Roger Federer survived a major scare in the first round at Wimbledon on Tuesday after Adrian Manarrino retired at the start of the fifth set.
Federer, the record eight time champion, looked to be in cruise control after easing into a one-set lead but world No 41 Mannarino fought back to claim the next two sets as the Swiss struggled with his opponent's awkward style and flat ball striking. As great champions so often do, though, Federer regrouped and found his way back into the match to race through the fourth set.
However, Federer was assisted at the end of the fourth set when Mannarino twisted and landed awkwardly. The Frenchman received medical attention and continued until the end of the set but the knee injury sustained in the fall proved the end of his challenge. Mannarino retired with the score 6-4, 6-7, 3-6, 6-2.
“It is awful and shows one shot can change the outcome of a match, season, career and I wish him all the best and hope we see him back quickly — he was the better player, he could have won, I got a bit lucky,” Federer said.
Federer reached the final the last time Wimbledon was held in 2019 — going down in a five-set epic to Novak Djokovic — but plenty has changed for the former world No 1 since then. He has undergone two knee surgeries and has had limited time on court prior to his return to the All England Club.
Back on Centre Court, that rustiness was evident for large parts of his match against Mannarino as Federer battled for rhythm and consistency. The Swiss produced an uncharacteristically high number of unforced errors (45), although the shot-making ability was still on show with 53 winners.
“It was a very up and down match and overall we were both wrestling to see who could enjoy the baseline, I felt I had to adjust my game more than he did his and that's credit to him,” Federer said. “It is such a privilege to play here.”
In the previous match to open Centre Court on Tuesday, women's world No 1 Ashleigh Barty booked her place in the second round after an emotionally-charged contest against Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro.
Suarez Navarro will retire at the end of the season having only recently recovered from Hodgkin lymphoma and while she impressive fought back from a break down to level in the second set, Barty proved too strong to claim a 6-1, 6-7, 6-1 victory.
The Spaniard departed the court to raucous cheers and a standing ovation, with Barty joining in the applause.
“It was a privilege to share the court with her today because I hadn’t had that opportunity to play Carla and it was really special to experience what she can bring from the other side of the court,” Barty, 25, said.
“All credit goes to her for her resilience to come back from the adversity she has faced and to be able to have that moment with her was nothing short of remarkable.”
The final match on Centre Court was also packed with drama and emotion as a tearful Serena Williams was forced to retire with an ankle injury.
Williams, bidding for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title at a tournament she has won seven times, slipped and rolled her ankle while leading Aliaksandra Sasnovich 3-1 in the first set. She battled on but in clear pain as Sasnovich broke back and held to level at 3-3.
The American left the court to receive treatment and soon returned to huge cheers from the crowd. Taking her place to serve on the baseline, Williams was overcome with emotion and the tears flowed as the Centre Court fans loudly clapped and shouted their support.
Williams proceeded to unleash a vicious winner from a standing position, but the next point saw her crumple to the ground and she called time on her Wimbledon campaign.
A visibly upset Williams limped off the court and waved her appreciation to the crowd as Sasnovich took her place in the second round.
