Roger Federer has had a long Wimbledon career spanning over two decades. In that time, he has seen the most joyful as well as the most depressing moments. But on Wednesday, as he was eventually beaten by Hubert Hurkacz, a new question was asked.
Is This It For Roger Federer?
39-year-old Roger Federer has never received a set of bagels apart from one time in the current century. On Wednesday, it happened once more against Hubert. The last time it had happened, was when Federer was facing Nadal in 2008, on a clay court. On Wednesday, Federer was struggling to stay in the game.
The audience had tried their best to change the outcome. They had given an ovation when the game started as well as when he was about to lose. Needless to say, neither worked. However, this loss of Roger Federer does not come as a major shock or calamity.
Firstly, Federer fell to Hubert Hurkacz, who is an emerging player from Hungary and also quite underrated. For now, he is nothing more than a footnote, but on the day his performance was resourceful. His strongest points were on display. Moreover, his life’s biggest match saw him make only a dozen unforced errors.
Hurkacz, 24, has already beaten 4 players in the top 20 when he won the Open at Miami. Moreover, just the day before, he had beaten Daniil Medvedev, the second seed. Hurkacz relished the consecutive matches as well. A very tough opponent for Roger Federer in the ending stages of his career.
Roger Federer, meanwhile, was a sorry sight. His forehand was struggling, and his footwork was extremely inaccurate. As time went on, his mistakes increased. Moreover, he even slipped and ended up giving away a tiebreak point.
But his recovery after two surgeries on his knees has been amazing. Nevertheless, time is possibly running out for Federer.