The Maestro is very close to achieve the incredible 300 weeks record (at the top of the ATP ranking).
The Match
Sticky first match for Roger. The qualifier from Taipei was in great form and he was fully supported by the local fans that were always roaring when the Asian conquered a point.
The Swiss Maestro had to cope with many problems. First he had to shrug off the “famous” death threat. Second he was clearly not as fast as he usually is (tired? Too much rest? Injured? Too much pasta? Rusty on playing on hard courts?). Third he had in his mind this 300 weeks milestone that can make him a bit shaky. Forth, as we said, the crowd was in full support for his opponent.
Finally Roger won the match with a “false” scoreline (6-3 7-5). False because even if the Swiss wasn’t at his best, he won in only 80 minutes (ok that’s also because of the very fast surface and balls), he won 73 points vs. 53 and he broke his opponent 3 times without being broken.
From Roger
“It’s just about getting a sense of how to play the points again, even though it’s been a couple of weeks,” said Federer. “But my last matches were on clay. You always wonder if you have lost something in the meantime.”
“But I’m happy that things worked out well today because I thought Lu played a pretty good match. He’s got the game to be really dangerous, particularly on a fast court like today. I was able to manage. That was a good thing too me, so I’m really happy. He played inspiring tennis at times. It was a good atmosphere and a nice match to play.”
About the Record
Federer will play his great friend Stanislas Wawrinka in his next match. Head to Head is 11-1 for Wawrinka. If Roger makes it 12 it will get his 300 weeks record.
“I’m obviously excited,” said Federer “It’s a big number, even though 299 or 300 doesn’t make a big difference for me. It’s obviously a big match for me. If you look back, there’s many matches where there was a lot on the line, so this is just another one. It’s just more the difficulty also playing a good friend. That adds to the special occasion tomorrow.”
Allez Roger!!!
