Fantastic Federer Flies Closer To No. 1

Roger Federer is now one win away from reclaiming the No. 1 ATP Ranking from Rafael Nadal.

The Swiss No. 1 seed defeated Argentine Guido Pella 6-4, 6-4 at the MercedesCup on Friday in his second match since 24 March. Federer needs to reach the final in Stuttgart to guarantee his third stint atop the rankings this season, trailing Nadal by just 100 points entering the week.

The 36-year-old has doubled his victory total in Stuttgart this week after arriving in Germany this year with a 2-2 record at the event. One year ago, Federer fell against then-World No. 302 Tommy Haas in his opening match. This year’s Australian Open and Rotterdam champion is attempting to win a grass-court trophy for the sixth consecutive year. With his triumph against Pella, Federer has won 14 consecutive matches on the mown lawns dating back to title runs at Halle and Wimbledon last year.

The Swiss showed his prowess on the surface, frequently swooping to net with swift aplomb against the left-handed Pella, who had not won a tour-level grass-court match (0-4) before this tournament. Federer lost just one point on serve in the first set, earning a break with a whipping inside-out forehand winner. He didn’t let slip the momentum, dancing on the grass to hit an inside-in forehand passing shot for an immediate break in the second set. 

The 17-time tour-level grass-court champion faced only one moment of difficulty, falling behind 15/40 while serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But Federer battled through with strong serving. He will next face talented Aussie Nick Kyrgios or 2017 Fever-Tree Championships winner Feliciano Lopez.

Did You Know?
Roger Federer got off to a career-best 17-0 start in 2018, before losing back-to-back matches in the Indian Wells final (l. to Del Potro) and his Miami opener (l. to Kokkinakis).