“Some things I did in Geneva were a joke”
Roger Federer returned to the Majors a year ago after 500 days away from the top tennis scene. Struggling with a knee injury, Federer took a break after the 2020 Australian Open, and his next major event came at Roland Garros last year.
Roger returned to Doha in March and took more time off before embracing a clay-court swing in Geneva and Paris. Playing at home in Geneva, Federer lost in the opener to experienced clay court player Pablo Andujar 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
The Swiss played well after the first game but failed to take the win home. Federer was broken at 4-5 in the first set and raised his level in the second. He was five points behind on the initial shot and grabbed a break at 1-1 to move past.
Serving well in the rest of the set, Federer closed it in the tenth game and built momentum ahead of the decider. Hitting well from both ends, Roger took a 4-2 lead and closed in on the finish line. In just his second loose serve game of the match, Federer was broken at 4-3 when Andujar landed a forehand winner to bring more drama.
Losing ground in those moments, Roger suffered another break at 4-5, saving the first two match points with the winners before falling on the third to finish on the losing side.
Roger Federer made changes before Roland Garros compared to Geneva.
Eager to improve his game, Federer played at a much higher level in the Roland Garros opener, storming Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 33 minutes.
Playing aggressive tennis on serve and return, Roger dominated the shorter rallies and kept the initial shot safe. He dropped just 13 points in his matches and delivered five breaks to rise to the top in style and claim the first major victory since last year’s Australian Open.
Roger didn’t like some elements of his game in Geneva, calling his performance a joke and hoping for a better run in Paris. “I promised myself not to be as far behind the baseline on the return as in Geneva.
It was a complete joke. I didn’t feel well there and wanted to try with the hammer. I have more clarity in my head now,” said Roger Federer.