The Swiss top seed needs to win one more match against either Australian fourth seed Nick Kyrgios to return to the No.1 spot for the second time this season
Roger Federer celebrates his 6-4 6-4 win over Guido Pella in Stuttgart yesterday. Pic/AFP
Roger Federer edged closer to displacing Rafael Nadal at the top of the world rankings as he hammered Guido Pella 6-4, 6-4 yesterday at the Stuttgart Cup.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Swiss top seed needs to win one more match against either Australian fourth seed Nick Kyrgios to return to the No.1 spot for the second time this season. Federer however, said that he was not thinking about the No. 1 rank: "I didn't think of number one during the match today, I was focused on the task at hand. But when you play for number one [next match] I'm sure it will be in the back of my head."
Guido Pella
The quarter-final victory in 55 minutes, which ended on a backhand, featured two breaks of serve for the Swiss, who executed well in his second match in three months after skipping the clay season and last playing in March. Federer is aiming for a first title in Stuttgart after losing in the 2016 semis to Dominic Thiem and going out in an opening match a year ago to longtime friend Tommy Haas.
Federer, 36, won his 19th match from 21 played this season as his Wimbledon build-up continues on track. At the All England club next month, the 20-time Grand Slam champion will be seeking a ninth title at the grass-court major.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
