French Open 2021: 8th seed Roger Federer lost his cool as he involved in a heated argument with the chair umpire but he was able to put that behind and beat Marin Cilic in 4 sets in his second round match in Paris on Thursday.
French Open: Feisty Federer beats Cilic in 4 sets to reach 3rd round (Reuters Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic in 4 sets in his second round match on Thursday
- Federer had a heated argument with chair umpire over time violation
- Federer is playing his first Grand Slam since the Australian Open in 2020
8th seed Roger Federer came up with an uncharacteristically feisty display of tennis as he saw off a spirited challenge from former US Open champion Marin Cilic in their 2nd-round match at French Open 2021 on Thursday.
Federer was on top of his game for the most part of the match expect the 2nd set wherein he had a heated argument with the chair umpire after he was given a time violation. The 20-time Grand Slam champion closed out the mach 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 (4), 6-2 in 2 hours and 35 minutes.
Djokovic was pushed in the 3rd set as well but the Swiss great served well in the tie-breaker. His serves were impeccable in the 4th set wherein he gave nothing away to Cilic who was struggling to match Federer’s intensity.
It was the first big test for Federer who is playing his first Grand Slam tournament since the Australian Open in 2020. The Swiss great will take on unseeded Dominik Koepfer of Germany who defeated Taylor Fritz in his 2nd round match.
Federer was letting his annoyance show at the Philippe Chattrier. He received the warning for slow play at 40-40 in the fifth game of the second set, with Cilic leading 3-1 after losing the first set.
Fiery Fed mode activated
He wins the tiebreak to take the two sets to one lead.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/GeJxVBkNsB
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2021
Federer’s heated argument with chair umpire
A frustrated Federer stood and argued with umpire Emmanuel Joseph for more than two minutes, saying he should have talked to him before giving him a formal warning.
Meanwhile, Cilic jogged up and down the baseline, before Federer asked Cilic for his opinion.
“Marin, am I playing too slow?” he asked.
A surprised Cilic moved forward toward the net and suggested to Federer that he was.
“I’m going from one corner to the next, trying to get my towel,” Federer said.
After losing the game he continued to argue with Emmanuel in French and suggested that Cilic wasn’t perfect, either. However, Federer was eventually able to put behind the rare moment of loss in composure to get the job done in front of fans who were cheering him on on the red clay.
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