It seems like Father Time has finally caught up with Roger Federer. He’s had an uninspiring year thus far, which has stirred some questions about whether or not the former World No. 1 has enough fuel left in the tank to at least add one more Grand Slam title into his much-decorated career.
Well, Federer will start answering some of those questions, when he gears up for his Wimbledon first-round scuffle against Guido Pella this afternoon. Read on below for a complete look at this matchup.
A lot of negativity is surrounding Roger Federer ever since he withdrew from the French Open due to a persistent back injury. But that bold decision was probably right call, as he now hopes to make a strong run at Wimbledon—a place where he’s had numerous success stories.
Federer has a total of 79 match victories and seven titles at the All England Club. Despite having all those accolades, it’s still relatively hard to expect everything to go the Swiss’ way in his first-round date with Argentina’s Guido Pella, whom the World No. 3 will be going up against for the very first time.
Besides that, Federer’s form is another reason for concern. He’s had an up-and-down 2016 campaign and his performance in the last two tournaments—in Halle and Stuttgart—wasn’t something worth boasting about. The 17-time Grand Slam champion suffered a semifinals exit in both events, losing to Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev.
Overall, if Federer, who is pegged at +600to win his eighth Wimbledon crown, doesn’t show up at his full form later, there’s no guarantee that the 34-year-old veteran is safe from an early upset.
Confidence is arguably the best thing that Guido Pella can carry into today’s first-round showdown with his longtime idol, Roger Federer. The 26-year-old Argentinian is labeled as the obvious underdog here, but he should still be a tough competitor to crack especially when he finds his groove.
Speaking of which, Pella inserted himself into the top 50 earlier this year thanks to some solid performances in Rio de Janeiro and in the Indian Wells Masters. In the former, the World No. 52 dispatched higher-ranked opponents like John Isner and Dominic Thiem before eventually falling short to Pablos Cuevas in the final, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4.
However, most of Pella’s successes have happened on either the hard or clay courts. Grass courts haven’t been nice to him, as he is only 2-5 all-time on that particular surface.
