No. 18 Ernests Gulbis defeated Roger Federer at the French Open in Paris in five sets, causing the latter to exit the tournament very early for the first time in a decade.
According to Fox News, Gulbis beat Federer with a final score of 5-7, 7-3, 6-2, 4-6 and 6-3. Previously, Federer proceeded to the finals nine consecutive times. Gulbis almost lost in the initial two sets. He also called for a timeout during the fourth set.
Federer initially won the first set on the June 1 match, but Gulbis had some luck while serving in the second set. Gulbis did not convert two break points in the following match; however, he did better by scoring the last five points in the tiebreaker of the second set. Gulbis focused on strong ground strokes and his powerful backhand. In the third set, he led 4-2.
Federer was defeated in the fourth round, in an Independent report. Since 2004, Federer will miss being in the last eight at Roland Garros for the first time. Federer has been in the quarterfinals of his last 36 Grand Slam tournaments.
Gulbis said about the injury timeout, "It was my back and my hamstring. It was getting a little bit tight. I'm honest. I'm not big on medical timeouts, I don't like to take it, but I take it when it's really necessary. I don't like to do it, but I was scared to pull a muscle ... and was just being cautious."
When asked about Gulbis medical timeout, Federer replied in an article by The New York Times, "If the rules allow you to do that, you know, what can you do? That's part of the game. In the past, I guess, it's been abused much more than today, but still, what can you tell? He didn't look hurt in any way. But if you can use it, you know, might as well do it."
Novak Djokovic was more successful, advancing to the quarterfinals by defeating o-Wilfried Tsonga with a final score of 6-1, 6-4 and 6-1.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
