Wimbledon 2021: Roger Federer suffers his biggest defeat at SW19, questions linger over future-Sports News , Firstpost

There was a bit of a wait before Roger Federer could get his service game underway once again. The near capacity crowd were up in applause, cheering, urging him on. “Let’s go, Roger! Let’s go!”. “You got this!”. “Allez!”

Not new for the Swiss at Wimbledon where he’s an eight-time champion. Not new for him on Centre Court. But this wasn’t him serving for the match. This wasn’t him serving for the title. This wasn’t him trying to keep a close match going.

The applause was more of a “thank you” and a potential “goodbye” for what turned out to be the final game of the match. A tame forehand into the tramlines and it was all over in favour of Poland’s 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz.

What was baffling was not the outcome but the scoreline. 6-3, 7-6, 6-0. This was Federer’s biggest defeat at the All England Club. And just the first time he has been bageled. His first straight sets defeat at Wimbledon since 2002 and just his third at this historic venue. Overall, it was just the third bagel Federer has suffered at a Slam since turning pro in 1998 and fifth overall. The last came in 2008 on clay against Rafael Nadal. This wasn’t a normal defeat for Federer and a normal win for Hurkacz.

The walk off the court wasn’t necessarily Serena Williams-esque. He just took his bag and quickly walked off the court with a wave. There was no lingering for an emotional applause or taking a moment to bask it all in. Will it be the last time? Federer wouldn’t say. “I really don’t know. I’ve got to regroup.”

Is retirement in the offing? “No, I hope not. The goal is to play, of course.”

An ovation for 22 years of memories ????

It’s been a pleasure as always, @rogerfederer #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/GvsOenp68C

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2021

Over on the other side of the net, Hurkacz, Federer’s opponent, hadn’t made it past the third round at Wimbledon or any Grand Slam earlier and is now headed to the semi-final against Matteo Berrettini. A remarkable twist in the Pole’s year where he won the Miami Masters but then went on a six match losing streak including two in the tune-up events. The 24-year-old showed no nerves, no inferiority complex in sweeping away a man who has bossed these courts since 2003.

“It’s super-special for me, to play on this court. Playing against Roger, when you’re a kid, it’s like a dream come true,” Hurkacz said.

Few had Hurkacz on their radar. He got through three potentially tricky matches in the first three rounds before making the first show of intent. Against World No 2 Daniil Medvedev, he came from two sets to one down, in a match disrupted by rain, to win in five sets. That experience on Centre Court helped prepare for facing a monumental prospect that is Federer, on grass, at Wimbledon.

Federer had taken the same journey but in reverse. He trailed two-sets-to-one against Adrian Mannarino in the first round before an unfortunate slip cut the Frenchman’s attempt short. That seemed to bring Roger to life with confident wins over Richard Gasquet, Cameron Norrie and Lorenzo Sonego next. All that positivity and confidence was shattered on Wednesday.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner struggled with his movement, looked flat-footed, slow, and most prominently, error prone. The crisp ball hitting fell flat with multiple mis-hit forehands and wind making things tougher for both. Where Federer made 31 unforced errors – 18 on the forehand – Hurkacz made just 12 with both players fairly even in terms of winners (36 of Hurkacz’s to Federer’s 34).

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

On his part, Hurkacz played smartly. At 6-foot-5, he used his serve well with 10 aces, employed the drop shots effectively and kept Federer under the pump by going after the second serve. He was extremely accurate too with 36 winners and 12 unforced errors. To top it all off, Roger’s serve was under pressure throughout.

In the first set, Federer saved three break points at 2-2 but was broken two games later. In the second set, Federer found some rhythm and started attacking to race off to a 4-1 lead. But that was wiped away to draw parity and eventually force a tiebreak.

The second set tiebreak presents a true reflection of where Federer’s game is at presently. On the first point, Hurkacz played a running forehand pass with Roger caught flat at the net. Then down 2-3, Federer slipped and missed a routine volley sitting right on top of the net. Not often would Federer slip at Wimbledon, and not often would he slip at a moment like this. At 4-5, Federer’s mis-hit forehand sat up nicely for Hurkacz to attack and spank a forehand cross court winner to bring up set point.

The third set was a reflection of a Federer we’ve not seen. One with their spirit broken. The desire to get up and get going curtailed. “The last few games, obviously, you can feel that you’re not coming back from it,” said Federer. “I’m not used to that kind of situation, obviously, very much. Especially not here.”

For Federer, assessment of where he’s at in his career is contextual rather than based on the performance of one match. Having undergone two knee surgeries in the last year, a slow rehab process which moved his recovery timelines, and just eight matches under his belt this year, Federer is fairly pleased with his Wimbledon show.

Hubert Hurkacz is through to his maiden Grand Slam semi-final after beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon. AP

“I’m actually very happy I made it as far as I did here and I actually was able to play Wimbledon at the level that I did after everything I went through. Of course I would like to play it again, but at my age you’re just never sure what’s around the corner.”

The mindset has changed, too. It’s not up and ready to go, a lot of the things that came naturally to the almost 40-year-old need to be tuned in now. There’s plenty of decision making as far as scheduling is concerned with Tokyo Olympics, starting 23 July, still not confirmed in Federer’s book.

“Now that that’s over, you’ve just got to reassess everything. You’ve got to sit down, talk about it: What went well? What didn’t go so well? Where is the body? Where is the knee? Where is the mind? As you can see, it was a struggle for me,” he said.

But does a defeat, even this one, still sting? “I felt very disappointed in the moment itself. I still am. At the same time there’s always a weight that falls off your shoulders when a tournament is over, when a huge goal is made or missed. It doesn’t matter actually. You feel the weight is gone and you’re exhausted. I feel horribly exhausted. I could go for a nap right now,” he said in a very emotional post-match press conference.

“One more year! One more year!” pleaded one fan during the match on the venue that Federer made his own over the years. Will there be one more? Or will a bagel, a forehand going wide, a straight sets defeat, be the last of the Federer at SW19? In cricketing terms, that would be the equivalent of legendary Donald Bradman getting out for a nought in his final innings and missing on 100 run average. Will 20 Grand Slam titles, tied with Nadal, be that lasting memory and opportunity lost? Only Federer can tell.