Not even the rain could stop former world No.1, Roger Federer (pictured), from once again advancing to the fourth round of the Wimbledon tennis championships where he faces Tommy Robredo (Tuesday, July 1).
Since the early years of their careers, Robredo and Federer have faced off 11 times. Eight times have been on hard courts, three on clay. Since their first match at an ATP level tournament in Sydney in 2002, Federer has easily been the more dominating force. He won the first 10 matchups, including four at grand slam tournaments.
In recent years, these two have been no stranger to meeting in the fourth round of a slam. In fact, in 2009, 2011 and again in 2013, Federer and Robredo met at the US and Australian Open. In their last matchup at the US Open, Robredo won his first ever head-to-head against Federer, keeping the five-time champion out of the quarter-finals for the first time in years. In addition, it was a straight set loss for Federer, a rare occurrence for the former world number one.
Federer has clearly had the upper hand and with 17 major wins to Robredo’s none, it is evident as to why. It should also be noted that throughout the rivalry, Federer and Robredo have never once faced on Federer’s best surface, grass. As such, the pair have never gone head-to-head at Wimbledon, the tournament from which Federer has won seven of his 17 grand slam titles.
Tommy Robredo is No Slouch
Robredo is one in a long list of good Spanish players on the major circuit. Of course the best is Rafael Nadal, a man who casts a long and large shadow throughout the country and the world. In a way, Nadal’s success has underscored the career of someone like Robredo.
While the 32-year-old Robredo has never won a major, he does hold a career record of 470-297 and 12 titles. He has been ranked as high as No.5 in the world and is currently in the top 25.
Like many Spaniards, Robredo’s best surface is clay. He has reached the quarter-finals five times in his career at Roland Garros. But he is good on hard court as well, reaching the quarter-finals once each at the US and Australian Open.
In 2013, Robredo reached the quarter-finals for the first time at the US Open, defeating Federer for the first time in the process. Perhaps ironically, Robredo will be looking for his first quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon, again with only Federer standing in his way.
Will 2014 Be No. 18 for Federer?
Once a fixture at the second week of majors, Federer has dealt with injuries, inconsistent play and a new rival in Novak Djokovic, all of which have put him in the longest major-less drought of his career. However, his best surface is still grass and with a title as recently as two years ago at Wimbledon, if ever there was a major to get Federer back on track, it would be this one.
Right now, Federer is playing some of the best tennis he has played in a while. In the past few years there have been times when he has looked tired in long matches, winded, even overmatched at times. None of that has been the case though this year.
At his own admission, Federer reports to being in good shape and it has shown. He has made quick work of his first three opponents and has done so without breaking a sweat. In his third round, Federer easily dispatched Santiago Giraldo (6-3, 6-1, 6-3) in a match that lasted a mere 81 minutes. This marked the third match in which Federer has yet to drop a set at this year’s championship.
In addition, Federer was on a six-match winning streak leading up to Wimbledon. He captured his 79th career tour title at the Gerry Weber Open, which is his second tour title this year.
Federer is a staggering 70-8 all time at Wimbledon and is a favorite to reach at least the semi-finals. Of course, he will have to face his two nemeses, Djokovic and Nadal, to hoist his historical best, eighth Wimbledon title, but it does seem if there was a year, this is it.
Who knows, it could even be one of the last few times Federer will take the court at the All-England Lawn Club. There is no doubt he is going to make the most of it.
Final Betting Pick: Does Robredo Have an Upset Chance?
No matter the sport or the game, each player or team always has a chance at victory. The common error in thinking however is that those chances are split 50-50. For example, at Tuesday’s fourth round match, the numbers are probably closer to 80-20.
I don’t want to say that Robredo is going to be an easy victim but there are things in Federer’s favor that have to be considered.
As mentioned, the pair have never faced off on grass, Federer’s best surface. They have never met at Wimbledon, where since 2003, Federer has only failed to make the finals three times. Even when they have matched up, Federer holds the head-to-head record at 10-1.
Also, Federer is fresher as Robredo is coming off a five-set match. He has the advantage of the Wimbledon crowd cheering him on as if he were their surrogate son. And it can’t be discounted that no one likes losing in straight sets, especially not someone with Federer’s legend and stature.
Robredo might have some confidence because of last year’s US Open win, but that only gets you so far against the greatest of all-time on his greatest surface of all-time.
- Don’t hesitate on this one. Take Federer and bet on him to win in straight sets ie: a 3-0 scoreline at the fractional odds of 2/5 with Bovada Sportsbook.
Marilee writes on NFL, MLB, NBA & tennis for USA Betting. Another area of her sporting journalistic expertise is pro wrestling. A native of Philadelphia and a big Eagles fan, she has been a sports writer for many major websites including Bleacher Report and Rant Sports. She started her journalistic career early, as sports editor for her college newspaper.