Wimbledon 2017: Roger Federer strolls into second week with straight sets win over Mischa Zverev
The Swiss is yet to drop a set at The Championships and he made light work of the left-handed serve-volleyer Zverev, winning 7-6(3) 6-4 6-4 on Saturday evening
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Your support makes all the difference.Roger Federer’s pursuit of an unprecedented eighth Wimbledon title could not have got off to a better start. The bookmakers’ favourite is through to the second week of The Championships and is yet to drop a single set, having strolled to a 7-6(3) 6-4 6-4 victory over Mischa Zverev in front of his adoring Centre Crowd crowd.
Federer had admitted prior to this match that he was unsure of what to expect from Zverev, a left-handed serve-volleyer who memorably dumped World No 1 Andy Murray out of the Australian Open earlier this year.
But it didn’t take Federer long to work his opponent out, holding his nerve in a first-set tiebreak before rattling through the second and third sets.
He joins his fellow title favourites in the fourth round, with Novak Djokovic having made light work of the big-hitting Ernests Gulbis, after Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray had won their matches on Friday. Remarkably, it is the first time that tennis’ fab four have all made the second week of Wimbledon since 2011.
“I think it's great that they are through,” Federer commented shortly after his straight sets win. “I'm not that surprised because I thought that everybody this week was going to find their form, especially speaking about Andy and Novak. So I thought they did it very well.
“With me, I hoped I was going to be there. Whereas with Rafa's confidence, I thought he was also going to be there. So I'm not that surprised, but it's great.”
All four men remain on track to meet in the semi-finals, although Federer faces another two matches before his hypothetical match-up with Djokovic. Next up he faces Grigor Dimitrov, who was christened with the nickname ‘Baby Fed’ early on into his career for his similarly slick style of tennis.
“It will be a tough match because every time that I have played him he has been stronger than the time before,” Federer said of his next opponent. “He is at the perfect age right now to really understand his game, he is physically very strong, and I think mentally he has really taken that next step.
“He had a great run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open before he was beaten by Rafa, so we very nearly played in the final there. So I am preparing myself for a very tough match, and it should be exciting for all of the fans because he really is a fantastic shotmaker.”
Fantastic shotmaker or not, Federer will be the overwhelming favourite to progress into the quarter-final and boasts a clear edge over his protégé, having won all five of their previous meetings. He also appears to be hitting the sort of form that carried him towards his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this season, and started at a rapid pace against Zverev, moving into a 4-1 lead after just 15-minutes.
But Federer had admitted prior to this match that he was unsure of exactly what to expect from Zverev, and it wasn’t long before the German hit back. Having started the match with the unexpected tactic of returning Federer’s serve from well back beyond the baseline, Zverev experienced more success charging the net and taking the ball early, quickly breaking back to force a first-set tiebreak.
It didn’t go Zverev’s way. As in his previous match against Lajović, the tiebreak saw Federer swing into action. The Swiss immediately secured the mini-break before Zverev’s volley into the net handed him the opening set.
“Yeah it was tough at the start because he is a serve and volley player and really mixes his shots up,” Federer said after coming off the court. “But it was nice to see that style and the crowd was unbelievable once again. He is a really good guy and I think we fed off each other, and so I am very happy with my performance.”
From the second set on, Federer was in complete control. He again broke Zverev in his second service game and lost just five points on his serve en route to taking the second set in just 35 minutes, before bringing out the party tricks in the third. An audacious tweener from beyond the baseline had the crowd on their feet, as did his final shot: a thumping 119mph ace.
Federer was more than happy with his evening’s work. “It is important to get through the first week with a good feeling,” he said after his win.
“The first match was obviously cut short and didn’t give me that much information about my game, but it did help me to save energy.
“It’s always the first goal just to get into that second week and now I’m looking forward to having tomorrow off so that I can relax, and hopefully I will come back even stronger.”
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