Geneva Open 2021: Roger Federer vs Pablo Andujar preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (1) Roger Federer vs Pablo Andujar

Date: 18 May 2021

Tournament: Gonet Geneva Open 2021

Round: Second Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Geneva, Switzerland

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €419,470

Match timing: Approx. 4 pm local time, 2 pm GMT, 10 am EST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Roger Federer vs Pablo Andujar preview

Roger Federer is making a comeback to the tour at this week's Gonet Geneva Open. Federer will lock horns with fellow veteran Pablo Andujar in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday.

Andujar defeated Australia's Jordan Thompson in his first-round match on Monday, winning 6-0, 6-4.

Federer, on the other hand, hasn't played on clay since the 2019 French Open, where he made the semifinals. But the large gap is unlikely to be a major concern for the 39-year-old, given that he has been practicing on the dirt for a good part of 2021.

In fact, clay was Federer's first surface when he resumed his tennis training towards the end of last year. The Swiss legend will likely be well-acclimatized to dirt and even more so to the Geneva conditions, given that he lives in Switzerland.

Speaking to the media ahead of his campaign, Federer had mentioned that he would like to get as many matches under his belt as possible during the claycourt swing. And now that Cristian Garin - who was Federer's potential quarterfinal opponent - has withdrawn, the Swiss suddenly has a very straightforward draw.

So good to see @rogerfederer back on clay 😍Watch him prepare for his return to action at the @genevaopen 👇
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 16, 2021

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That said, Pablo Andujar will likely be a tricky opponent for Roger Federer. Even though Andujar hasn't been in great form this year, he is a seasoned claycourt campaigner and will be keen to make things difficult for the Swiss.

The Spaniard fared well in the heavy conditions against Jordan Thompson on Monday. Andujar got broken just once and, more impressively, broke his opponent's serve five times.

Roger Federer vs Pablo Andujar head-to-head

Roger Federer and Pablo Andujar have never played each other, and so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.

Roger Federer vs Pablo Andujar prediction

Pablo Andujar has 35 professional singles finals to his credit (nine on the ATP tour, 20 on the Challenger tour and six on the ITF tour), all of which have been on clay. The Spaniard clearly knows his way around a claycourt, and thus could be a threat to Roger Federer on the latter's comeback to the surface.

Andujar has decent groundstrokes but is particularly adept at finding sharp angles with his crosscourt backhand. Attacking Federer's one-handed backhand in the Ad court would be the go-to tactic for Andujar.

Federer, on his part, has reportedly been moving well on clay during his training sessions. He also defeated Marton Fucsovics in a one-set practice match a couple of days ago.

The Swiss is likely to benefit from the heavy conditions in Geneva too. His overall skill-set combined with his experience should be able to get him over the line on Tuesday.

Prediction: Roger Federer to win in straight sets.