What amazes the most when looking at Roger Federer is not his touch on the ball, his serve or his lynx eye. No, what amazes the most at Roger Federer since he set foot on the Parisian clay, is his displacement. Always those small aerial steps, like on a flying carpet. See you soon 40 years old.
Saturday June 5, at nearly 1 a.m., the Swiss qualified for the knockout stages of Roland-Garros for the fifteenth times in his career, beating the German Dominik Koepfer (7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5). “Thank you for not falling asleep”, He will smile after three thirty-five hours of play in front of the handful of journalists and relatives present in the stands of the court Philippe-Chatrier.
Roger Federer was playing in the 1 519e match of his career and, for the first time in 80 Grand Slam tournaments, head down, black mask on his nose, he was not applauded when he entered the court. The former boss of the circuit, winner on Parisian clay in 2009, was moved by it, according to discerning observers: playing in an evening session behind closed doors did not delight him. He loves nocturnal atmospheres, but those that are electric. All Roger Federer that he is, the man with 20 Grand Slam titles had to comply with the rule that the tournament director, Guy Forget, had recalled in recent days to justify criticized programming choices: the contract signed for three years with Amazon Prime Video stipulates that the broadcast of the “poster” of the day is reserved for it.
A sliced backhand to absent subscribers
After the good impression left in his first two laps, against Denis Istomin (204e) then Marin Cilic (47e), this time the Balois rubbed shoulders with a 27-year-old left-hander (59e), not really seasoned on the surface. This lack of experience is not immediately obvious in the first set, where Dominik Koepfer stands up to his elder brother. True to his game plan, the German tries to attack the Swiss from the first hits of the racket. Five times Federer has the opportunity to seize the service of his opponent, five times he triumphs in the carpet, abnormally betrayed by his backhand caught. The two men must decide on the tie-break. Taking advantage of a double fault from Koepfer at 5-4, Federer took the lead and finally won the first round (7-6[5]) after an hour of play.
The always 8e mondial continues its momentum and takes the service of his opponent from the start of the second set. Alas, he loses his advantage almost immediately after. A game of ping-pong ensues between the two players, who each give up their stake. Once again, they have to go through a decisive game. Dropped by his serve, usually his master weapon, Federer is approximate in both backhand and forehand. He collapsed (7 unforced errors) and let Dominik Koepfer return to a round everywhere (7-6[3]).
In the Parisian night, which is getting colder by the hour, the Swiss cannot count on the encouragement of a phantom audience to come to their rescue – bottle green tarpaulins have been deployed to hide the empty stands. He must find alone the resource to get out of the trap. On the other side of the net, the German begins to feast, coming out of his hat blows traditionally applauded by Swiss geniuses, such as this backhand volley in extension, back to the net, at 2-1. But the magic did not last for Koepfer, and Federer, regaining some vigor, fell back to 4-4. He misses a first opportunity to finish the set, 6-5, before finding his first ball … in the tie-break. At midnight striking and nearly three hours of play, Roger Federer comes off two sets to one (7-6[4]).
“I don’t know if I’m going to play” in the round of 16
In the 4e set, after two games, he takes the service of Koepfer, who, annoying a decision he considers contentious, spits on the trail of the ball on the other side of the net and collects a penalty point. But instead of confirming his lead, Federer in turn made a mistake in the next game. The face marked, but keeping almost all his lucidity, he made the break at 5-5 before serving for the match. The German belches his rage, which resonates in the deserted bays. He knows he just missed his chance. Roger Federer finally concludes hostilities 7-5 after three and thirty-five hours of play.
“It was a hell of a game with a lot of twists and turns on all sides, I started well, I should have better taken the upper hand, but he fought well, it was night, the court is slower , I had to get used to it, commented Roger Federer. [Koepfer] I have had a lot of difficulties, finding the solution makes me very happy. “ Mostly, “This victory in three and a half hours, it proves to me that I was on the right track all these last months”, he insisted, he who, having undergone a double arthroscopy in his right knee in 2020, was kept thirteen months away from the circuit.
“I don’t know if I’m going to play” in the round of 16 at Roland Garros against Matteo Berrettini, Roger Federer said later at a press conference. “I have to decide whether to continue playing or not. Ain’t it too risky to keep shooting [sur le genou], isn’t it a good time to rest? “, he wondered, with reference to the Halle tournament which begins on June 14 and will launch its season on grass, and at the end of the day Wimbledon.
The Swiss still found positive in this unprecedented context, imposed by the health situation: “The only advantage [de jouer à huis clos], is that I remained very calm at the end, I would undoubtedly have been nervous with the public. ” Monday, June 7, if he plays his round of 16, he will probably find a thousand spectators ready to give voice to extend the reunion with the idol.