Like Dominic Thiem, Roger Federer’s comeback from injury this year has hit some snags. He lost in his second match in Doha and his first in Geneva. Federer seemed to need match practice, but simply wasn’t getting enough of it to round back into his typically imperious form. But in demolishing Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 today in the first round of Roland-Garros, Federer may now be on the right track.
“Demolishing” is often used to exaggerate a somewhat lopsided match. Not this time — Federer didn’t face a break point in the entire match. He wasn’t even dragged to deuce in a single service game. Istomin finished with a positive winners-to-errors ratio (18-14), but Federer put this to shame, striking 48 winners to just 20 unforced errors. While Federer played a very clean match, Istomin had few ideas of how to trouble the Swiss. He was at the mercy of the 20-time major champion, failing to find the correct balance of court positioning as Federer tormented him with both heavy forehands and delicate drop shots. So, what conclusions can be drawn from this match? Is Federer “back”?
It’s probably too soon to say. Yes, this was the most statistically pristine match Federer has played in 2021 (and possibly in 2020, too). But Federer was never really under pressure in this contest; the most nervy moment he had on serve was when he faced a 30-all point and missed his first serve. He handled it well, coming to net and punching away a volley winner, but this isn’t close to the adversity Federer will have to face against more stern opposition. Federer appeared very comfortable on court, and he said as much after the match.
Regardless of the greater strain his return and defense will inevitably come under in future rounds, Federer now has reason to be optimistic about not just Roland-Garros, but the grass court season to follow. He presumably entered Paris with the goal of getting in a few matches to firm up his endurance, groundstrokes, and movement ahead of Wimbledon, where he is higher up in the list of favorites. The more he plays like he did against Istomin, the farther he will go in the draw, and the more likely it is that Federer’s game will come under as severe an examination as he is hoping for.
It may be that Federer won’t be in the draw for much longer. But if he can manage to get a longer match under his belt to go alongside today’s dominant performance, the Swiss will likely be more than fine with his Roland-Garros run. He is trying to peak for Wimbledon, and with his match today he has made a good start.