“In Switzerland, there is a little too much speculation my career is over,” – this is what Roger Federer said in 2008. What gave rise to such speculation, though? Well, Federer was then 26 years old and already a 12-time Grand Slam champion. Fans thought that the ‘Swiss Maestro’ would become the first player to win a Calendar Slam and Olympic gold in the same year. However, things went the other way in the initial phases of that season. He was defeated in the SF of the AO, lost the final in the French Open and Wimbledon. Even in the singles event of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he faced a similar fate! However, thanks to Stan Wawrinka he managed to turn the tables in the doubles event.

Both of them secured a gold medal in the doubles event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and this win gave an enormous boost to his confidence. Federer then got back on track and clinched his first major title of the 2008 season in New York. Reflecting more on his stellar comeback and revealing his father, Robert Federer’s anecdote, Jon Wertheim, in a recent Served with Andy Roddick podcast episode, stated, “I remember Roger Federer’s father that night in New York when Roger won…he said look, ‘That win would stand, that doubles gold medal was such a huge deal to Roger’s confidence.’“

During the same episode, Wertheim went on to add that Federer came to the 2008 US Open in a good mood. It was only due to his doubles win in Beijing. Even though he hadn’t won a major title that year, this boost in confidence gave him an edge over Andy Murray in the finals. He defeated him by 6-2,7-5,6-2 and clinched his fifth and last US Open title. With that win, he also surpassed Roy Emerson to become second in the list of all-time men’s singles Grand Slam winners with 13 major titles.

So, Wertheim thinks that was the “real hinge point in Roger’s career.” After that, he went on to win seven more Grand Slam titles before finally putting an end to his career in 2022. But what were the main reasons behind that downward slope of Federer during the initial phases of the 2008 season and what did he say after winning the gold medal in Beijing?

“It comes around maybe once…” – Federer was thrilled after clinching his Olympic gold medal

Federer had not lost in the first round of a tournament since 2004 until in the 2008 season, Federer committed quite a few unforced errors. This eventually led to his surprising losses against some of the lower-ranked opponents. His poor form ended his 237 weeks rule at the top of the table in the men’s singles ranking, this led to significant damage in his confidence levels. Apart from that, his agent Tony Godsick also revealed that the Swiss tennis star was also diagnosed with mononucleosis, an infection caused by a virus, at the start of the 2008 season and this perhaps might have caused a significant impact on his performance.

However, getting the chance to taste the gold medal in the doubles event after a disappointing loss to James Blake in the QF of this singles event at the Beijing Olympics was quite an astonishing moment for him. Reflecting more on the emotions that went through his mind after the win, Federer said, “I’m thrilled. It’s a big moment. It’s a dream come true moment. It comes around maybe once in a lifetime.” Both Federer and Wawrinka prioritized their singles matches more than the doubles. So after winning the gold medal in the doubles, Federer said it was quite incredible for them to be able to stay on track despite their single losses and win the event.