Heading into his fourth-round match against Steve Johnson, we can expect Roger Federer to once again utilize his outstanding return. The Swiss maestro won 50 percent of his receiving points in his straight-sets win against Briton Dan Evans with Federer converting six of his 15 break point opportunities. Federer has been impeccable in this tournament thus far as he has yet to drop a set in his opening three matches.
For Federer to continue his brilliant form against Johnson, he will need to once again bring his aggressive style and continue his solid net play. He won 12 of his 21 net points against Evans in the third round. Federer has won 73 percent of his total net points (75-of-103) in this year’s Wimbledon Championships thus far.
For Johnson to grab the massive upset against Federer, he will need to continue his excellent play on the receiving end. He won 38 percent of his receiving points in his third-round win against Dimitrov with Johnson converting six of his 16 break point chances. Johnson will also take comfort in the fact that he’s serving the ball beautifully in this year’s tournament. He put into play 62 percent of his first serves against Dimitrov with Johnson winning 76 percent (72/95) of those points.
That being said, Johnson has to be aggressive right from the get-go for him to stand a chance against the seven-time Wimbledon champion. He will need to put pressure on the former world no. 1 and he can do that by employing his highly-effective net play. He won 36 of his 54 net points in the previous round against Dimitrov. For the tournament, Johnson has won 62 percent (58-of-93) of his total net points.
Johnson is 9-1 in his last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction: Roger Federer (-700) wins in straight sets.
