Damien Kayat previews the second round matches featuring Elena Vesnina vs Coco Gauff and Roger Federer vs Richard Gasquet from Wimbledon 2021.
2021
Grand Slam Tennis
Wimbledon Tennis Championships
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Selected Men’s and Women’s 2nd Round Matches- 1st July
Roger Federer 1/5 | Richard Gasquet 34/10
Roger Federer will feel like the ancient grass-court gods threw him a lifeline this week. Adrian Mannarino had clawed his way back into their first-round match and seemed to have the momentum until a baseline slip forced him to retire (Wimbledon officials are coming under major criticism in the aftermath of a more ‘important’ slip, as Serena Williams’ quest to equal Margaret Court’s record ended in tears yesterday). Perhaps we shouldn’t be too quick to judge Federer on his lackadaisical first-round win. But something just seems off with the Swiss star. He should be feeling emboldened by the withdrawal of arch-rival Rafa Nadal. But his forehand was absolutely shocking against the canny Frenchman. To be fair, Mannarino is a crafty grass-court player, able to utilize slice to frustrate opponents. But how can you explain 45 unforced errors off the Federer racquet?
Veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet enjoyed a stop-start first-round win against Yuichi Sugita. The 35-year-old Frenchman is certainly in the twilight of his career. There are those who believe that he perhaps hasn’t fulfilled his potential. I think that’s harsh. Gasquet has just lacked some of the raw power to be a more persistent threat on the Grand Slam stage. You don’t win five slams off the back of an elegant backhand. Earlier this year he became just the 6th active player to win 550 tour matches. You have to admire that longevity. But he has always remained a threat at Grand Slam level. And he has always been highly proficient on this surface. Gasquet is a former two-time Nottingham Champion. He has also reached the semi-finals of SW19 twice (as recently as 2015). This match is one for the purists, with both players employing a single-handed backhand and unafraid to rush the net.
Verdict: Federer to win in five at 5/1
Federer holds a commanding 18-2 head-to-head record against Gasquet. The Swiss has actually won their last ten matches. That includes two victories at Wimbledon. But this could represent a perfect opportunity for the Frenchman to exact some minor revenge on the Swiss. Federer has looked poor in the longer rallies, consistently forced to rush the net against Mannarino to shorten points. Gasquet could take advantage of that level of desperation with his noted passing shots. Still, I imagine that Federer will grind it out. But I still think this could be a real saga. Federer to win in five at 5/1.
Elena Vesnina 4/1 | Coco Gauff 1/6
This is a match-up between two players at completely different stages in their careers. 34-year-old Russian Elena Vesnina is certainly an interesting early opponent for young Gauff. She actually only returned to the tour this year after a protracted maternity break. At her zenith, Vesnina reached as high as 13th in the world rankings. She actually won the 2017 Indian Wells Singles title, highlighting her ability to compete at the highest level. But the thing that makes her a compelling underdog this week is her grass-court proficiency. She actually won her 2nd WTA title at the 2013 Eastbourne International. She then had her deepest Grand Slam run at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, making it all the way to the semi-finals. Vesnina has won four slams in doubles and mixed doubles tennis. This has given her net skills that make her dangerous on this surface. But she will need to be accurate with her serve and hope that those pesky double faults don’t creep into her game. She won her first match comfortably and will need to increase her levels against teenage sensation Gauff.
Gauff returns to the arena that really kickstarted her ascension in the game. She was only 15 years and 3 months when she became the youngest player in the Open Era to qualify for Wimbledon. She then beat Venus Williams in what was interpreted as a symbolic passing of the torch. She made it all the way to the 4th round, losing to eventual champion Simona Halep. Since then, she has gone from strength to strength, breaking into the top 25 and winning two titles. That most recent title came at the Parma Challenger leading into the French. She also reached her maiden WTA 500 semi-final in Rome earlier this year. She lost early in Eastbourne but won her opening match here convincingly.
Verdict: Gauff in to win in three at 31/10
This will unsurprisingly be the first-ever meeting between these two. Vesnina is going to prove to be a tricky opponent for Gauff. She is a proven grass-court threat with variety in her game. But I think that Gauff will ultimately prevail over the veteran. This looks like a stereotypical three-set win for Gauff and decent value at 10/3.
