"Wimbledon was not a step forward for Roger Federer after Paris" - Heinz Gunthardt

Roger Federer was dumped out of Wimbledon in the quarterfinals by Poland's Hubert Hurkacz earlier this week. The Swiss suffered one of the worst losses of his career, falling 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0.

Federer was playing just his fourth tournament in 18 months and had arrived in SW19 with many questions surrounding his form this year.

In a recent interview with Simon Graf of Tagesanzeigher.ch, player-turned-coach Heinz Gunthardt weighed in on Federer's run at Wimbledon this year.

Gunthardt, who has worked with the 39-year-old in the past, claimed that while a quarterfinal run could be seen as a good result, it was not an improvement on his display at Roland Garros.

The Swiss won three matches at the French Open before withdrawing from the tournament in order to prepare for the grasscourt season.

"Given his preparation, the quarter-final is a good result," Gunthardt said. "But Wimbledon was not a step forward after Paris. He already had that level there."

"In Doha and Paris, he played with a completely different mindset, loosely. He clearly said that this was (his) only preparation, that it would only really count in Wimbledon. And then Wimbledon started and he felt the pressure," he added.

Roger Federer leaving the grounds at #Wimbledon. pic.twitter.com/TPf2ljouGw

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 7, 2021

Gunthardt claimed Federer's lack of match practice was evident in his first-round match against Adrian Mannarino. The eight-time Wimbledon champion trailed by two sets to one, but was up a break in the fourth when Mannarino injured his leg. The Frenchman retired a few games later.

"You could see in the first match against Mannarino, when he practically only sliced with his backhand," he said.

"Roger Federer lacks confidence and that affects his footwork" - Heinz Gunthardt

Roger Federer

During the course of the interview, Gunthardt elaborated on Federer's quarterfinal defeat, claiming that the Swiss was going for broke with almost every shot.

"Against Hurkacz, he obviously had the impression early on that he could not keep up in the longer rallies. He wanted too much too soon, played all or nothing. To shoot Hurkacz off the court in these windy conditions, you need an excellent day," Gunthardt said.

Gunthardt believes Federer needs wins against top players like Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev to gain confidence on the big stage once again.

"He lacks confidence and that affects his footwork. There is no way around big victories. He hasn't beaten anyone yet, which gave him the certainty: I can compete with the best again. He still lacks this confirmation. He needs wins against the likes of Medvedev and Zverev," he added.

"If he's fit, I see no reason why Roger Federer shouldn't play at the Olympics" - Gunthardt

Roger Federer

Roger Federer's future has come into question following the manner of his quarterfinal defeat. Six-time Major winner Boris Becker believes Federer may have played his last match at Wimbledon, while the Swiss himself was unable to give a clear answer as to what the future holds for him.

Gunthardt believes the nature of the loss to Hurkacz would no doubt have made an impression on Federer. Steffi Graf's former coach believes the most important question for Federer to answer is whether or not he enjoyed his Wimbledon experience this year.

"How he felt against Hurkacz in the third set, at his favourite tournament, in front of his audience, that he didn't know how to win a point anymore, that certainly leaves its mark on him," he said. "The big question is: Did he enjoy Wimbledon or not? Only he can say that."

The 39-year-old is expected to take part in the Tokyo Olympics later this month. However, he is yet to confirm his participation. Gunthardt believes Federer should play if he feels ready.

"Will he continue to play in 2022? I don't know. I don't think he'll go about it that way either. He will rather try to do everything so that he can play as well as possible in the next two, three months. If he's fit, I see no reason why he shouldn't play at the Olympics," the Swiss expert said.

For the whole interview, in German ($):https://t.co/jQvImpCZ2B

— Simon Graf (@SimonGraf1) July 9, 2021