Roger Federer (Photo : Getty Images)
Roger Federer will attempt to advance into further into Wimbledon when he faces Britain's Marcus Willis in the second round of the third Grand Slam event of the year.
Federer overcame a shaky performance in his first major tournament in five months after sustaining injuries and setbacks that kept him sidelined from competing in events. The Swiss Maestro successfully opened his 18th Wimbledon with a 7-6(5) 7-6(3) 6-3 victory over Argentina's Guido Pella.
"I was very happy with the way I played. If I would have used my chances earlier in the first and second set, maybe things would have been a bit easier. But I think Pella did a good job," Federer said, reports the ATP's official website.
"It's an intense match. It's the first round. It's new grass. It's always going to be a tough match. I'm happy I made it in three straight sets."
Federer who is trying to become the first man to win eight Wimbledon crowns, will face an unlikely opponent in Marcus Willis, who needed to cancel teaching tennis lessons to kids and adults to participate at the All England Club in Church Road. Willis, No. 772 in the ATP world rankings, defeated Ricardas Berankis in impressive straight sets 6-3 6-3 6-4, booking a second round showdown with Federer, who seems to have grown interests at facing the 25-year-old British.
"I'm very excited to be playing him, actually. It's not something that I get to do very often," Federer admitted.
"I hope he can play as good as he can and that I also can play a good match and everybody enjoys themselves."
Despite successfully winning his first match at Wimbledon, there are still concerns in the Swiss' level of play, especially coming off rusty performances in Stuttgart and Halle. Then there is also the back injury that bothered him several times this season, most recently at the French Open, where his 65-consecutive Grand Slam appearances was halted by the setback.
Surely with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray the top favorites at Wimbledon, Federer will have a difficult time in his quest to get back in winning titles. But it seems Federer is in no rush to win right away and rather focus more in completely recovering from setbacks.
"Clearly I'm not thinking of the title right away. It's too far ahead. Regardless, Novak or Andy are the big favourites in my opinion. They've had such a great last six months, last few years. To me they are the ones to beat," Federer said.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch Wimbledon 2016 live via Watch ESPN. Live scores for matches will be available on game days via Wimbledon's official website.
