Greg Garber, Senior Writer 8y

Questions remain about Roger Federer's level of play

Tennis

WIMBLEDON -- The man is six weeks from his 35th birthday, which in the dog years of professional tennis places Roger Federer somewhere between the reigns of England monarchs Henry VII and Henry VIII, back in the 16th century.

Coming off his first missed Grand Slam since the 2000 Australian Open and going into Monday's first-round match, there were all kinds of questions about Federer's physical fitness and state of mind.

In theory, anyway, Guido Pella did not appear to be much of a threat; Federer, the No. 3 seed, was sitting on 302 Grand Slam singles victories, while Pella had three. Federer has won Wimbledon a record-tying seven times and Pella had never won a single match at the All England Club.

Yet after 37 minutes it was a dead heat, with Federer drawn into an unpleasantly sticky tiebreaker. In the end, like the king he remains, Federer emerged victorious, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-3.

In his postmatch press conference, more than anything, Federer seemed to be relieved.

To be fair, Pella played bravely: The dashing Argentine lefty saved four set points. Still, this result will only increase the anxiety Fed Fanatics are feeling as his career winds down.

The match ran 2 hours, 6 minutes, which was unfortunate for the faithful at Centre Court who might have been hoping to see the entire, ecstatic England-Iceland soccer game that stunningly delivered Iceland into the quarterfinals of the European Championship.

It was that kind of day for the seven-time Wimbledon champion. Hey, even Great Britain's Marcus Willis -- who is ranked No. 772 and had to win three pre-qualifying matches, then three qualifiers just to get into the main draw -- beat Federer into the second round, where they will meet Wednesday.

He's been following the Willis story and even watched some of his first-round match.

"I think it's the best story in a long time in our sport," Federer said. "The kind of stories we need in our sport. Looking forward to that.

"It was cool to see how pumped up he was. They're going to support him, which will make it a tough match."

Back in the day, Federer used to roll guys ranked No. 51 in the world in a blink of those steely brown eyes. But coming off knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear and an aching back that forced him to miss the French Open, he's been a bit dodgy, losing to teenager Alexander Zverev and 22-year-old Dominic Thiem in back-to-back weeks on his favorite surface.

Against Pella, Federer had a tough time breaking serve, and there were more than a few, plaintive "Come on, Roger" pleas from the near-capacity crowd around Centre Court. While Pella never managed to break Federer's serve, the 17-time Grand Slam champion failed to convert eight of the nine break points he earned against Pella's serve.

"I was very happy with the way I played, actually," Federer said. "It's an intense match; new grass is always going to be a tough match. Happy to get through in straight sets.

"Felt like I was getting to the drop shots. Most important, I took care of my serve. I didn't have any hiccups. It was a good test."

Federer still has the capacity to induce "oohs" and "ahhs" from Centre Court spectators when he strikes those virtual half-volleys from the baseline. His hand-eye coordination borders on the ridiculous, and his tool box is unparalleled. He can still hit a well-judged approach shot and race toward the net with his lethal, sharp-angled forehand that leaves the court inside the service box. But his movement, clearly, is not of the sleek hovercraft quality it once was.

The world No. 3, Federer last won a Grand Slam here four years ago, losing in the final the past two years to Novak Djokovic. Federer would be the oldest man in the Open era to win Wimbledon and the oldest man to with a Grand Slam since Ken Rosewall won the 1972 Australian Open at the age of 37.

By winning in the quarterfinals -- and advancing to a potential semifinal meeting with Djokovic -- Federer would surpass Martina Navratilova's Open era record of 306 match wins. At the moment, that seems like a reach, since No. 5 Kei Nishikori likely would await in the quarters.

Playing seven matches in 10 days on the grass in Germany told Federer he had passed the body test, but now the issue seems to be quality rather than quantity.

"I need to focus on myself, getting myself into those positions, meaning second week, growing momentum, you know, the whole thing starts rolling then hopefully," Federer said in his pretournament press conference. "Clearly, important is getting there, getting the job done in the first week."

The next job comes Wednesday when he meets the now-celebrated world No. 772. Willis, it turns out, is from Slough, England, a town that shares the same name as the fictional home of the British version of "The Office."

Federer and his many followers are desperately hoping that, going forward, the trying Pella match won't be the new standard of another day at the office.

"Time heals a lot of problems," said Federer, adding that he still wasn't sure if he's 100 percent. "Another day in the right direction."

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