via Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 1, 2021 Switzerland’s Roger Federer reacts after falling during his second round match against France’s Richard Gasquet REUTERS/Paul Childs
via Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 1, 2021 Switzerland’s Roger Federer reacts after falling during his second round match against France’s Richard Gasquet REUTERS/Paul Childs
It was a crushing day for Wimbledon and tennis fans as fan-favorite and defending runner-up Roger Federer crashed out of the 2021 Championships. Federer was humbled in straight sets by Polish Hubert Hurkacz in his quarterfinal encounter.
Hurkacz keeps it simple
Hubert Hurkacz had already overcome 2nd seed Daniil Medvedev in Round-4 to book his spot in today’s clash. Coming up against an in-form Federer, the Pole showed no signs of nerves or rust. He was off the blocks striaght away and took the first set 6-3 in no time.
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via Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 6, 2021 Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz reacts during his fourth round match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
As the match went on, Hurkacz’s level only picked up, while the 20-time Grand Slam champion crumbled in the windy conditions. Federer failed to make his first serves and was slow on the court. This, however, did not affect Hubert’s tennis in any way. He played simple, compact tennis by putting the ball back in court time after time.
Self-admittedly poor outing for Roger Federer
via Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 3, 2021 Switzerland’s Roger Federer in action during his third round match against Britain’s Cameron Norrie Pool via REUTERS/David Gray
While all the credit goes to Hurkacz for his perseverance, Federer looked a shadow of himself right from the get go. His forehand was in no way effective, constantly finding the net or pulling the ball wide. The first serve also did not click, which is normally one of Roger’s primary weapons.
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And they say to never meet your heroes…@HubertHurkacz knocks out his idol, eight-time champion Roger Federer, in straight sets to advance to his first Grand Slam semi-final#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Qri1uriPDF
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2021
Following his defeat, Federer admitted it wasn’t his best day in the office in the post-match interview. “It was a tough last few games as you can feel you’re not coming back from it. I’m not used to that kind of situation very much. Especially not here. Crowd was amazing. That’s why I play and why I still play now. Unfortunately they witnessed a straight sets defeat.”
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On whether this was his last Wimbledon, the Swiss icon said “I don’t know. I really don’t know. I’ve got to regroup. My goal was always to try and play another Wimbledon. I was able to make it this year, which I’m really happy about. Everything that comes after, we’ll have to sit down and talk about it.”
It was the youngster who came out on top in this battle of the ages. Failing to hit the crunch winners cost Federer on the day, as his quest for Slam number 21 continues. Hurkacz prevailed 6-3 7-6(4) 6-0 in 1 hour and 49 minutes. It was a spell-binding performance from Hubert Hurkacz, who will now face the winner of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon 2021 semifinal. With his serve and shot making clicking at the right time, it is possible that the 14th seed may secure his maiden Grand Slam final.
