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Roger Federer claims RG win over Denis Istomin was a "better match" for him, says he was "out of sorts completely" in Geneva

By Rudra Biswas
Modified May 31, 2021 22:15 GMT
Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Playing his first Grand Slam match in more than a year, Roger Federer blitzed past Denis Istomin on Monday to advance to the Roland Garros second round. Although the Swiss maestro didn't quite seem to be at his very best, he was strong enough to register a 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Istomin in just about an hour and a half.

Roger Federer had earlier returned to clay at the Geneva Open, but his campaign there was short-lived as he was upset by Pablo Andujar in the first round. Having arrived in Paris with a point to prove, Federer played solid baseline tennis during his rout of Istomin.

Speaking to the media after the match, Roger Federer expressed his happiness at how quickly he got off the starting blocks. The Swiss maestro set the tone early as he broke Istomin to go 2-0 up in the first set, and broke him once again at the end of the opening set to close it out 6-2.

"Clearly, I had a good start to the match with the break and then second set the same thing again," Federer said. "I was able to serve well, first set I served excellent, next two sets maybe some ups and downs on the serve. But overall, too much margin in the game."

Roger Federer didn't look back from that point, and he unfurled a series of jaw-dropping shots to tie up Istomin into knots. Federer claimed his variety was the key in his convincing win, explaining that he had a lot of options when it came to moving the tall Uzbek around the court.

The Swiss also pointed out that he was in much stronger form than he was in Geneva, which he attributed to his better preparation.

"Always had the option to drop shot him 'cause he was playing far back," Federer said. "Or I could serve and volley, I had several ways to win the point which I didn't feel I had at all in Geneva. It was a better match for me, very focussed finding match rhythm again whereas in Geneva really felt I was out of sorts completely."
"Preparation, game, pick your own towels, I don't know there was a lot going on in Geneva so I was much better prepared this time around mentally," he added.

Roger Federer also highlighted his poor court positioning at the Geneva Open, callling it a "complete joke".

"I swore to myself that, I wouldn't be as far behind the baseline on the return as I did in Geneva. That was a complete joke," Federer said.

Roger Federer went on to claim that he had finally ironed out the kinks in his game, and that he wasn't rushing through points in Paris the way he was in Geneva.

"I was not feeling well there and wanted to end it with the sledgehammer. I have more clarity in my head now," Federer said.

"I felt somebody is better than nobody, right?" - Roger Federer on fan presence at Roland Garros

During the interaction, Roger Federer also gave his thoughts on fans being allowed on the Roland Garros site, albeit in a limited capacity. The Swiss claimed that having no fans in the stands was not something that bothered him, before remarking that the sport was better off with them - even if they were less in number.

"I think for me, less crowd is not the issue," Roger Federer said. "You know, I always stayed humble. If it's full, it's full. Great. It's not that they have other matches to see and so forth. I felt somebody is better than nobody, right?"

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