After being pushed wide to the left-handed corner by a determined Nicolas Kiefer, the top seed came up with a piece of brilliance to show why he is revered as one of the finest players ever to grace this historic patch of turf.
Federer unleashed a backhand from such an acute angle that the very concept of success was difficult to comprehend, but the ball flew cross-court, cleared the net by a couple of centimetres and bounced just inside the sideline veering out of his opponent’s reach. Kiefer could only look in amazement. Even Federer seemed surprised that so outlandish an attempt had won the point. An ace later, the champion was through to the fourth round, victorious 6-2 6-7 6-1 7-5.
The consensus is that Federer is not only destined to collect a third title, but is also rapidly gaining the credentials to be spoken of in the same breath as the great Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras. What could mere mortals do in an attempt to emulate such a shot? “Maybe work on the forearm and the footwork, sharpen up the mental side,” Federer said with a smile as he struggled to describe such a wondrous blow. “But no, it was a beautiful shot and there is occasionally times when I even amaze myself at what I do. That one was good, and it came just at the right time.”
Federer’s unbeaten run on the lawns of Wimbledon and Westphalia now stands at 32 matches, and should his third successive All England Club title follow closely behind a hat-trick of triumphs at the German warm-up event in Halle, nobody will be surprised. Certainly not Kiefer, who extended the Swiss just about as far as he would be happy going so soon into the tournament. There is a fine line for great players between getting the sort of on-court workout that is a step up from mere practice sessions, and a confrontation so strenuous that it might expend energy best reserved for the later stages.
For a few minutes it seemed Federer would be put to a five- set examination by the 27-year-old German. Trailing to a break of serve for the second time in the fourth, it looked as though the Federer was about to be pushed all the way. Yet the mark of great players is an ability to play the crucial shots well, and that is exactly what Federer achieved. Kiefer’s two most recent visits to Wimbledon ended at the first hurdle and he lived extremely dangerously in his five-set opener against Frenchman Julien Benneteau this year.
Advertisement
But the world No 1 accepted that his passage towards the last 16 would not be without stress. “It was tough,” acknowledged Federer, who now faces the No 23 seed, Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero. “Like I expected, really. We know each other’s game pretty well and at times you could see that. I have a feeling I should have won in three sets but I’m happy to have won in four.”
Kiefer marched on to court aware that he was a member of an elite band of four still left in the competition. Only Lleyton Hewitt, Mario Ancic and Jiri Novak could share the German’s memory of a grass-court win over the world No 1, although the No 25 seed required good powers of recall to think back to that semi-final in Halle more than three years ago. There were times when he performed like somebody who felt the player on the other side of the net was nothing more than a routine opponent, perhaps buoyed by the knowledge that he had won three of their previous seven encounters.
A selection of backhand passes, played with both pace and spin, left Federer swinging at clean air. Once Kiefer even forced the Swiss into taking, for him, the ultimate evasive action and resorting to a double-fisted backhand, but as ever with Federer, there was an air of the inevitable about his performance.
Centre Court was barely a quarter full and the Royal Box dusted with only a few sporting celebrities as Federer opened up impressively and moved a service break to the good at only the second opportunity. Once the lunch bell sounded, even those few invited medallists and winners from other arenas headed off for their opening course, but the All England Club chairman, Tim Phillips, is a confirmed fan of his men’s champion. With his guests seated, Phillips was immediately back in his front row seat, not wanting to miss a stroke of what many believe will be Federer’s path to a third successive title.
What he witnessed was affirmation of not only how inventive the top seed can be but also an ability to provoke memories of past greats. One overhead smash, struck with both feet 12 inches above the turf, was reminiscent of Sampras in his pomp.
Advertisement
Thankfully, most seats were occupied when Federer cranked into his highest gear for the spectacular finale, but this was only an appetiser for what is to come. After falling at the semi-final stage in both the Australian and French Opens, Federer has discovered new levels of determination as he strives to retain his title. “The only thing that would satisfy me this year is winning the title,” he said. “Of course I could walk away easier if I had played all right or my opponent had played out of his head. But I’d still be disappointed.”