Murray, Federer will face off for Olympic gold

There will be mania among the picnickers on Murray Mount, and a proud contingent of Brits far rowdier than those strawberries-and-cream-eating tennis fans at a typical Wimbledon championship today.

Andy Murray gets a do-over at the All England Club – a month after losing to the man who dominates on the very same Centre Court grass. It’s a Roger Federer-Murray rematch for Olympic gold.

This is Federer’s first shot at a medal. It’s Murray’s umpteenth chance to show he really does have it in him to prevail when the pressure is greatest.

And Murray might finally have everything perfectly lined up to win the big one. The hard-luck Scotsman is playing at home, with the Union Jack adorning the left sleeve of his Olympic outfit, and a rockin’ crowd chanting “GB!” as it tries to will him to victory once again.

“It’s been an amazing month and one of the best of my career,” Murray said. “The support that I have had over the last month, after Wimbledon, I really needed it. All the times that I have lost in a Grand Slam final, I’ve had a tough time afterward for a few months. But coming here with the motivation of playing in the Olympics and with the support that I have had has been all the motivation that I needed.”

The scene will be wild for a closing day that has been sold out for months ahead of what turned out to be the best possible men’s pairing as far as organizers are concerned – and it was sold out before these two even took the court for the first time in their July four-setter won by Federer.

Today’s highlights

Gymnastics: Individual event finals in men’s floor exercise, men’s pommel horse, women’s vault. Track and field: Finals in men’s 100, women’s 400, women’s triple jump. Women’s diving: Springboard final. Beach volleyball: Quarterfinals.