| Wednesday, 25 June 2008 Written by Alix Ramsay Fashion icon, sporting legend and Wimbledon champion – the everyday story of one man and his cardigan in search of greatness. Roger Federer moved into the third round by beating Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 and barely broke a bead of perspiration as he did so. Up in the players' box, Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue, sat chatting to Mirka, Federer's long-time girlfriend. Presumably, she had come to give that cardie the once over but whatever her views on on-court knitwear, she will have been impressed by the other items Federer had brought to show her. There was the forehand, for example, that is hit with such power and spin that it appears to be heading for the backstop until it suddenly slams on the brakes, dips grasswards and lands plumb in the corner. Or the serve, which may not be the fastest or the hardest in the game but still stymies all but the very best returners and guarantees Federer a bucketful of free points in every match. Or the approach. Or the volley. Or the backhand. Or anything that Federer choses to try. A year ago, Soderling gave Rafael Nadal the run-around over the course of five rain-sodden days. Beginning on the middle Saturday, the two were just about to begin their warm-up when the drizzle started and, as the rain persisted, they were not done until the second Wednesday. And the longer it went on, the more Soderling got under Nadal's skin, mimicking his tics and twitches and generally infuriating the Spaniard until he was fuming. And it takes an awful lot to get Rafa angry. Soderling's tennis wasn't bad, either. With that sort of record, Soderling was supposed to be an awkward customer for the world No. 1 who was, allegedly, still licking his wounds after being walloped in the French Open final. But Soderling soon revealed an alarming incompetence at the net (handy hint for the Swede: volleys are supposed to land on the other side of the net) while Federer was just easing through the gears. An early break of serve in the first two sets was all it took for him to open up a two-set lead. There is a sense of urgency about Federer this year. After starting the year with glandular fever – and being beaten in the Australian Open semi-finals – he then had to endure regular beatings on clay at the hands of Nadal. But throughout it all, he has talked longingly of getting to back to grass and back to the All England Club. He seems to have divided his year neatly in two – the first half was the miserable bit but now, safely into the second half, Federer is himself again. Wimbledon is where he feels at home, this is where he feels comfortable and where he feels in charge. At this stage in the competition, the Swiss wants to win his matches quickly and with the minimum of fuss but he does not want to peak too soon. So, like a large and expensive Rolls-Royce, he is purring along at a nice steady pace. There is more than enough engine power under the bonnet should someone have the temerity to take him on, but until then there is no need to get out of third gear. There was a moment, albeit brief, when Federer had to tickle the accelerator. As the Swiss threw in a careless service game – well, careless by his standards – Soderling broke for a 4-2 lead in the third set. He was allowed to maintain that lead for fully two games until it was time to serve for the set. Knowing that the Swede would be a little tight, Federer waited, pounced and turned a set point for Soderling into a break of serve for himself in the space of a minute. From there it was off to the tie-break where Federer allowed Soderling just three points as he concluded business and pulled on the knitwear after 2 hrs 1 min on court.
| Centre Court - Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round | |
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