Age no barrier as Federer goes for gold

I / London July 27, 2012, 15:13 IST

Roger Federer insists his Wimbledon triumph should serve as a warning to his Olympic rivals that age won't be a barrier to his dream of winning a gold medal at the All England Club.

Federer is back at Wimbledon for the Olympics only three weeks after beating Andy Murray to clinch a record equalling seventh title at the grass-court Grand Slam, but the Swiss star's thirst for success hasn't been quenched just yet.

After ending his two-year drought at the majors and returning to the top of the world rankings, Federer once again radiates the supreme confidence that characterised his lengthy spell as the sport's dominant force.

He has silenced the critics who claimed the 30-year-old was a fading force who was more focused on his young family than working to combat the twin threat posed by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

And Federer believes his latest Wimbledon crown is extra special as it came at an age when most players his age have already retired and in an era when Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray, all three significantly younger than him, have provided intense competition for the top prizes.

"Winning Wimbledon has definitely sunk in now, especially when I look at the draw here and see I'm the number one seed. It hasn't been that way in some time," Federer said ahead of Saturday's opening day of the tournament.

"I always believed I would get back to number one. I knew my game was strong. I had a couple of tough losses last year that stopped me going further and maybe get back to number one earlier. But the good thing is I never gave up and started to play better, especially at Wimbledon when the pressure was so high.

"It's a dream come true and I'm happy I was able to do it because Nadal, Djokovic and Murray are in their prime. I shouldn't be normally at my age."

Now Federer can cap one of the best months of his illustrious career by adding a sprinkling of gold to his already glittering CV.