By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, July 3, 2021
Roger Federer fought off Briton Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at Wimbledon advancing to his record-extending 69th Grand Slam fourth round.
Photo credit: Getty
Taxing weekend work still doesn't faze Roger Federer.
The king of so many final Sundays secured his spot in Wimbledon's Manic Monday for a record-extending 18th time.
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Elevating his play at crunch time, 39-year-old Federer fought off Briton Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 advancing to his record-extending 69th Grand Slam fourth round.
The 39-year-old Swiss is the third oldest man in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon round of 16 joining Hall of Famers Pancho Gonzales (41 years 57 days) in 1969 and Ken Rosewall (40 years 245 days) in 1975.
This turned out to be a tricky test for Federer, who fired his forehand down the line with vigor for two sets only to see Norrie lift his level and post his first break to force fourth set. Norrie out-aced Federer (12 to 7), but Federer lashed 48 winners and broke four times, including twice in the Briton's last three service games. Federer rapped a forehand strike into the corner breaking for a 5-4 fourth-set lead then dabbed a deft drop volley to help him serve out a two hour, 34-minute victory. Federer raised his Wimbledon record to an eye-popping 104-13.
"Super relieved; it was a tough battle with Cam," Federer said afterward. "I was so close to serving it out. Now at the end he deserved that third set.I thought he played excellent today.
"For me, I felt I was really able to keep a very high level of play. He got the good break at the end of the third but overall I'm very happy with how I played."
Continuing his quest for a record 13th Wimbledon final, Federer will face Lorenzo Sonego for a quarterfinal spot.
The 23rd-seeded Italian slammed 14 aces defeating Aussie James Duckworth 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to join seventh-seeded compatriot Matteo Berrettini in the round of 16.
Eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer conceded he "got lucky" withstanding left-hander Adrian Mannarino in his opener as the Frenchman was forced to retire after injuring his right knee in a fourth-set fall to the court. That match gave Federer information and preparation ahead of facing lefty Norrie today, but after a shaky three double-fault opening game, the 34th-ranked Briton began to hit his stride in the third set today.
Ultimately, Federer's superior explosiveness of the serve and forehand and his shrewd use of the chip backhand at the right times helped him find the finish line in four sets.
"Look, it's obviously very different third match the way the grass plays even the opponent, maybe some similarities, still they have different strengths and different weaknesses," Federer said. "I think overall definitely playing at a higher level. I got lucky in that first round, my English is better, things are going really well for me."
Understandably tight at the outset of his first Tour-level meeting with the former world No 1, Norrie dumped three double faults in the opening game but showed resourcefulness dodging a break point to hold.
The sixth-seeded Swiss is the more explosive player and showed it driving a forehand down the line that singed the baseline, capping a love break for 4-3. Federer flew through 12 straight points stamping three straight shutout games to stretch the lead to 5-3.
Dictating with his serve, Federer served 70 percent and won 20 of 23 points played on serve streaking through the first set in a half hour.
The Briton's flat backhand that creeps low on lawn can be a weapon, but when he left it short in the court, Federer was pouncing and pounding his forehand down the line with conviction. Norrie scattered a forehand long to drop serve in the third game. Federer flashed through a three-ace game confirming the break for a 3-1 second-set lead.
The Federer serve and explosiveness was too much for Norrie through two sets Federer streaked through a fourth love hold snatching a two-set lead permitting just five points on first serve through two sets.
The left-hander gave home fans cause for celebration ripping a running forehand down the line in the seventh game of the third set. That superb strike helped Norrie hold for 4-3. Locating his groove on serve and playing with more aggression, Norrie slammed successive aces hold for 5-4.
Contesting his third straight Grand Slam third round, Norrie was hitting his forehand harder and attacking the ball with more conviction. A stubborn Norrie dodged a pair of break points in the 11th game catching a break when Federer, with a good look at a crosscourt backhand pass, whacked that shot wide.
Perhaps still ruing opportunity lost and feeling the stress, Federer produced his sloppiest service game of the match. Dissolving in a horrid four unforced error game, including dragging a forehand that strayed wide of the doubles alley. British fans erupted in support as Norrie scored his break of the day to force a fourth set.
Five games into the fourth set, Federer used the chip backhand—and some Norrie muscues—to carve out a break as the Briton followed up his sixth double fault with a netted forehand to face triple break point. Chipping a low backhand at Norrie's feet, Federer elicited a netted error breaking for 3-2.
That lead was short-lived as Norrie spun a forehand pass down the line and followed with a sharp-angled backhand crosscourt breaking right back. Down 15-30 in the eighth game, Federer came alive with a spectacular running forehand crosscourt. That strike brought the Federer forehand back to life and helped him level after eight games.
Slashing a couple of forehand winners, Federer attacked behind a slice backhand and caught a break courtesy of Centre Court's loose net when his smash crashed into the tape and crawled over for a double break point lead. Norrie saved both but slapped a forehand off the tape to hand the sixth seed a third break point. Rapping a forehand into the corner, Federer banged out the crucial break for 5-4.
"I definitely feel like I've gotten my rhythm now at this point," Federer said. "Clearly I've gone from lefty to righty to lefty. There was a bit of a breeze on the court as well. Sometimes I was still mistiming a little bit my shots. For the most part I was still trying to play on the front foot, play forward. When you do that, like I did against Gasquet, you're always going to miss some, and important is that I accept those and move on.
"I did that very well today. I thought I had a really excellent attitude, from what I can tell how I felt. That has been something that has changed nicely throughout the last weeks and months, to be honest."
Serving for the fourth round, Federer rallied from 15-30 down with that slick volley before closing it out with a modified lawn-mower move popularized by former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt.