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| Roger Federer (Top) and Stanislas Wawrika of Switzerland celebrate after winning Olympic gold in the men's double's tennis match against Sweden's Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson, at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre in Beijing on August 16, 2008. [Agencies] |
BEIJING -- Fourth seeds Roger Federer and fellow-Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka beat Swedes Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson 3-1 in the men's doubles final the Olympic Games here on Saturday.
Federer/Wawrinka, who have only played their fourth tournament together, needed two hours and 48 minutes to beat the Swedes in their first-ever meeting 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3.
The gold came as a great compensation for the singles world number one Federer, who had aimed to claim the gold in men's singles, only to be sent packing by American James Blake in the quarterfinals.
It was also Switzerland's second Olympic tennis medal, with Marc Rosset winning the men's singles gold medal at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games.
"It is like a fantastic dream comes true, I feel really happy to win the gold medal. It is great, I enjoy that," said Federer in mixed zone. "I have tried for several times (to get a medal), and I came really close to the medal in Sydney where I finished fourth."
"Since then I can't stop thinking that If I am the best player in the world, I should do the same in the Olympics, and then finally I made it, it is really special also because it is for Switzerland, you know, our country can not get so many medals at one Olympics, maybe one or two, but this time I got a gold medal, it is for my country, I really feel different, as it is for my coutry, it is different from the Grand Sam where I did it for just myself."
The Swiss duo were into the game quickly, notching up an early break to close out the first set in just 29 minutes. Federer and Wawrinka had squandered two set points while leading 5-3 and 40-0 on the Swiss serve, but a Federer ace worked their way out effectively.
In the second set, the momentum was still on the side of the Swiss pair, who again broke Aspelin and Johansson in the third game of the second set.
The Swedes had a chance to break back in the eighth game when they were leading at 40-15, but the Swiss duo scored four straight points to hold serve and went on to take the set at 6-4.
After an exchange of service break early in the third set, both teams stayed solid in respective serve until a tie-break where the Swedes won at 7-4.
But in the fourth set, the Swiss duo never looked back and won it at 6-3.
In an earlier match, the American twin brothers and top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan rallied to beat Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to get a bronze medal for the United States.
