Federer Matches Connors’ Wimbledon Mark, Rolls Into Third Round

Roger Federer walked on No. 1 Court Thursday with a 16-1 record in the second round at Wimbledon. And although his wild card opponent, #NextGenATP Brit Jay Clarke, put forth an admirable effort in front of his home crowd, that record was not blemished any further.

Federer overcame a tight second set to beat Clarke 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2, advancing to the third round at SW19 for the 17th time, equalling Jimmy Connors’ Open Era record. It is his 70th trip to the third round of a major, extending his own record. 

In the first round, Federer faced a slight bump, losing the first set against South African Lloyd Harris. But he was much sharper from the jump against Clarke, moving on after one hour and 37 minutes, striking 46 winners to just 26 unforced errors in a clean match for the eight-time champion.

He was sure to get off to a quick start, breaking serve twice in the opening set and swooping into the forecourt successfully often, winning 10 of 13 net points in the first.

If Clarke was going to work his way towards a stunning upset, he had to pull through the second set, in which he was strong on serve to reach a tie-break. But after taking an early mini-break when Federer missed a sitting forehand volley, the Swiss buckled down, winning six of the set’s final seven points. He hit his seventh ace of the match to close out the tie-break.

Federer now has 97 wins at Wimbledon, as he continues his pursuit to win 100 matches at a single tournament for the first time. The 37-year-old is trying to win his ninth Wimbledon crown to extend his own record at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Federer will next face one of two Frenchmen: No. 27 seed Lucas Pouille or Gregoire Barrere. The second seed won his only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head match against Pouille in straight sets, but that came five years ago at the Rolex Paris Masters. He has never faced Barrere.

Did You Know?
Federer is now 10-0 against wild cards at the Grand Slams, and he is 66-8 against wild cards at tour-level events. He has never lost a match at a major against a player ranked as low as World No. 169 Clarke. The Swiss fell to World No. 154 Mario Ancic in the first round of 2002 Wimbledon, and upon his return the next year he captured his maiden Grand Slam crown.