Federer Inspired By Rosset's Olympic Gold; Requires 58 Minutes To Win

© AFP/Getty ImagesRoger Federer won 26 of 54 points on return of serve against Julien Benneteau.

Roger Federer is fuelled by the memories of his Swiss compatriot Marc Rosset, the 1992 Olympic singles gold medallist, in his own quest at the London 2012 Olympics Tennis Event.

The top-seeded Federer admitted on Monday that the prospect of winning a singles gold medal at the All England Club would be a “dream come true… because I definitely get inspired by the 1992 victory by Marc Rosset.”

Federer was speaking after he overcame another Wimbledon bogeyman, Julien Benneteau of France 6-2, 6-2, for a third-round berth.

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Federer, who was taken to five sets against Benneteau at The Championships one month ago, hit 24 winners and seven aces to wrap up victory in just 58 minutes. On Saturday, in his first match at his fourth Olympic Games, he beat Alejandro Falla, who also took Federer to five sets at Wimbledon in 2010.

“I was able to put in another solid performance today,” said Federer. “There was a bit of a swirly wind and I think he might have struggled a little bit with his serve in these conditions, whereas indoors it is straightforward and you can get great rhythm.”

Federer didn’t face a single break point as he won 31 of his 47 service points. When asked about Federer’s chances of winning the gold medal, Benneteau said, “He’s the favourite. There are a lot of good players here, but for sure he’s going to be close.”

Federer will next challenge Uzbek Denis Istomin, who beat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-7(4), 7-6(3) 7-5 in two hours and 37 minutes.

Federer admitted he is “watching everything” on television at his private house in Wimbledon village. “We have a great TV set-up where you can watch all the different sports from archery to beach volleyball, canoeing, anything really. Of course, I have a few of my favourites.”

In other second-round play, Spanish No. 11 seed Nicolas Almagro proved too strong for Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Russia, the 2011 Most Improved Player Of The Year, in a 6-2, 6-2 win over 46 minutes. Bogomolov Jr. won eight of 40 points on return of serve, while Almagro struck 14 aces and 23 winners.

Almagro will next meet Belgium’s Steve Darcis, who battled past Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4.