French Open: Roger Federer celebrates safe opening success against Denis Istomin
Roger Federer qualified for the second round at the French Open thanks to a sovereign three-set win over Denis Istomin. ( Here you can read the match in the live ticker ).
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: May 31, 2021, 06:07 pm
It was on January 30, 2020, when Roger Federer was seen for the last time at a Grand Slam tournament: In the semifinals of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic was the end of the line, two knee operations and exactly 487 days later the 20th returned -time major champion at the French Open on the largest of all tennis stages.
It should be a successful comeback, Federer did not give the Uzbek qualifier Denis Istomin a chance at any point in the encounter. It was 6: 2, 6: 4 and 6: 3 after just over one and a half hours of play from the point of view of the world rankings.
Federer in round two against Cilic or Rinderknech
Especially with his own serve - Federer did not allow a single breakball in the entire game - and with his forehand, the 39-year-old presented himself significantly better than his previous season appearances in Doha and Geneva. In addition, the maestro also knew how to convince with stop balls and on the net.
"It was cool for me to start against a player I know very well. Today I had more chances, I took the lead in every set, I had to be flexible in the game and I could go online. It was great." said Federer after the game. In the second round he meets Marin Cilic or Arthur Rinderknech on Thursday.
Here you can read the match between Federe and Istomin in the live ticker
Here the single tableau in Paris
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