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  • Olympic gold paved the way for Federer's New York title

    9/11/08 8:54 AM | Johan Lindahl
    - Olympic doubles gold gave Roger Federer the confidence to salvage his season with a fifth straight US Open title, putting the Swiss back into the mix as a serious threat to return to No. 1 and again dominate the game.

    The 13-time grand Slam champion said that his heroics in Beijing just a few weeks earlier as he lifted victory alongside Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka gave him the spark he needed to prevail over Andy Murray in the New York final.

    “I was coming here happy being an Olympic champion. I think that's what really made the big difference”, said the 27-year-old. “If I had not played Olympic doubles, I would have come here with three tough losses (French and Wimbledon finals to Rafael Nadal plus a Beijing singles loss in the quarters to James Blake)”.

    Federer said his hard times were forgotten as he lifted another major honour for his first at that level this season. “It really made me forget about it, and just sort of come in here and enjoy this tournament”.

    The Swiss added that it was not a matter of confidence: “I'm always going to be confident, you know. I'm a four-time defending champion”.

    “I was always going to believe in my chances, and especially at the Slams, I knew I was so close at Wimbledon that my chances were always going to be good here. That's why I came into this tournament quite confident”.

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