News & Photos / Match Reports / Perfect match, says Federer
Defending champion Roger Federer returned to the emotional scene of his first French Open title today, sealing a routine victory over veteran Australian Peter Luczak 6-4 6-1 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The Swiss master and World No1 received a rousing reception by the French fans on his arrival into the stadium, later remarking that he had “been looking forward to coming back here for a year.”
In today’s clinical display, Federer took a little while to warm up. The 30-year-old Luczak more than held his own from the baseline and mixed it up with some crafty net play in the opening eight games to stand level with the great champion 4-4. Almost on cue though, and despite a spirited attempt by the Aussie to quell the rising storm, the Swiss moved into second gear, breaking his opponent in the next game and serving out the first set on his third opportunity, 6-4, after 43 minutes. As is often the case, it was Federer’s fine serve that dug him out of holes when needed – he blew five aces past the No.71-ranked Aussie in that set and won the point an impressive 94 per cent of the time when his first serve landed in.
“Finally got a chance again at 5 4, so it was a good first set for me, anyway, without any hiccups on my own serve,” said Federer. “After that things were a bit easier. He had to push it a bit more. I could relax a bit more, and then the scoreline changed and towards the end I played some great drop shots. So it was like a perfect match to get off the French Open campaign, really.”
Federer accelerated early on in the second set, with Luczak’s groundstrokes often missing the back line by metres. His unforced error count was to be the telling factor by the end of the match (he hit 21 unforced errors to Fed’s 11). The top seed broke for a second time to lead 5-1 when a Luczak forehand floated long and marched away with the set 6-1 when the Aussie’s backhand trickled into the net.
Federer’s exquisite drop shots got a good work out in the third set, including one point at the end of the third set where he hit a stunning drop shot from around three metres behind the baseline.
“…the more I play on clay, the more natural it is to me,” said Federer. “And I think it was a bit slippery today, because it was quite warm out there. The surface is the sand is very light, and then you tend to slide. You had to get used to this, but then frankly I didn't have many problems with my footwork.”
The 28-year-old Swiss, who has reached the final of 18 of the last 19 Grand Slams (with the exception of 2008 Australian Open), is penciled to meet four-time Roland Garros champ and the undisputed King of Clay Rafael Nadel in the final here. While there is a lot more at stake than just a Grand Slam title here (including Federer’s No1 ranking), the Swiss is understandably tired of answering the same questions about their pending showdown in his post-match media conferences.
“I don't know if I need to answer the same question all the time, but I hope I'll be playing the finals. If it's him, it's perfect. Otherwise, you know, what a pity for him; what a pity for me if I don't reach this stage, the finals. We'll see. It's the first round, not the semifinals, unfortunately. But we'll see.”
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/ne...710117525.html
