Roger Federer beats Ilya Ivashka at Halle Open but faces up to Novak Djokovic reality
Roger Federer booked his spot in the second round of the Halle Open by beating Ilya Ivashka in straight sets in his first match of the year on grass, but will need to up his levels to defend his title and also to hold any realistic ambition of a Wimbledon triumph next month. Federer had three match points saved before eventually winning the match but didn’t hit his best, hitting less winners than Ivashka and also racking up 26 unforced errors.
The Swiss icon’s first match since withdrawing from the French Open earlier this month however still saw him come out on top 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 in an empty OWL Arena in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Federer, who is in Germany as he builds up towards Wimbledon later this month, as a result continues his chase of a record-extending 11th crown at the ATP Tour 500 Series event and has now gone 69-7 overall at the tournament.
The 39-year-old, who turns 40 next month, is searching for the 20th grass-court title of his career and harbours outside hopes of winning a record 21st Grand Slam at Wimbledon in a few weeks’ time.
But Federer will need to improve his performances if he is to succeed at SW19, where world No 1 Novak Djokovic will be the big favourite after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in an absorbing French Open final on Sunday to move on to 19 Slams.
