Google News 'I still find that match vs. Roger Federer unbelievable because...', says former ace
by SIMONE BRUGNOLI | VIEW 4380
2021 was a difficult year for Roger Federer, whose return to the tour did not go as expected. It was known that it would be difficult to repeat the half miracle of 2017, but few imagined that the Swiss would have played the misery of 13 official matches.
The former world number 1 reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, but Hubert Hurkacz’s clear defeat at Center Court left him feeling bad. In general, it became clear to everyone that the King's knee was still very far from an acceptable condition.
Not surprisingly, the 40-year-old from Basel gave up the Tokyo Olympics and the entire season on American hard court (including the Us Open). On the evening of August 15, the 20-time Grand Slam champion announced that he was undergoing another knee operation.
The operation was successful and the Master has already begun his rehabilitation. Everyone's hope is to see him back on the pitch for a final catwalk in 2022. The one who has already announced his retirement from tennis is Leonardo Mayer, who has decided to hang up his racket at the age of 34.
The former number 21 ATP, capable of winning three titles in the major circuit (between singles and doubles), experienced one of the most intense moments of his career against Federer in Shanghai in 2014. The Argentine found himself one step away from feat, having had no less than five match points, but in the end he gave up in front of the pride of Federer (who would later win the tournament).
Leo Mayer on his match with Roger Federer
Mayer said, “I still find that match unbelievable because I never thought I would have a chance to beat him on that occasion. The day after losing I was happy, it’s very difficult to play against someone you admire that much; you always see them on TV and you can’t imagine playing against them”.
Furthermore, he added, “It was important to me to play with Roger Federer even though I didn’t beat him. If I’d beaten him it would only have given me 45 more points at the time and allowed me to say ‘I beat him,‘ that’s all”.
Roger Federer currently finds himself in the 68th spot in the Race to Turin, having accumulated 630 points from five tournaments. Surprisingly, Federer's average is even higher than Jannik Sinner's. The Italian has amassed 2505 points in 20 tournaments, giving him an average of 125.25 points.
The Swiss' average is also higher than Dominic Thiem, who like Federer, has played very few tournaments (9) due to injury. Thiem has collected 735 points in the Race to Turin, giving him approximately 82 points per tournament, which is well below the Swiss' figure.