Roger Federer has said he could retire from the French Open if his knee and prospects at Wimbledon are too vulnerable.
The Swiss defeated Dominic Kupfer on Saturday in only his sixth game since his double knee surgery with a delay of three and a half hours.
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Federer, 39, will play against Matteo Berrettini in the round of 16 on Monday.
But he said he would decide later on Sunday whether this is the “perfect time to rest”.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion lacked fluidity and self-confidence in his game before he beat the Germans Kupfer 7: 6 (7-5) 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7- Defeated 5 in an hour. Roland Garros is almost empty.
The eighth-placed Federer has only been playing in his third tournament since January 2020 and says that he is strengthening his fitness at Wimbledon, which starts on his favorite lawn at the end of June.
“We go through these games, analyze them carefully and consider the next step,” he said.
“We’ll do that here on Sunday too, because I have to decide whether I should continue playing or not. Isn’t it too risky to keep pushing at the moment, or is it just a perfect break? “
The Italian Berrettini (25) reached the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-4 victory over the South Korean Kwon Sun-woo.
With a 52-goal win over Kwon continuing an impressive clay court season, Madrid runners-up Berrettini will be widely considered favorites against 2009 champions Federer.
Desperate Federer fights against copper
Federer fought increasingly against copper, ranked 59th in the world, in a grueling competition that lacked quality and was played in a soulless atmosphere without fans.
In a long opening sentence, Federer could not achieve any of five breakpoints – including a setpoint in the 10th game – before a surprising double error by Kupfer helped the Swiss break through.
The hard edge finally came to the fore in the second set opener when Federer shot a forehand over the squares past Kupfer to convert his third breakpoint.
Little was left of the pair that traded three more breaks in a row during another close and a grueling set. Mighty copper managed to pull unintentional mistakes away from the volatile Federer, who also struggled with his normally reliable serve.
Federer’s behavior became increasingly desperate after Kupfer went broke in the first game of the third set and seemed to be physically waning as the German remained in control.
Somehow, with a break in the eighth inning, the Swiss turned the swing in his favor out of nowhere, and after missing a set point in the twelfth inning, he took the third.
It seemed that the fourth set was destined to break another tie before Federer went lower to raise his level and win the last three games to take the win.
But there weren’t any fans celebrating the moment, which seemed especially strong when he was a player who enjoyed crowded stadiums for many years.
“There are still a few people here and I don’t know who they are: the sponsors, the journalists and also my team,” said Federer.
“I love tennis, I love to play. I would probably have been more nervous if the place was full. “
“Night Games Start Too Late” – Does Roland Garros Have To Reconsider Its Late Start?
For the first time, the French Open introduced daily night sessions consisting of a single game starting under floodlights at Court Philippe Chatrier at 9 p.m. local time.
In other words, the third set only started shortly after 11 p.m., the match finally ended shortly before 1 a.m. and many tennis fans wondered on social media who actually benefited from the late appointment.
No fans attended the court due to the French government’s curfew at 9 p.m. as part of the coronavirus restrictions.
“I think these night games are starting too late,” former UK top seed Laura Robson told BBC 5 Live.
“They have a very fast turnaround time before their next game, they’ll probably go back to the hotel between 2am and 3am and then have to reset it.
“It’s not easy, especially when the next opponent has long been gone.
“I can’t imagine that Federer expected it when he went out on the field too late. It’s another thing to worry about. Less time to relax and less sleep with the arrival of Brittini. “
Only one of the six games so far has been a women’s game – Serena Williams’ opener against Irina Camelia Bejo on Monday – and it would be optimistic to believe the men’s game will only last two hours, making a late ending inevitable.
“Federer is not allowed to play like that” – analysis
Russell Fuller, BBC-Tenniskorrespondent
It was a game that will be remembered for a long time, if not always for the right reasons.
Roger Federer is not supposed to play like that – although this was only his sixth game in the last 16 months.
There was little fluency and some terrible mistakes. But in his 40th year and on Sunday morning at almost a quarter to one in an empty and empty stadium, Federer still found the key to victory.
Night sessions are here to stay. They’ll sound great for years to come – as long as they don’t start before 9 p.m.
But it’s no fun at all when the city is under curfew.
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