Roger Federer overcame a shaky start to beat Sumit Nagal 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 to reach the second round of the US Open.
For the second grand slam in a row, Federer lost the first set of his opening match but assumed control to reach the second round in New York.
Although there was a lack of timing on the forehand, Federer managed to up his game when it mattered to overcome a resilient Nagal.
After losing early in Cincinnati to Andrey Rublev, the world number three was looking to make a statement to suggest that he hadn’t lost all confidence.
So an early break of serve was the ideal start as he looked to dominate his Indian opponent who was ranked 190 in the world.
However that statement didn’t last long as nerves started to creep back into the Federer game with a couple of double faults seeing him concede the break.
As for the Indian qualifier, a solid defensive game style saw him settle in the match nicely as he looked to introduce himself to one of the world’s biggest stages.
The longer the set went on, the more unforced errors that flowed from the 37 year-old’s racket as there was very late timing on the forehand.
Rushing the forehand didn’t help Federer as the scars of the Wimbledon final were still visible to see even against a player like Nagal.
Patience was needed from the Indian to prevail as he adapted his game to target the forehand of the 20-time grand slam.
The set ended with another forehand unforced error as the break in the ninth game was all that the Indian needed to take the first set.
Although the forehand was a concern, the Swiss also lost the first set of his Wimbledon campaign, so the idea of panic was a long way away.
There was a better response in the second set as the Fed-express was in full flow and Nagal’s defensive qualities faded.
After a tough break of serve conceded, there wasn’t much resistance from the Indian as Federer took his seventh set point for a 6-1 set.
From that point onwards it was a controlled and dominant display from Federer, who created some fine angles from both wings.
That Fed backhand…
Pure 🔥@rogerfederer | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Ti7SsxNekG
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2019
A higher first serve percentage and some more aggressive play saw the third seed show why he is arguably the greatest player of all time.
Experience was the key as he fought off a valiant effort from the Indian qualifier in over two and a half hours to secure his place in the second round.
The Swiss will need to gain more confidence on the forehand if he wants to win the title as he takes on Damir Dzumhur in the second round on Wednesday.
