Roger Federer Survives as Adrian Mannarino Unfortunately Retires Mid-Match at Wimbledon Championships 2021 R1

The Center-court crowd at SW19 have already got their pennies worth yesterday when Andy Murray registered a brutal victory against Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first-round. Today, it was the turn of Roger Federer to send fans into a frenzy as he battled past the Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in five sets.

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Roger Federer lost his way after winning the first set against Mannarino

The Swiss Maestro won a closely contested first set as he managed to convert just one break point. That one break point was enough for Federer to serve the tenth game and win it 6-4.

Federer didn’t look particularly good on-court as his forehand looked weary. But, he played flawless tennis at crucial moments to win big points. Mannarino, on the other hand, was waiting for the opportunity to witness a dip in the level of Roger.

The same happened in the second set when the Swiss star was unable to break Mannarino’s serve in the first few games. A vulnerable service game from Federer gave enough time for the Frenchman to push his opponent from one corner to the other. But, Mannarino couldn’t take convert the break point opportunity and pushed the set to a tie-breaker.

During the second-set tie-breaker, Federer made four unforced errors and a double fault. It was a horrible breaker from the former world number one as he allowed Mannarino to gain enough momentum to bounce back in the match.

With enough support from the other side of the court, the Frenchman won the second set, 7-6. The 20-time grand slam champion was asked a lot of questions by Mannarino as the match moved to the third set.

Federer’s woes continued in the third as he looked rusty throughout the set. For a while, it appeared as if he was repeating the mental blockage he struggled during his matchup against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round at Halle.

A nasty fall from Mannarino landed Federer the victory

Mannarino dominated Federer in the third and won it quite comfortably. Just when the match was going away from the Swiss Maestro, he survived an incredible opening service game in the fourth set which lasted for eight minutes and won it, eventually.

After that service game, things began to change for Federer as he looked set and used his aggressive forehand to good effect. But, an unfortunate slip from Mannarino changed the whole prospect of the match.

The Frenchman clearly struggled to continue to play forward as he retired just after the start of the fifth set, giving Federer chance to see the Center court crowd once again in the second round.

Talking about an awkward match in the on-court interview, Roger Federer initially looked disappointed to see the match end the way it did.

“It was awful”,?commented the 20-time grand slam champion on the mid-match retirement of Mannarino. Roger Federer will most likely meet Richard Gasquet in the second-round.

Also read: ?My English Is Not Good Enough?: Roger Federer in a Funny Interview After Surviving Wimbledon Championships 2021 Scare