Swiss maestro Roger Federer plays veteran qualifier Denis Istomin in the first round of the 2021 French Open on Sunday, May 30. Get the live streaming options of this Roger Federer v Denis Istomin match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Roger Federer v Denis Istomin Head to Head
The players have met seven times with Federer having won on all occasions. Their last meeting was at the opening round of the 2019 Australian Open where Federer prevailed in straight sets.
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Federer Back In Paris As He Preps For the Grass, On Clay
2009 French Open champion Roger Federer returns to Roland Garros after being a semi-finalist here in his last appearance in 2019, losing to arch-rival Rafael Nadal.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner had two knee surgeries in 2020 and missed all of the pandemic-hit season after the Australian Open, as a result. Turning 40 later this year, the cloud around how much more time Federer has on the circuit remains and pundits wonder whether this is the last we will see of him on the red dirt.
Federer made his return to the ATP tour earlier this year in March when he played the ATP 250 at Doha where he lost in the quarter-finals to eventual title winner Nikoloz Basilashvili.
The Swiss had won a hard fought three-setter against Briton number one Dan Evans just prior to that. Federer had mentioned that he felt he needed more time on the practice courts with his game and fitness thereafter.
The former world number one has mentioned how the focus for the season remains Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and the US Open among other tournaments and returned to the clay as a build up for the grass and all that comes thereafter.
Federer was the top seed earlier this month at the ATP 250 in Geneva and was looking good in his opener against Spaniard Pablo Andujar. The Swiss was 4-2 up in the decider before a sudden dip saw him lose four games in a row and with it the match.
Ranked eighth in the world now, Federer is in the same half of the draw as fellow Big Three members Rafa Nadal and Nadal Djokovic with a potential quarter-final clash against the world number one from Serbia.
The Swiss has kept expectations low for the second major of the year and hopes to take it one match at a time as he builds up for the second half of the season.
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Istomin In Midst Of Poor Patch
Uzbek Denis Istomin has been on the tour for a decade and a half and ranked as high as number 33 in the world.
He is the winner of two ATP titles in his career and well remembered for upsetting Novak Djokovic early at the 2017 Australian Open, a tournament which will always be remembered for the comeback of eventual champion Roger Federer post injury.
It has been a bleak last year and a bit for Istomin, who has failed to qualify for the main draw of any ATP tournament since mid 2020 and largely played on the ATP Challenger Tour and in qualifiers. The Uzbek’s best grand slam outings have been the fourth round at Melbourne, London and New York and has never been past the second round at Roland Garros.
With a ranking that has now fallen to #203 in the world, Istomin did well to come through three rounds of qualifiers especially defeating veteran Damir Dzumhur. The 34-year-old will be aware that all eyes will be on his opener as it marks the return of the Swiss legend Federer on the Grand Slam circuit after almost a year and a half.
Federer v Istomin Prediction and Tip
Federer may not be expected to go the distance, but he is up against a familiar opponent and one who he has got the better of many times. Istomin himself has been in poor form qualifying for a tournament after a while. The Swiss should come through on his experience. Expect a straight sets win for Federer.
Tip: Federer to win in straight sets: 4/6 (Click Here to Bet with bet365)
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The 2021 French Open will be played from May 30 to June 13. Get all the latest French Open previews, predictions & odds here. You can also learn more about Spread Betting in tennis here.
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