IT’S ROGER AND DOUBT
ROGER FEDERER confessed he had doubted himself before winning the Gerry Weber Open in Halle for the ninth time yesterday.
The Wimbledon favourite skipped the claycourt season and took 10 weeks out to rest after winning the Miami Open in April.
The 18-time Grand Slam winner then suffered a shock first-round defeat in his first match on grass in Stuttgart.
But Federer yesterday won his fourth title of the year by thrashing German world No.12 Alex Zverev 6-1 6-3 in only 53 minutes.
And it was the perfect way to lay down a marker ahead of his bid for a ninth title at SW19.
The Australian Open champion, now 35, said: “I was doubting myself a little bit, I must admit, because losing in the opening round for the first time in 15 years on grass was always going to shake me a little bit – and it did.
“So I’m happy to react right away and let that be forgotten and actually move on and remind myself I actually can play well on grass, It’s a boost for
By Neil McleMaN
me personally, with my confidence, knowing that my body is in good shape.
“Mentally, I’m fresh again and I’ve gotten used to match play.
“It has been a difficult year with a lot of practice, training and rehab so I am very happy to be back on the court.
“I do not know if I will ever be going to win this tournament again so I will enjoy this one.”
The Swiss star took control from the start with an early break and kept Zverev on his toes.
He earned a second break point with some deft volleying, which he pounced on to race through the first set in 24 minutes.
Zverev, who beat the Swiss in last year’s semi-final and has already won three titles this year, had a chance to break at the start of the second set. But he simply could not discover a chink in Federer’s armour, even as he attempted to mix up his game by forcing the Swiss to come to the net more often. A superb drop shot put Federer 5-2 ahead and sealed Zverev’s fate before he won the contest on his first match point with a cross-court volley. In doing so he became the first player to beat both Zverev brothers at the same event having defeated older sibling Mischa in the round of 16.