After merely surviving against the Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the first round of Wimbledon 2021, 20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer faced another French player, Richard Gasquet. Having faced each other twenty times on-tour before, each player already had a fair knowledge of the strategies to implement during the match.

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Roger Federer overpowers Richard Gasquet in straight sets at Wimbledon

Also, the Swiss Maestro enjoys a healthy lead of 18-2 against Gasquet, and Federer prefers a familiar opponent at this stage rather than a youngster he never faced. The 8-time Wimbledon champion entered the match as a clear favorite.

However, after the first few games in the opening set, it appeared as if the Frenchman might fancy his chances more than what the fans would have anticipated prior to the match. The Swiss star struggled with his timing for a major portion in the first set.

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Even though Federer’s serve showed an improvement from the first round, he made a lot of errors on his forehand. Owing to his lack of timing, the first-set went to a tie-breaker as neither player failed to get a break of serve.

In the tie-breaker, the Swiss Maestro found his lost momentum and began to strike the ball more freely. On the other hand, Gasquet felt the pressure on his serve and couldn’t fire up his backhand at the right moments. The Frenchman lost the set in the breaker.

The next twenty minutes of the match saw Federer produce flawless tennis on-court as he raced past the Frenchman to clinch the second set, 6-1. The more time he spent on the court, the better Roger looked as he moves forward in his quest for a ninth Wimbledon title.

After losing the second set, Gasquet was no where near his best and made a lot of unforced errors from both the wings. With an unstoppable opponent on the other side, the Frenchman couldn’t do much from his end.

With a break of serve on his side, Roger Federer didn’t waste time as he eased past Gasquet in the third set 6-4, and moved to the third round.

“I know it’s gonna be a tough match” – Federer wary of his third-round opponent Cameron Norrie

Talking about his performance on-court, the Swiss star felt satisfied about his performance overall. When asked about his next round opponent, Cameron Norrie, the Swiss star mentioned that he was wary of his threat.

“I hope the crowd is gonna get into it. I understand if it’s for him. If it’s for me, its because of? the last 20 years and all the big matches I have played here. Cam’s a good guy too, he’s had a wonderful year. I know it’s gonna be a tough match, I’m happy for him. But enough now, he needs to go out, I need to go through”,?joked Federer.

Federer and Norrie played once against each other on tour before, at the 2019 Hopman Cup. It was an exhibition tournament, where the Swiss star defeated Norrie in straight sets, 6-1,6-1.

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