WIMBLEDON, England — The situation was so unfamiliar to Roger Federer, so “uncomfortable,” to use his term.
On a surface he rules, at a tournament he owns, against an opponent he dominates, Federer found himself in serious trouble Monday: He dropped the first two sets against 60th-ranked Alejandro Falla of Colombia, then was a mere three points from losing in the first round of Wimbledon.
“I had Federer against the ropes,” Falla said after the match.
Eventually, the unheralded Falla succumbed to some jitters and six-time Wimbledon champion Federer called upon his experience, summoned his customary excellence, overcame the daunting deficit and pulled away to win 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0 in the event’s opening Centre Court match.
“You definitely feel, you know, uncomfortable, because if you’re used to being down the whole time, your whole life, it’s something that’s kind of normal. For me, it’s not normal to be down two sets to love, especially at Wimbledon and early on in Grand Slams. It’s something I’m not quite used to,” said the top-seeded Federer, who hampered himself with seven double-faults. “But still, I was able to find a way.”
Had Falla finished off Federer, it would have been one of the most stunning upsets in the history of tennis — perhaps the most stunning, taking into account the participants, the setting and the round.
Not sure? Consider the players’ resumes entering the day:
• Federer was 92-13 for his career on grass, including 76-2 since 2003; Falla was 7-11.
• Federer was 51-5 for his career at Wimbledon, with those six championships and a record seven consecutive final appearances; Falla was 3-5 and never got past the second round at the All England Club.
• Federer was 199-28 with a record 16 titles in Grand Slam action and reached the final at 18 of the past 20 major tournaments; Falla was 11-14, only once making it as far as the third round at a Slam.
They were playing each other for the third time in the past four weeks.
Asked if all of the recent time on court together might have helped Falla, Federer grinned and said: “It shouldn’t have. . . . He should have known that I was going to beat him. But he forgot.”
At a glance
A look at Wimbledon on Monday:
Men’s seeded winners (top 10): No. 1 Roger Federer, No. 3 Novak Djokovic, No. 5 Andy Roddick, No. 7 Nikolay Davydenko.
Women’s seeded winners (top 10): No. 2 Venus Williams, No. 4 Jelena Jankovic, No. 8 Kim Clijsters.
Women’s seeded loser: No. 5 Francesca Schiavone.
Stat of the day: 2-12 — Alejandro Falla’s record against top-10 players after he lost a five-setter to Federer.
Quote of the day: “I definitely got very lucky.” — Federer
Today’s TV: 7:30 a.m., ESPNU; 10 a.m., ESPN2; 12:30 p.m., ESPNU; 5 a.m. (Wednesday), ESPN2
