Wimbledon 2021: Roger Federer vs Richard Gasquet preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (6) Roger Federer vs Richard Gasquet
Date: 1 July 2021
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: London, Great Britain
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £17,066,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Roger Federer vs Richard Gasquet preview
Roger Federer survived his first-round match against Adrian Mannarino by the skin of his teeth on Tuesday. Federer trailed by two sets to one but led by a break in the fourth set when Mannarino took a tumble and hurt his knee.
The pain was too much for the Frenchman and he retired moments after Federer won the fourth set with the score at 6-4, 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-2, 0-0 (15-0).
Federer, an eight-time champion at SW19, will next face another Frenchman in the form of Richard Gasquet, who defeated Yuichi Sugita 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in his first-round match on Tuesday.
Federer started off well against Mannarino despite facing three break points in the opening game of the match. He was able to create inroads into the Frenchman's serve and broke in the 10th game of the first set.
Federer's level drastically deteriorated thereon and he struggled to play his naturally aggressive game, mainly due to his misfiring forehand. Mannarino took the second set in a tiebreak where the 39-year-old committed four uncharacteristic unforced errors.
In the third set, Federer's serve fired blanks as Mannarino edged ahead in the match. But the sixth seed began the fourth set strongly and broke the Frenchman before the injury brought an untimely end to the match.
In total, Federer struck 53 winners, including 15 aces, but committed a whopping 45 unforced errors.
Richard Gasquet, meanwhile, played a stop-start match against Sugita. The two-time Wimbledon semifinalist struck 42 winners and coughed up 33 unforced errors in a rain-interrupted clash to claim a spot in the second round.
Roger Federer vs Richard Gasquet head-to-head
Roger Federer leads Richard Gasquet by a whopping 18-2 margin in the head-to-head. Federer has won his last 10 matches against the Frenchman and has beaten him twice at Wimbledon before (2006 and 2007).
Roger Federer vs Richard Gasquet prediction
This is a match for the tennis purists, given the delightful wristwork and racket skills both players possess. While Federer is undoubtedly the superior player, his form is questionable and Gasquet will fancy his chances of causing an upset.
Federer will have to be wary of Gasquet's one-handed backhand as well as the 35-year-old's net-play, which can be exquisite at times.
The Swiss struggled to assert himself in the baseline rallies against Mannarino and was forced to rush to the net to win points. Such a tactic could backfire against Gasquet, who has a brilliant passing shot.
While Federer is likely to have a difficult time once again, he should have enough in his arsenal to get the better of Gasquet.
Prediction: Roger Federer to win in five sets.