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Seven-time champion Roger Federer opens his Wimbledon campaign against Argentine Guido Pella. Join The Roar for live scores from 3am AEST.
With significant question marks surrounding both his form and fitness, Federer now has matches under his belt, and after a full week of training at SW19, he should be in his best condition since the Australian Open in January.
Many believe that Wimbledon is the last genuine chance for Federer to capture an 18th major title. He’s come agonisingly close in the last two years, reaching the final but losing a pair of tight matches to Novak Djokovic. Now, he opens another Wimbledon campaign against a man that has never won a match on grass in his career.
Guido Pella is enjoying a career-best season, with his highlight coming in February where he reached the biggest final of his career at the ATP 500 tournament in Rio de Janeiro. That showing propelled him to a career-high ranking of No.39, however he has since dropped to a current mark of No.52 after a lean last couple of months.
Pella though does have the tenacity required to challenge Federer here, given that the Swiss star is not yet at peak fitness. The Argentine is a strong competitor and could ask questions of Federer during the opening two sets or so.
Overall, Federer should still be able to dictate play from the baseline, establish a routine on serve and ultimately boss Pella around the court en route to a straight sets victory.
Federer in straight sets