Roger Federer's crown has lost some of its lustre this season and a shiny Olympic gold medal would be very welcome for the Swiss mogul.
After being thrashed by Rafael Nadal in the French Open final, the Swiss maestro lost again at Wimbledon to the Spaniard who won a five-set epic on Federer's Centre Court fortress.
The world number one turns 27 on the day of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony and he will have to rediscover his A-game after also suffering surprise defeats in the Toronto and Cincinnati hardcourt Masters events.
"There are many guys who can play solid game in the tournaments. The last couple of weeks has not been good, I lost matches I should never lost. They hurt, but I did not play bad by losing and it is not gonna make me cry for months," said Federer on Thursday in Beijing.
"My level of play has been good, well on the clay and well on the grass, but this year's hard courts has not been that great so far, I hope I can do well in Beijing and in the U.S. Open."
By reaching the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters, Nadal piled up enough points to overtake Federer as the world's No. 1 player. Given the way points accrue -- the last 52 weeks are counted -- he will surpass Federer in the Aug. 18 rankings.
Federer has been No. 1 for a record 236 consecutive weeks. He and Nadal have been ranked 1-2 since July 25, 2005. Nadal will become the third Spaniard to hold the No. 1 spot, joining Carlos Moya (1999) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003).
"Obviously the focus is on the Olympics now and not on the ranking. Rafa has done very well in the past season to become the world number one, but the ranking is not my focus right now.
"When the season opens again, there will be talk about the ranking but with a few days ahead of the Olympic Games, I hope I can do well and enjoy the opening ceremony tomorrow on my birthday. It should be a nice thing.
"It is important to my career, so I have to focus on this."
The highlights of Federer's two previous Olympic Games amount to meeting his long-standing girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec in Sydney and carrying the Swiss flag at the opening ceremony in Athens four years ago.
"Both of them are highlights of my career, but I guess to meet my girlfriend is more important as I have been with her for eight years but to carry a flag is only ten minutes," joked Federer, who will carry the Swiss flag again in the Beijing Games opening ceremony on Aug. 8.
"But of course the Games have been very nice. I remember the Athens Games, great souvenirs, and my first Olympics in Sydney which was eight years ago. It is going to be one of my dreams to be able to do very well in the Olympic Games, be able to represent my country. it is something that is very important to me.
"Last time I was also carrying the flag, one of the great moments. It was like a dream to walk into the stadium, I see athletes on one side and the fans on the other side. The stadium is the biggest I have ever seen. It is one of the great moments in my career. I enjoy a lot."
In 2000 he lost a semi-final to Tommy Haas and then let a bronze medal slip through his fingers against Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale. Four years later he lost in the second round to Tomas Berdych.
"I have won a lot of Grand Slams, but it is a different feeling to play in the Olympics. You carry your country in your mind, you want to do well and that will add extra pressure.
"The Olympics have been such a big event. It is a very nice feeling to try to win the gold. Once you advance in the tournament, there are something growing on you and increase the pressure.
"It would mean as much as maybe a Wimbledon victory, I don't know, but definitely it is right up there with great victory."
Federer will play against Russian Dmitry Tursunov, a player that will be dangerous in Federer's mind. And if all goes well, he will meet Croat Ivo Karlovic in the third round. The big-serving player has just defeated the Swiss in Cincinnati, paving the way for Nadal's ranking takeover.
"Every tournament has a handful of favorites, I will say Rafa, Djokovic and Murray who was playing good last month in Beijing.
"I am always one of them, which is clear."
(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)