'I ate a carbonara with Roger Federer in Rome', says legend

Roger Federer had to skip the second half of the 2016 season due to a knee injury and came back stronger a year later to embrace an unforgettable season. Federer won 54 of 59 matches in 2017, taking seven titles and two Majors, his first since 2012! A few weeks before his 36th birthday, the Swiss claimed his eighth Wimbledon crown without losing a set, building momentum and returning to Montreal a couple of weeks later. Federer picked up where he left off at the All England Club and beat Peter Polansky 6-2, 6-1 in just 54 minutes! The Canadian was ranked 116th and entered the draw with a wild card to face the 19-time Major winner in Roger's first match in Montreal since 2011. Federer lost 12 points in eight service games, fending off two break opportunities in the fifth of the second game and steal the opponent's serve four times to control the pace and advance. That summer, Polansky played in three straight Challenger finals, but that wasn't enough to challenge such a strong opponent, especially after serving 42%. The Swiss made a perfect start and won the first set 6-2 in 21 minutes. Federer held on with an ace in the first game and broke for a 2-0 lead when Peter double-faulted. Accelerating hard, Roger held zero in Game 3 to forge a 3-0 lead in six minutes. The Canadian got his name on the scoreboard with a service winner in the fourth game and produced a solid serve turn at 4-1 to stay within a break deficit. The Swiss took the seventh game with another perfect serve and took a break with a winning volley a few minutes later 6-2. Playing aggressive tennis, Roger hit a big winner in the second game of the second set to build the lead and held on with a serve winner to move 3-0 up front. Polansky hit a forehand in the fourth game to lose serve and fall further behind before creating those two break opportunities in the next. Roger saved those with winners to keep serve intact and brought the game home with an ace for a 5-0 lead. Polansky erased match points in the sixth game to avoid a zero and Federer closed the next at 15 to seal the deal and advance to the third round.

Panatta speaks about Roger Federer

Former French Open champion Adriano Panatta penned a heartfelt letter to Roger Federer on the Swiss' 40th birthday. Panatta revealed that Federer had told him he would be happy to swap some of his Wimbledon titles in return for the Italian's 1976 Roland Garros trophy. "I remember that one evening in Rome, during the 2009 Internationals of Italy, we ate a carbonara together in Trastevere," said Panatta. "At one point he (Roger Federer) said to me: 'Adriano, I would exchange some of my successes at Wimbledon with your Roland Garros'. My answer: 'Me too…'. He had already won five times in London. That dinner brought him luck: a month later he won Paris and had lifted all the Grand Slam titles, albeit in different years, as he deserves," he concluded.

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