Now That Is Class!

Roger Federer Rejecting Opportunity To Carry The Swiss Flag For The Third Time

As the top seed in the men’s Olympic tennis tournament and the defending gold medalist in doubles,Roger Federer would seem to be a logical choice to carry the flag for Switzerland during tomorrow’s opening ceremonies at the Olympic Games.

But Federer, who had carried the flag during opening ceremonies in 2004 and 2008, thought it was somebody else’s turn.

I never expected it, in the first place, when I started playing tennis that I would ever carry the flag into the Olympic Stadium for an Olympic Games,” Federer said at a packed news conference in London on Thursday. “So for me that was a surprise and a huge honor in my life to be able to represent Switzerland…. I felt like maybe I could enter the history books by doing it a third time.

“It would have been amazing. And there’s no denying that I would have loved to do it. I just felt it was important to give someone else a chance, particularly in Switzerland. We do believe other people should also have chances. That’s why I told Swiss Olympic [officials] I think they should choose someone else.

“They then chose my [doubles] partner Stan Wawrinka, and I think it’s a great, great honor for him. Because I could not have won Olympic gold without him.”