Hey all, another straight sets affair for Roger as he defeated Argentinian Qualifier Diego Sebastian Schwartzman 6-3 6-4 6-4 to move into the third round.
A comfortable scoreline but certainly not a one sided affair and I don’t think Federer bossed this one by any means. If anything his defensive ability was the difference as the Argentine played extremely aggressive when he had the chance.
Conditions didn’t help here as it was yet again drizzling and overcast which makes the ball heavy. I don’t know about you but I haven’t got into this French Open yet, the weather, some of the matches and just the general vibe of things hasn’t got me excited. Hopefully things pick up in the second week, assuming Federer is there 🙂
Quick Match Recap
Into the match and Fed started with a 1 minute special making 3 first serves en route to a love hold.
Schwartzman didn’t hang about either as he held easily thanks to some sweet ball striking. The Qualifier, playing his first ever Grand Slam Main Draw then drew first blood breaking the Federer serve to lead 2-1.
It was a bit of a surprise to see Roger drop serve rather easily. He got bossed from the back of the court, hit about 3 backhands into the base of the net and that was that.
Fortunately Schwartzman’s inexperience told as he failed to consolidate. With the break back Federer started to string some better points together as he broke to lead 4-2 then served out the set at 5-3 to take what was always going to be an unassailable lead.
Any notion that Roger’s 5 feet 7 inch opponent would fade after showing early resistance soon disappeared as he had an immediate chance to break at the start of the second.
Although he failed to convert Schwartzman kept Fed honest throughout, hitting with authority and it was only his lack of consistency that meant he wasn’t winning more points.
At 4 all Fed then had 2 break points from deuce but played quite timidly and failed to capitalise. Luckily though on his 3rd attempt Schwartzman missed a makeable shot to drop serve. The set was soon over 6-4.
The third set was a similar story, Roger improved a touch and things looked a little easier for him as he broke for 3-1. That 1 break again proved the difference and Schwartzman didn’t have another look in as he bowed out 6-3 6-4 6-4. A decent ever but Roger was the better player over all.
Match Stats
| Stats | Diego Sebastian Schwartzman | Roger Federer |
| Aces | 1 | 9 |
| Double Faults | 4 | 2 |
| 1st Serves In | 51/95 (54 %) | 51/81 (63 %) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 30/51 (59 %) | 42/51 (82 %) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 24/44 (55 %) | 17/30 (57 %) |
| Fastest Serve | 192 Kmh | 199 Kmh |
| Average 1st Serve Speed | 159 Kmh | 183 Kmh |
| Average 2nd Serve Speed | 135 Kmh | 147 Kmh |
| Net Points Won | 8/13 (62 %) | 13/18 (72 %) |
| Break Points Won | 1/2 (50 %) | 4/10 (40 %) |
| Receiving Points Won | 22/81 (27 %) | 41/95 (43 %) |
| Winners | 20 | 29 |
| Unforced Errors | 36 | 34 |
| Total Points Won | 76 | 100 |
Thoughts on the Match
They say your mood often reflects the weather and the French Open so for me has been pretty dull. No matches have had much excitement, even Stan crashing out had a feeling of inevitability about it with the way he was playing. The match today was a little dreary too. Fun in parts but no real impetus other than some pacey rallies thanks to Schwartzman.
I don’t think Fed looked that enthralled either today playing in light rain and quite chilly conditions. The conditions aren’t ideal for top quality tennis and it’s more about the guy who’s game is best suited or who handles them better on the day. Like I said above hopefully the weather can pick up a bit in the next few days.
As for the match I think Fed just played solidly enough, nothing spectacular, a little ropey and spent a lot of time on the back foot but won in straight sets.
Schwartzman gave a good showing and he reminds me a little of Nishikori, who also troubles Roger, as he has great foot speed and takes the ball early. At 5ft 7″ he’s probably too small to ever be a contender but he’s got hustle and played fearlessly. Fed gave him some praise too:
I didn’t feel relaxed for the entire match, I always felt he had a little bit of an upper hand from the baseline. He was doing a really good job being aggressive and making good plays. He managed to put pressure on me and keep it on. Clearly because of his height he doesn’t have the biggest serve, and that kept me sometimes in two minds. But he handled the conditions really well. He’s probably going to move up the rankings. He’s very steady, very fast, got some good qualities.
Anyway, no complaints from me as it’s another well managed match completed in straight sets. Some good plays, nice volleys mixed in with some weak returns and tame backhands. So there’s definitely positives but plenty things to improve on too, which maybe isn’t a bad place to be early in a slam. We’ll soon see where his game is at when he faces some tougher opposition.
Predictions vs. Tursunov
Next up is Tursunov who easily disposed of Sam Querrey in straight sets. This guy is a tricky customer and if you go toe to toe with him he can definitely get the upper hand.
Fed beat him in 2 tie breaks earlier in the year at Indian Wells so we know he’s not going to be a complete pushover.
Heavy conditions will suit his game too as he’s a bit of a heavy hitter on both wings. Fed got bullied a fair bit by Schwartzman who is nowhere near as physically imposing as Tursunov so I think Roger will need to be sharp here and mix things up to avoid giving Tursunov too much rhythm.
I’ll pick Fed in 3 but it could go 4 based on what I saw today. Conditions will play a part I think and if it’s blue skies and sunny I can see Federer comfortably winning. If it’s overcast and heavy we could be in for a tricky one. Allez!
First?
Yes second title of the year, and first slam title I think!
Congratulations MarkWandy 🙂 Man a life I am title less. I just can’t seem to win an atp trophy. Maybe I need to try a challenger somewhere in Alaska 100 Series. Lol . No seriously cool man!!
Anyway just really happy with a Federer win.
FAO Jonathan. Thanks man for the last couple of posts. As I have missed the matches so your match summary was good. Cheers
Serajul your titles will come for sure! Practise hard lose hard, practice harder lose harder, practise hardets win the hardest!
I heard something like that once, I believe it is from Wawrinka? Maybe his tatoo.
Nice 🙂
Serajul you have about 4 titles, form is temporary class is permanent.
First?
hahaha
jonathan decide who is first……….?
MarkWandy is a slam champion 🙂
Oh! just missed!! Congrats MarkWandy…
Thanks Ankur, down to the wire though 🙂
Not first.
I knew it.
Well I agree with you Jon, the quality of the matches and the weather are not peaking and it feels a little flat right now, but how about all those upsets? It usual continues through out the tournament so who’s next?
But a good match for Fed today, Schwartzman played really solid and Fed needed to play good to win and he did! So I’m positive for him and his proceed in this tournament! Allez Roger!
I think maybe it’s the weather. Hopefully it brightens up. Tursunov could be tricky in damp conditions.
A win is a win, but surprised to see so many bad returns off such average serves. Mirka didn’t look happy during the match, even as Fed won. Wonder if that’s due to the dull weather or Roger being dominated from the baseline by a qualifier.
Or due to the fact she gave birth just over 3 weeks ago and is still in pain. Not so sure about today, but I thought she looked like she was hurting in almost every photo from the last match.
Hv to say I think she is total marvel! I know where I wld want to be, 3 weeks after giving birth and it wld not be courtside in cold damp conditions! She is not given enough credit! Fed today? Good 1st week match, got some rhythm as J said, good serving stats but still too many UFE’s Altho heavy court and balls will be a major factor here! Weather supposed to pick up from here for next 4/5 days so hoping that favours Fed over Tursunov! Seems to hv played him a lot of late?? And what of Serena?? Katyani??
Hey Susie. Serena lost to a great player who was better than her. Simple. It did look like she checked out, but kudos to Muguruza who played better. The thing about her that impressed me the most was that she was not impressed by Serena at all 🙂
You see, even if you are Roger or Rafa or Nole or Serena, you can’t win all your matches till the day you retire. New, young and upcoming players will figure you out. Serena needs to work harder. That’s it.
By the way, there goes Wilander’s prediction that this year Serena could have her Serena Slam 🙂 She hasn’t even made the QF in AO and RG…
I know you guys are not that big on the women’s matches, but today I saw a great match. Alize Cornet vs Taylor Townsend. Wow. Never heard of her. When I saw Taylor I was a bit surprised. She is 18 years old, bit short and…. not that ‘thin’. But, the way she played…. wow. Running all over the court, getting every ball and some points she made…. And the most impressive thing, she won the 1st set, was 4-1 up in the 2nd and still lost the 2nd set, was up 5-1 in the 3rd, almost lost the 3rd, Alize broke back to 4-5 and the second time Taylor served for the match, she won.
Also impressive, the French crowd was very rude, more rude than the Madrid crowd, but Taylor didn’t let it bother her and still won. Hope she gets far in the tour.
And Sharapova really needs to grunt less and serve quicker…..
And someone to look out for is Camila Giorgi. Looks like a tiny barbiedoll, but is a great player.
Sharapova doesn’t actually grunt at all; she shrieks. Wails. I cannot watch her. Truly. I’ve turned off the TV during what was otherwise an interesting match because I cannot stand the caterwauling.
Yeah I was surprised Mirka been courtside both matches. Who is looking after Leo and Lenny?
@Thinker – I can’t watch Sharapova either. Awful.
Highlight of tournament for me was Silliams losing.
Hi Jonanthan
Unfortunately misssed the first set so was surprised to read in your summary that Fed was broken so early – but as the song goes it’s not how you start it’s how you finish and he finished the winner so all good. He seems to be a lot more vocal than usual especially when he’s hit a bad shot – not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
Hopefully the sun will be shining for his next match and he will come out all guns blazing. Still hoping that someone is going to knock Rafa out – not sure who though in the early stages, as least one of my wishes was granted and Serena is out – even her mum could not stay awake for the match!!
LOL! It was the match with Venus that the cameras were panning back to their mom and she was nodding off like she was sleeping.
Venus losing on clay, not an upset these days IMHO!
Hey Trudi.
Agreed, I can’t stand Silliams. Awful, no better site than seeing her lose.
Did you say you had tickets for Wimbledon Tuesday 24th? You are virtually 100% guaranteed to see Fed if so 🙂
Jonathan
Hi Jonathan
Yes I do have tickets for Tuesday 24th At wimbledon – hope your right what a lovely way to spend a wedding anniversary – sitting with my lovely husband and watching THE GOAT play tennis on grass!!!
Hoping it’s the conditions & lack of match practice that are making Roger “not relaxed”, & that he is just getting ready to peak at the right time.
I’m also glad to see that apparently it’s nothing to do with not feeling well: a French site quoted some of the same things we’ve seen in English, but also a couple of different things, especially on how to approach his game with Tursunov, so here’s that:
http://www.francetvsport.fr/roland-garros/federer-je-ne-perds-pas-d-energie-225199
Roger Federer came back into press conference on the heels of his 2nd round victory over Argentinian Diogo Schwartzman (6-3, 6-4, 6-4). The Swiss is pleased with his current level and is now waiting for the Russian Tursunov in the next round.
Q: What are your impressions after your victory over Schwartzman?
RF: It’s true, it was difficult during the entire match. I had the impression he was always aggressive, even from the back of the court. Given his size, he doesn’t have the best serve, but he handled the conditions well. He is surely going to rise up the rankings. He was very consistent, very fast.
Q: How do you feel physically after these first two rounds?
RF: I am not asking myself any questions. I am in good health. I am really not losing any energy.
Q: What will be the keys for you in the match against Dmitry Tursunov?
RF: I don’t think I’ve played him before on clay. It’s a first for me, I think.
You basically need to approach a match like this one, with the idea of playing like on hard, using the slide when you really need it for drop shots, slices, on the forehand to chase a ball. Otherwise, you need to play forward. You need to play more half-volleys. It’s delicate on clay with the false bounces. It will be interesting to see to what extent I manage to vary the exchanges, to impose my game.
Q: Roger, Stanislas Wawrinka, after his defeat in the first round, had said that he had a lot of trouble managing the pressure of the title in Australia. He said that’s what made the difference between him, Djokovic, Nadal & you.
RF: I have never understood the degree to which Rafa, Novak & I manage to play at such a level all the time & to never lose early in the tournament. For me, it’s after all normal that that should happen from time to time to the best players. With Stan, I understand where he finds himself. I have been in situations like that, at a certain moment. It’s not the pressure itself, it’s more the way you look at yourself, at your game, without wanting to change everything. He just needs to resolve that little by little. That can’t be done from one day to the next. Australia, Monaco, that’s in his pocket, it’s done; no one can take those away from him any more. That gives him time to work on it. I am confident he will find the necessary solutions in the months ahead.
Great effort to post this, thank you Thinker 🙂
Nice to hear his insight especially about Stan.
We need sun above Paris, don’t we…and above Jonathan?
Cheers Thinker. Pity French Open website only posts 1 minute clips of videos, you can usually get what kinda mood he’s in.
Thanks for the interview translation Thinker. Always interesting to read. And Jonathan of course for the match roundup.
A few mistakes from Roger today (quite a few in fact) but he did what he needed to do to win under difficult weather conditions for him. One thing that’s rarely mentioned as well is the difficulty of playing a newcomer for the first time when you know zero about their game while they almost certainly know everything about yours. Can take a while to figure out. Credit to his opponent though. He played really well and gave his all. What a shame he’s so short. All in all, I was never worried for a moment that Roger might lose this, even when he was down in the first set. He always seemed to be in control to me. I’m getting used to the outfit too (sort of).
I think the shirt exaggerates how thin he is ATM! Do not like but if he keeps on winning, then… Reckon Tursunov quite a test but he does prefer hard so still think Fed in 3!
Another thing I’ve notice about the shirt is it gives the impression of being too tight around the neck – *I* feel like I’m choking when I look at him in it.
Nice point Rita about needing to figure out a new opponent on the fly, while he’s had plenty of opportunities to see, if not study, you on tape, on YouTube, on the locker room tv…
Yeah I can see Tursunov blasting some winners. If Fed lets him dictate from the back of the court it won’t be pretty. Variety required. Thiem tried ball blasting today vs Dull, don’t work.
Pretty dull match I thought… Not much to see, but schwartzman was hitting hard.
Tursunov gonna be interesting 🙂
Anyway, got tickets for the next Davis Cup!! 😀
Congrats! We will be there in spirit!!
Nice. Should be a decent matchup with the Fog on board. Although indoors should give Swiss big advantage. Wonder if Stan will be back in form? He is playing Queens.
So next is….. Roger Federer vs The Poor Man’s Roger Federer 🙂
Another GOAT achievement. Enjoy! 🙂
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/05/22/Federer-Most-Obsessed-Over-Time-Magazine.aspx
http://time.com/109947/web-ranking/
LOL, did you see he was ranked # 18.
Now I am feeling quite optimistic like Katyani, Roger will win his 18 slam this year.
: )
Hey Phantom TGWW, I’m with you for #18 😀
Good spot!
Glad to see Fed win, but, he seemed to struggle or was he just practicing. I hate that Wawrinka lost and Diminitrov. I am from the US and do not like Serena or the other Williams family members. They are so angry about something. Hopefully she will retire. I would like to see Sloane get better.
I agree about Fed’s shirt. The neck is too tight and the arm cuffs. I like the colors on him. They just are not in the right place.
Yes let’s hope for better weather. The little girls are precious.
I’m not from the US and I can’t stand Silliams. Horrible to watch, horrible to listen to.
Dimitrov has a joke record at slams, he needs to step up to the plate.
Love this quote from “gototennis ”
Um, can we get a do over? After the first few dreary and damp days of Roland Garros, it feels like half the top players decided it just wasn’t worth it.
Great quote and neatly summed up first few days! Nothing worse than tennis in the rain!! Miserable!
Yeah it’s been crap. Weather here doesn’t help here either. I look out the window and it’s raining. I switch on tennis and it’s overcast and damp.
Hey Katyani! Taylor is a future great! She’s the one Patrick McEnroe was so rude about 2 yrs ago not letting play in the US open saying she wasn’t fit etc. all boiled over into a national row about body size, racism etc. I like her a lot and reckon once she gets the right trainer she will get on track! Let’s be realistic she will always be a pretty big girl but as she matures she will lose some of her teenage weight. Super smiley!
I’ve never even seen her play lol. Hefty.
Sun predicted for next 4 days! So come on Thiem, Muzza and heather! Cldnt give a toss about Sock v Johnson but clearly Brad Gilbert thinks we shld! Non stop twittering about the US match up(!) Gasquet cld fall today…
Wank Sock vs Johnson. Half the world won’t even know who they are. I wish that Lokoli guy had won vs. Johnson but he choked.
I guess the weather should aid Thiem in today’s match with Nadal. Did you guys know that Melzer predicted the chances as 65:35 for Rafa:Thiem.. Quite a high % for the 20 year old I think
I didn’t see much put Thiem got outsmarted and outplayed. Lot of talent though.
Not easy match for Roger to be honest but he got a W in the end. One thing I am confused why Roger tries to outhit every hard hitting opponents. He gets burned each time yet he does it again and again. Hope this match helps to prepare him in his next few matches.
For shits and giggles and to wind you up Dippy. He knows you’re watching.
Roger can be such an ass at times but I love him for it ha ha ha
Agreed. It’s the same reason he is the only top guy to be troubled by Berdych. He tries to outhit big hitters. Ends up making more errors than a club player. I can’t stand his forehand when he’s stretched wide. It’s as though he has absolutely no patience to hit a deep heavy cross court forehand. He’ll fire an aggressive shot down the line that will inevitably end up barely halfway up the net.
Conal mentioned its PT birthday today ?
Happy Birthday, congrats and all the best for the years to come!
Didn’t watch the match either so its good reading in to what happened.
I m even less than you Jonathan in FO so hopefully I get in to it in the following days.
My little girls play a lot with my and their mothers I phone and that keeps them quiet for a bit 😉 . Only at flight mode though which makes it just like a mini I pad and not a phone really.
It’s tomorrow 🙂 30th May 2011 was my first post when Fed beat Stan at the French Open.
Maybe it was Mirka’s phone, 5 year olds shouldn’t have mobiles!
Ok
I ll make sure I come back tomorrow then 🙂
Just trying to figure out when I first found you, I think it should be somewhere at the end of 2012. So I ve been here half of the time of PT . I haven’t celebrated a Rogers GS title with you all yet. I hope it will happen at least a couple of times !
I’ll never forget the blog’s birthday 🙂
Although one day early but wish PT a very Happy Birthday!…in case I can’t go online as I’ll be on the move tomorrow. Congrats and thanks for the fantastic job. Hope the blog, you Jonathan and our GOAT, all have a great day.
All the best!
Thanks 🙂
Happy birthday to PT, then! And many more of them, I hope (for the obvious reason 🙂 ). Thank you for all your work, week in, week out, Jonathan.
And I bet the girls don’t have mobiles – maybe it’s Grandpa Robert’s.
Roger Federer has become the first man in tennis history to record 60 or more match wins at all four Grand Slam championships. This guy is just amazing.
Respect…
Big achievement. Will be broken though as the 4 surfaces are only getting similar as time goes by I think.
But still, it’s the longevity and the ability to go deep into the draw which counts. It won’t be easy.
http://time.com/#109947/web-ranking/
Another ranking that finds Roger in the first place of all time athletes worldwide.
However its a joke of a ranking if you look a bit closer 🙂
OMG, Hulk is even higher than Fed, thanks to GG, his biggest fan! Roger might have been No.17 if he had ripped his shirts off for celebrations 😉
Mariah Carey? lol.
It’s 10:30pm here at my place. Before I go to bed, I’m just gonna write a congradulations comment – HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY to peRFect Tennis blog!!! I remember discovering this amazing blog around December 2011, found some intriguing articles and decided to explore the site a bit more. Since then, I haven’t missed a single blog post!! My favourite Federer blog site and a big, BIG thank you to you Jonathan for putting in so much time and effort to write every single post! 😀 🙂 😀
Cheers Conal 🙂
Remember that analysis you did on who was the most popular tennis player out there, purely going by online views. Forget tennis, an algorithm just named Federer as the most prominent athlete online. Athlete. Not tennis player.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/05/22/Federer-Most-Obsessed-Over-Time-Magazine.aspx
Another day, another record.
On the last post, I think, I asked where you guys thought Roger was now with the new racquet. Must have been prophetic, because here’s a guy looking at specific differences/samenesses between old & new racquet:
http://tennisnerds.com/2014/05/28/breaking-roger-federers-new-racquet-every-aspect-of-his-game/
(Also includes a video compilation of 2014 best shots, ie “new racquet” best shots! WOW was he playing well in that Dubai final!)
I agree with some of that but they billed it as a stats post but it turns into more just opinion? More spin is because strings are wider apart than they were before which is obvious. I tweeted the picture the other day that shows Fed still uses 16 x 19 string pattern which he used in the 90 in a 98sq” frame. Strings are wider apart.
The sweet spot isn’t larger however. It’s the exact same size. It’s just a bigger hitting zone that is more forgiving.
I would like to see comparison of FH speeds etc.
Dubai has been his best level all year. I guess he likes those conditions. Hasn’t reached them since I don’t think.
Ah, I hadn’t made the connection about same pattern >>> more space between strings >>> more spin; thank you.
I’m not sure I understand about the “hitting zone” being bigger, but the “sweet spot” being the same. Does it mean – ideal hitting spot is the same, but there’s a larger “ok” area before you start shanking?
That would be my take on it
Yeaht that is basically it. The sweet spot is just where 2 lines meet where there is zero vibration and zero rotational force. I’m sure there is a formula etc but I don’t know the exact physics behind it. It’s just 1 spot on the racquet, not an area so it doesn’t get bigger with the bigger frame.
The hitting zone as I called it is bigger because of the larger frame. On Fed’s 98″ racquet the weight is distributed further from the stringbed than on the 90″, so when the ball hits the racquet off centre on the 98″ more force is required to twist the racket in his hand. Thus, off centre hits don’t rotate the 98″ racquet as much as the 90″ giving him more margin for error.
Ah! Never heard the sweet spot described that way; makes a lot of sense. And I see what you mean about the ability of off-center strikes to rotate the racquet in his hand as well. Thanks for a very clear explanation.
Wanted to say too that I agree with your comments about the stats in the link – he’s got a few good ones, but then kind of leaves them hanging. Almost like he’s got a good start of an article, but hasn’t taken it far enough.
Should be a decent match tomorrow… Looking forward to it 🙂
Never again do I want to go through this tense moments, rest of the 4 matches must be straight sets
wt Federer winning of course 🙂
Great to see Fed step it up when needed. Match with Gulbis will not be easy. I hope it turns out to be easy.
Thought it was a decent match, stepped it up when needed 🙂 Gulbis is gonna be a good one 🙂
Break point statistic was pretty bad (4/21), and Roger should have won it in straights but Tursunov played a great second set to be fair and we knew he could cause problems for Roger. Good match though, the sort you want at least one of in preparation for the later rounds.
One small suggestion for the blog: I would change the break point rating out of 5 to big point performance, so it includes break point up, break point down, tiebreaks, 30-30, deuce points, set points and match points etc. Just think this would be fairer because break point statistic is not the be all and end all of play on the big points.