On this day: Roger Federer plays at Wimbledon in front of Prince of Wales

When Roger Federer and Fabio Fognini stepped on the Wimbledon Centre Court for the second-round match on June 27, 2012, they bowed in front of the special guests in the Royal Box. The heir to the throne, Prince Charles attended a match at Wimbledon for the first time since 1970, accompanied by his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla. When Roger scored a 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 triumph in swift an hour and 14 minutes, the entire Centre Cout, including the Royal Box, stood up to give him the standing ovations after one of his most commanding wins at the All England Club. Following the encounter, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall had a chance to talk with Federer and it was a pleasant experience for all of them, especially with the fact that Prince Charles hadn't been at Wimbledon for 42 years!

Roger continued where he left in the opening round against Albert Ramos-Vinolas who grabbed just three games, offering no chances to Fabio and losing only 12 points behind the initial shot.

Fognini was 30-0 in front in the first return game, barely winning a point on Roger's serve after that and suffering six breaks from eight opportunities offered to the Swiss. Federer fired 35 winners and nine unforced errors, standing strong and sailing into the third round. Roger broke in game two and at 4-1, closing the opening set with a forehand winner in game seven for a dominant 6-1. Fognini got broken in the third game of the second set and Federer was marching towards the finish line when he hit a backhand down the line winner at 3-2 in set number three. Serving to stay in the match, Fabio sent a forehand long in game eight to end his Wimbledon campaign and propel Roger into the third round, where he would face Julien Benneteau. Unlike the Italian, the Frenchman pushed Federer to the limits, taking two sets to love advantage before Federer prevailed in five sets. 

"I guess you don't want to do anything stupid in front of them; you have to behave. We were asked to bow, which is no problem to do. We're thrilled for the tennis family that they came to watch Wimbledon today." Roger Federer said. "They were very nice and sweet and thought I played great, which was very nice to get some compliments after the match, which was unnecessary, but of course, I do appreciate it."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/389dy4N