to the US Open,” he said separately.

11:23 AM
Categories: Olympics. Author: SacHu