Federer Exit 2021 Wimbledon and Return in 2022 ?
I am not sure what the
expectations were when Federer played in the 2021 edition of the Wimbledon
? Many think that he holds a magic racquet
that he swings at will and wins championship. Not really .. He does create his
own magic when playing on the court and is of course a treat
to watch but he is a human being after all. For me , I had very little
expectations from the Champion .He had resumed the Grand slam pursuit at the Clay
courts of Roland Garros and then after winning three rounds , quit the
tournament to prepare for the grass courts of Wimbledon. and to
preserve his knee as the Clay courts are very demanding the knee. As a pre cursor
to the preparation for Wimbledon ,
Federer does play the Halle open every year and has won it several times. Not this time ,
he was ousted by Young Canadian , Felix Aliassime and that probable suggested
the form and what to expect from him at Wimbledon.
Federer huffed and puffed in
the first round. It was so difficult to watch him play the way he did . He was
struggling to do things that he would do so easily some years back . However ,
as the match went in the fifth set , his French opponent called it quits due to
a injury.. Ahhh lucky escape and in to
the second round. This one was much better -- against a very known opponent ,,again
a Frenchman Richard Gasquet who has lost to him several times in the past .I
thought , this was a chance for Gasquet to sort out the score card. But Federer
picked his game and though Gasquet played well , he did so in patches and that
was not good enough to change the result . On to Round 3, Cameron Norrie , the local was up against Federer. Norrie probably
played Federer in to some rhythm and form and Federer moved in to the Fourth
round. It was a relatively easy outing against Italian Larry Sonego in the
fourth and that sent Federer in to the Quarters.
Federer looked sharp and so the
expectations were raising. The last time he played at Wimbledon in 2019 ,
Federer was in the final , held two match points before losing in a heart
breaking tie break. So, all rationale pointed to him getting in the next round ! And Djokovic
was not in his half of the draw. Things
looked bright .But but , there was this tall Polish guy who had other ideas. I
did watch Hurkacz play against Medvedev seeded 2 ( his previous
match in Round 4)– It was a thrilling
match with high quality tennis , with serving and shot making by both the
players with freedom. Hurkacz prevailed in five sets and I thought , this guy
will give Federer a run … But I did not expect him to knock Federer out of the
contest. If one looks at the statistics of the match , they may not tell you
the true story. Federer played below part but Hurkacz played a giant s game as he made some
unbelievable shots. It was an exit that probably Federer was not prepared for .
His family had not joined him yet in the Box to watch him .. So Federer in his
mind was looking forward and not looking at exiting !
Federer had come in to the
2021 having recovered from two major knee surgeries. Did not play a single
match in 2020 . And he is just shy of his 40th birthday. But he is
still competitive . Just shows the way he has taken care of himself physically
and mentally to be in shape at this age and play against players who may not
have been even born when Federer won his first Grand Slam title . Most would
have quit the game but his passion and love for the game is undeniable. And he can still produce the magic.. his serve
is still strong . But, Federer himself
admitted that age is catching up and he is not able to do things as easily as he would have done in the past
. Will he come back for 2022 to Wimbledon
where he has the best chance as grass courts suit him and give him the best
shot for another Grand Slam title ..Time alone will tell. ! But as Federer fan
, would love to see him do that !
And just in terms of the
tournament itself , we need a new champion other than the Nadals , Djokovics of
the world .. They have dominated enough but it has come to a point that their
winning is becoming boring !
Hopefully we see a new Champion at this Wimbledon 2021 !
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