BEVERLY HILLS, June 03, (THEWILL) – BEVERLY HILLS, June 03, (THEWILL) – Swiss tennis icon, Roger Federer played a resilient match to overcome second-round opponent Marin Cilic 6-2 2-6 7-6 6-2 in a fiery but entertaining clash at Roland Garros. The resurgent 39-year-old needed to be at his sterling best to overcome Cilic who gave a good account of himself, going toe-to-toe against Federer.
Cilic stood his ground in the second set and took it 6-2 as the two players went one set each into the third set. But, the Swiss was able to take the match in two hours and 35 minutes. Part of that time was however taken by what may end up being the talking point of the game.
There was a strange and unusual mid-match row that created unnecessary tension between the players as the amazing tennis they were playing in the game was interrupted by complaints over Federer taking more time than necessary to get his towel.
Cilic must have complained over the time taken to get towels at the back of the court between points and this led to a fairly lengthy exchange between Federer and the umpire while the Swiss was 3-1 down in the second set. When Federer finished the heated exchange with the umpire, he turned to Cilic.
He was heard asking the Croatian, while standing at the net, turned away from the umpire: “Am I playing too slow?! Am I playing too slow?!”
Cilic replied: “No, no, I understand the rule… You were not playing too slow but, on a few occasions, I was waiting for you!”
And, Federer shot back: “I understand. But I am going from one corner to the next, trying to get my towel. I’m not even doing it on purpose!”
Cilic replied again: “That’s fine; but, I mean, you’re playing like this all the time…”
With that, the 20-time Grand Slam winner turned and walked back to the baseline, still unhappy with the exchange. He then did what the greats always do, channelling his frustration at the incident into positive play as he went on to win the next two sets to take the match and go into the third round.
In an interesting twist, all of the big three of men’s tennis, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Federer, have all found themselves in the same part of the draw, meaning there are interesting matchups to except long before the final is due. There is the possibility of a Djokovic-Nadal semi-final, in what will essentially be a repeat of last year’s final.
In between these three, without doubt the three most successful players in the history of the men’s game, is an astounding 17 of the last 20 Grand Slam titles won.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
