Federer goes for unlikely gold

That Roger Federer should be in the final of a prestigious event should surprise no-one, but there’s a certain irony in the fact that, at the height of a crisis in his singles form, he should be on the verge of the Olympic gold medal he has craved for so long. In his third Olympics, Federer is already guaranteed at least a silver in the doubles, after losing the bronze medal singles playoff to Arnaud di Pasquale in Sydney eight years ago. He and Stanislas Wawrinka have proved a very impressive pairing this week, and the way they bounced back from Federer’s crushing singles defeat to James Blake on Wednesday shows that strength in numbers can often help to rebuild a player’s confidence. The Swiss pair start as favourites against the Swedish veterans Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson, not just on the basis of their vastly... [read full story]