Only four men are left in the London 2012 Olympic tennis event: Federer, Djokovic, Murray, and Del Potro. All great players. All deserving of an Olympic medal. And by tomorrow evening we'll know what color medal they'll each be fighting for.
Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin Del Potro
First up on Centre Court on Friday we'll have the winner of 17 Grand Slam titles versus the winner of just one Slam. But let's not forget who Del Potro defeated in the final to win his one and only major at the U.S. Open—Mr. Roger Federer himself. Del Potro might not be the same player he was in 2009, but he is very powerful and always dangerous, and Federer will have to play well to defeat him. On the other hand, Federer has beaten Del Potro five times this year already, and I can't see him losing this match. He'll be playing on his favorite surface, at his favorite tournament venue, at the place where he's been most successful, and the place where he just won his seventh Wimbledon title a few weeks before. Federer wants this gold medal badly, and I think he'll take Del Potro down in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray
Now here's where it gets interesting. Djokovic and Murray both have a lot to prove in this match. Djokovic loves competing under the Serbian flag and he seems to do his best when he's trying to win for his country. He also recently lost his number one ranking and a win here would get him one step closer to proving that he is still the best. And then you've got Andy Murray—who gained many new fans after his heartbreaking loss to Federer in the Wimbledon final last month. The British crowd supported him at Wimbledon and they're supporting him more than ever at the Olympics. Although he is still without a Slam, Murray played really well at Wimbledon, and he should be feeling confident that he can reach the final on the same surface he did a few weeks ago. I think this will be a really exciting match, and I'm going with Murray upsetting Djokovic in three close sets.
