So Roger Federer was forced to win in four sets (6-3, 6-2, 7-6, 6-1) against Philipp Kohlschreiber today – the same talented German with the sweet one-hander who knocked out Novak Djokovic at the French Open (not to be confused with Tommy Haas, who beat Nole at Halle.) It was only the third time in six Wimbledons that Roger’s lost a set in the first week.
It was a little scary for Fed fans – not because he lost the third set but because he took a nasty fall on the grass.
Heart-stopper #1:
Heart-stopper #2:
Perhaps it was the high level of play and the struggle against a talented player that made Roger call this match his best of the week so far. Love the confidence in his post match interview with the BBC:
Roger elaborated a bit more in the press conference:
“I thought it was my best match of the tournament so far. I thought the rhythm was very high. We played a lot of tough points. I really thought, you know, from my side it was an excellent match. Of course, you know, you also need the opponent to come up also with the goods to make it an exciting match, and I thought it was. Sure, I would have loved to win in straight, but he came back strong. . .I was happy how I reacted. Thought I didn’t panic. Was an excellent match in the end.”
Speaking of the his opponent’s great play, how ridiculous was it when ESPN’s Chris Fowler wrote off Kohlschreiber as a “club player” during the second set? Thanks to Pat McEnroe for correcting him! (He also said that Roger wasn’t going to be happy with the match.)
Baby watch update: Mirka was back in the stands after a rare day off on Wednesday. Glad she’s feeling better – and looking fantastic:
Roger will face another tough competitor on Monday in French Open finalist Robin Soderling.
Federer’s scary slip: AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus via Daylife
Federer sends hearts pounding: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Image via Daylife
Tags: ATP, Federer, Kohlschreiber, Mirka Vavrinec, tennis, Wimbledon
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Would love to see Roger Federer win this year, he has worked hard and deserves to be #1 again, he continues to playgreat tennis and is a true champion of the game.
Fingers crossed!
That was a fantastic match from Rog. Very impressive. I saw him say that he felt his serve had been gone for ‘08, and just suddenly came back in Madrid, which really confirmed my thoughts. In ‘08, even winning the US Open, Roger was missing something, not just on his serve- like in the Wimby finals, his serve was good, but he wasn’t painting the lines like we were used to. At Madrid, his serve was really back, and I think this gives him the confidence to play his aggressive game. Today he looked great in every facet. His net play was phenomenal, and some of those drop volleys off his shoe laces were just miraculous.
What I remember of Fed 04-07 was that he made shots that you’d never seen on the tennis court before. He’s doing it again!
Well said, T.V.! I agree that Roger at Wimbledon looks a lot more like THE Roger here at Wimbledon – the guy with the magic racquet. Don’t know if its a change in circumstance or just surface, but I’m liking what I’m seeing.
To me the third set was a testament to Kohlschreiber’s talent. The guy can play and had to play out of his mind just to win a set. Good stuff.
I watched the match and got very concerned in the third set when, up a break, Fed started experimenting with different shots. Perhaps he was bored – or wanted to try some new stuff – but Kohlschreiber is too good a player for that and he made Roger pay. It was tight enough that I thought Roger’s game went truly “off” for the last part of the set — he lost his first serve and made some forehand errors reminiscent of his “bad” play in March. Other than that half set he did play an excellent match and, as TennisVagabond says, made some spectacular volleys and winners. But, I hope he takes Soderling more seriously.
Interesting take – perhaps that’s why Roger won the last seat 6-1? He realized, “oh, I better get serious about this.”
I’m not too worried – he’s looking fit as a fiddle and highly motivated to win.
Soderling will be a test – he did take Rafa to 5 sets on grass, after all.
#2 was the REAL heart stopper!!! Mirka really does look great… I have to say pregnancy really agrees with her. Just radiant.
But it is worrying that there are so many slips and falls on the court.
Yeah, I’m still a little freaked out by that. One bad fall and a tenis player’s career could be finished. Super scary. It’s funny because when I watched the match and saw Roger running in the back court I though “Roger, stay by the baseline or you’ll fall” and a second later, he had that fall.
Also, with the back, you don’t want to be jerking around like that.
Maybe Wimbledon will let him wear cleats
*freaks out a little*
I thought it was a good match, losing a set was to be expected against a player like Kohlschreiber. although the way he lost it – after being up a break – was a little annoying. Kohlschreiber did deserve a set for the quality of tennis he played though.
*freaks out a little more*
Did anyone else noticed that Roger’s game wasn’t the same quality in the third set, as it was in the first two sets, after he fell for the second time?
I think that’s where, perhaps, he lost his concentration a bit; because the score in the fourth set is strange; 6-1. Due to the fact that Roger does not fall/slip on any court very often, maybe he felt uncomfortable.
Still, it was a good test.