Roger Federer had a hard time in the first round of Wimbledon 2021 facing Adrian Mannarino. After four hard-fought sets, Federer landed a walkover when Mannarino’s injury forced him to retire. Even after the game, the 39-year-old had trouble answering the interviewer’s question. The Swiss teacher was unable to understand a common British idiom: “Absence makes love grow.” Federer apologized for not understanding the language and said “My English is not good enough.”
“Sorry, I didn’t get it. I heard something ‘absence’ and, I don’t know, my mind went blank. I don’t understand that saying. My English is not good enough, ”Federer replied.
“My English is not good enough!”
Even at 39, you never stop learning, right? @Roger Federer?#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/5BALP53NDA
– Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2021
Federer’s response was followed by cheers from the crowd. Later, when the interviewer explained the language, he said: “Good reminder, my English is not very good. I think we’re all very happy, all the players, including all the fans and the organizers and everyone that we have the opportunity to get back on tour, especially here at Wimbledon. It would have been worse to have this tournament without fans. This would have been an absolute killer, so it’s a privilege to play here.
Federer applauded his French opponent saying he was a better player on the court. He also sympathized with Mannarino for the way the game ended when he said, “Yeah, it’s horrible. It shows that one shot can change the outcome of a game, a season, a career. I wish him all the best and he is recovering quickly, so we see him back on the court. “
Match highlights:
The veteran was also shocked by the news of the withdrawal of Serena Williams due to an injury on the court against Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was unhappy with the nature of the court.
“I feel like it feels a little more slippery, maybe, under the roof. I don’t know if it’s just a hunch. You have to move very, very carefully. If you push too hard at the wrong times, you fall, ”said Federer. “I feel like it’s drier during the day. With the wind and all that, it removes the moisture from the lawn. But obviously this is terrible.
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