'Roger Federer’s the one who changed tennis in relation...', says close friend

Since he rejoined the circuit last March, Roger Federer's performance has not lived up to expectations. The Swiss champion has only played eight matches, with a far from exciting record of five wins and three defeats. The last one was perhaps the most painful, because it reached the second round of the Halle tournament in quite alarming ways. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was reassembled by Felix Auger-Aliassime, who dominated second and third sets benefiting from a horrifying pass from the 39-year-old from Basel. Roger himself scolded himself at the press conference, but the lingering feeling is that he is still far from acceptable form. On Monday he will start his hunt for the ninth title at Wimbledon, in the hope that the air of Church Road will help him find his best tennis. The first obstacle in his path will be the French Adrian Mannarino, whose playing style is very well suited to this surface. In an interview with the Swiss broadcaster RTS, Yves Allegro - a great friend of Roger and his former doubles partner - took stock of the situation on the eve of the Championships.

Roger Federer listed as the sixth seed

The 42-year-old former player stated, “For me, he’s the greatest. Roger Federer’s the one who changed tennis in relation to the media. He’s the one who lectured It is he who has promoted his sport the best in the last 50 years around the world. He has changed tennis for the better. It is not the number of Grand Slam tournaments won that will make the difference.” Yves Allegro spoke on this topic and added, “Roger is immediately at home. Given the quality of his service and the game he showed at Roland Garros, he will be one of the favorites. The meetings are played in the best of five sets and he knows he will have to beat two top-5 players. It will be very difficult but one thing is certain, he will be mentally and physically fresh.” The eight-time Wimbledon champion will open his campaign against Adrian Mannarino in what could be a tricky fixture. At the time of writing, Mannarino is through to the semifinals in Mallorca, where he is due to face Sam Querrey. The Frenchman has found some form after early exits at Stuttgart and Queen's Club and will head to Wimbledon with plenty of match practice under his belt. Should Federer survive the Mannarino challenge, he would face either Yuichi Sugita or old foe Richard Gasquet in the second round.

 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3w0jCHd