Lloyd Harris will one day have a cool story to tell his grandkids about that time he went against Roger Federer. Harris will go for a more amazing story, though, as he tries to shock the world in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon versus the legendary Federer. Will Federer (+290 to win Wimbledon) take care of early business as usual? Or will Harris see his popularity rise exponentially by upsetting the eight-time Wimbledon champion?
Not many people are expecting Harris to pull off a miracle in the first round by beating someone like Federer, largely because not many people know who Harris is. Far from a being a household name, the 22-year-old South African does not also have the kind of resume that would turn heads. Harris has only won two ATP matches this season and lost seven. In his most recent outing, Harris lost to James Ward in Eastbourne. As for his latest appearance in a Grand Slam event, Harris got bounced out in the second round of the French Open. The 2019 Wimbledon will be his first try at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, so some butterflies in his stomach could be causing some anxiety for the youngster. There is plenty of potential for such a young tennis player, but it’s hard to see Harris taking down a legend right in the very first round of Wimbledon. In any case, Harris can learn a lot from exchanging shots with Federer.
The grass court is Federer’s favorite. That was very much exemplified by his recent success in Halle, where he topped the Noventi Open. Some of the notable names he victimized in that tournament were Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roberto Bautista Agut, and David Goffin, who got beat by Federer in the Finals. That was a nice way for Federer to recover from a disappointing semifinals exit at the 2019 French Open in a loss to Rafael Nadal. Even at 37, Federer isn’t someone who should be taken lightly. He has a ton of experience to use in exploiting weaknesses in younger opponents, and he obviously still has juice in his legs to keep up with them. Federer will look to establish his dominance early against Harris, who will likely be playing in awe against a tennis demigod in the form of the Swiss. Federer has been knocked out of the Wimbledon first round three times before, but the last time it happened was in 2002 — Andre Agassi was still playing during that period. Federer has reached at least the quarterfinals at Wimbledon 15 of the last 16 editions of the tournament, including last year’s early exit in the quarterfinals.
