Roger Federer has long been a constant, playing his best tennis at The All-England Club year after year. In fact, the Swiss has been to the quarterfinal of Wimbledon in 13 of the last 14 years, with the only one exception coming in 2013 where he suffered a second-round loss. The seven-time champion has a chance to reach another quarterfinal when he takes on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
Dimitrov, often referred to as “Baby Fed,” has struggled against the all-time great in the past. The 26-year-old has only managed to accumulate two sets against the Swiss Maestro in their five previous meetings. However, the pair have never met at Wimbledon, let alone on a grass court, so Monday’s clash could prove to be an interesting occasion. Dimitrov has been to the semifinals of Wimbledon on one occasion before; however, Federer has not lost a Grand Slam match this year, meaning it will be a tough ask for the young talent to progress any further.
Federer put on a strong display against the German, Mischa Zverev. Zverev has proven to be a player on the rise, coming back from career long injury troubles and having a major breakout at this year’s Australian Open. Federer easily accounted for the serve and volley game that Zverev possess, winning 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, Dimitrov was up 6-1, 6-1 in his third-round clash with Dudi Sela, before the Israeli retired due to a leg injury at the start of the third set. With both having Sunday to recover, the pair should both be refreshed and ready for a tough fourth-round clash on Manic Monday.
Federer has never once lost in the fourth-round of Wimbledon and looks good to replicate his past performances. Dimitrov will throw everything he has at the third seed to try and dethrone the Wimbledon master. Federer has looked likely to capture his eighth Wimbledon title, but he should not be considered the clear favourite of the tournament. If Federer can advance into a 15th Wimbledon quarterfinal, he will face either last year’s finalist Milos Raonic or Mischa’s younger, incredibly talented brother, Alexander. Looking further ahead, the Swiss may be matched against a resurgent Novak Djokovic, which will prove to be a tough road on route to yet another Grand Slam final.
Roger Federer has not won a Wimbledon championship since 2012; however, he is in arguably the form of his life and could potentially capture his 19th career Grand Slam over the coming week at the prestigious The All England Club.
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