By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Playing his first match since March 24th, Roger Federer fought past Mischa Zverev, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, into the Stuttgart quarterfinals.
Photo credit: Wilson
Stepping around an oncoming serve, Roger Federer zapped a forehand return down the line and beamed as the ball blurred across the lawn.
Fittingly, Federer sealed a winning return with a return winner.
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Federer fought past Mischa Zverev, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, launching his quest to regain the world No. 1 ranking in Stuttgart today.
The top-seeded Swiss broke serve four times in a 93-minute comeback win, raising his record to 18-2 on the season.
It was the Wimbledon champion's 13th consecutive grass-court triumph.
The victory vaults Federer into the Mercedes Cup quarterfinals against either Argentinian Guido Pella or Indian qualifier Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who surprised sixth-seeded Denis Shapovalov, 7-6 (6) 2-6, 6-3.
Playing his first match since a March 24th loss to Thanasi Kokkinakis in Miami, Federer looked fit and eager and showed some signs of rust, but was satisfied with his winning return after nearly three months of inactivity.
"Three months is a long time, it's longer than the year-end break," Federer said in his on-court interview. "I'm very happy returning on good terms to the tour. It was difficult. Missed some chances, maybe in the first set. I played one bad service game, he connected well at the right times and I got behind.
"I think I got a little bit lucky in the second set, down a set and break points. So it was dangeorus there for a second and then I found a way, I guess, found my rhythm. And Mischa didn't play as well potentially. But I'm very happy with how I played. I'm super happy to be back on tour so it's been a great start."
A year after Federer's opening-round exit to buddy Tommy Haas in Stuttgart, his lack of recent match play was apparent in timing issues. Federer shanked a few returns on break points, incorrectly challenged a ball on the baseline, twice surrendered serve at love and even engaged chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani at one point.
Rallies were brief as both men attacked throughout. Federer found his range as the match progressed and closed with a sharp final set.
The 36-year-old father of two sets of twins made history as the oldest ATP world No. 1 on February 19th. Federer can surpass rival Rafael Nadal and regain the top spot if he reaches his fourth final of the season in Stuttgart.
Published reports are swirling that Federer, whose contract with long-time apparel and shoe sponsor Nike expired in March, will sign with Uniqlo. The 20-time Grand Slam champion took the court clad in an all-indigo Nike kit today.
The top-seeded Swiss carried a 5-0 lifetime record vs. his sometime practice partner into today's opening rounder and applied pressure immediately.
Despite a couple of whistling forehands from Federer, Zverev saved break point holding to open.
Federer flowed through a love hold in the fourth game then blistered a deep return for break point in the fifth game. Continuing his net-rushing attack, Zverev saved a pair of break points in a near eight-minute hold for 3-2.
Streaming through successive love holds, Federer lost the plot in the eighth game. Running through a routine volley, he dropped serve at love donating the break and a 5-3 lead.
The left-handed German cranked consecutive aces for triple set point. Serving-and-volleying on a second serve, Zverev nudged a stretched backhand volley closing out his first set over Federer in 34 minutes.
The 54th-ranked Zverev snapped a streak of 12 straight sets lost to Federer, while napping the Swiss' streak of 30 consecutive sets won on grass.
An over-anxious swing on a mid-court forehand put Federer in a break-point bind again to start the second set. Federer faced it with a forward charge angling a backhand volley winner. A pair of forehands fired down opposite sidelines helped Federer work through the hold.
Midway through the second set, Federer followed a backhand return forward crunching a drive forehand volley for a third break point in the sixth game. Fighting off a slider serve into his hip, Federer flicked a backhand return pass carving out the break and a 4-2 lead.
Mistakenly challenging a Zverev shot that caught the baseline, Federer found himself in another triple break point hole. Pouncing from a low return crouch, Zverev banged a backhand return pass to break back as Federer acknowledged the shot with a firm "yeah."
Mixing his returns a bit, Federer slashed successive passes right into Zverev's body eliciting a pair of stray volleys for triple break point.
The German was vigilant for the body blow as he serve-and-volleyed, but this time Federer slid a backhand pass down the line converting his first set point to level the match after 65 minutes.
A refreshed Federer surged through eight of the first nine points he played on serve in the decider.
Dipping a slithering backhand return at his on-rushing opponent's feet, Federer gained triple break point in the fourth game. Bending low, Federer flicked a backhand return that squirted off the sideline breaking at love for 3-1.
Digging out of a love-30 hole, Federer flashed his fourth ace in backing up the break at 15 for 4-1.
"I think against a serve-and-volley player like what Mischa is it's more in concentration and more in just being patient as well, I guess," Federer told the media in Stuttgart afterward. "And staying positive out there, having good energy for the entire period of time. And I think I was able to have that.
"Rhythm, obviously, there's not much, there's none. So don't even try to look for it because you won't find it. That's kind of what I see. Tomorrow is good to have a day off so I can practice some and find the rhythm, maybe, for my next-round opponent. I think I'll be very happy with this kind of a comeback to be honest."
Both men played boldly in the seventh game. Staring down break point, Federer serve-and-volleyed on a second serve, fought off a biting return then guarded the line to knock off a backhand volley. Federer withstood that test extending the lead to 5-2.
Timing the ball with greater precision as the match progressed, Federer fired one final forehand return down the line for his first win since a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, decision over Borna Coric in the Indian Wells semifinals in March.