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US OPEN TENNIS

TENNIS

Swiss pair rolls into US Open third round

Swiss tennis stars Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka both rolled into the US Open third round on Thursday, with 17-time Grand Slam winner Federer still finding ways to improve his game at age 34.

Swiss pair rolls into US Open third round
Federer only needed 80 minutes to win over Steve Darcis. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images North America/AFP

French Open champion and fourth seed Wawrinka beat ambitious Korean youngster Hyeon Chung in straight sets – albeit all three going to a tie break – to take his place in the next round.

World number two Federer, seeking his first US Open title since 2008 and first Grand Slam crown since Wimbledon in 2012, needed only 80 minutes to rout Belgium's Steve Darcis 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.
   
“It was on the easier side, so I was able to mix it up, was attacking, was also staying back some. I was pretty much all-out attack as much as I could.”
   
Next up for the Swiss star will be German 29th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber.
   
Federer showed he still has what it takes to contend for a title by reaching July's Wimbledon final, losing to top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
   
But as he bid a US Open farewell to a retiring rival who is also 34, Australian Lleyton Hewitt, Federer said he has no idea when he might decide to call it quits.
   
“No, not really,” he said. “I wish I knew. It would make my life easier. But I don't.
   
“This year is another good year. Doing the right things on the court.”
   
Federer praised Hewitt, who won the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon crown, as a player who taught the Swiss star some lessons that helped him win his first Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003.
   
“He was a big challenge in my career, to understand how in the world can you be so tough physically and mentally at such a young age,” Federer said.
   
“I think he really changed things around and showed me how it's done. He made me work harder in practice, get my act together on the court, play tough but fair.”
   
The two even played doubles together a few times.
   
“I thought he changed the game to some extent,” Federer said of Hewitt.
   
Federer said he has mixed stubborness with knowing he needs to change and adapt in order to keep finding success after missing out on any Slam final in 2013 for the first year since 2002.
   
“You can be stubborn and successful or you can give it up a bit and change things around. For me it's important to have a bit of both,” he said.
   
“You need to be stubborn, believe in hard work that somehow down the stretch is going to pay off. You need that stubbornness to succeed.

“Also I think the idea of change is really important because otherwise it can become a bit boring to some extent. I think you need to challenge yourself and try out new things.”
   
One change Federer has made is moving to the service line at times on returns.
   
“I've had reactions. I think many players think it's quite funny, actually, especially the guys who I practiced with and I tried it against,” Federer said.
  

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ROGER FEDERER

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Roger Federer is talking optimistically about returning to his "highest level" after knee surgery, but does tennis have to start adjusting to a future without the Swiss star?

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?
Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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