Roger Federer comments on his 6-0, 6-0 shutout of the serve-and-volleying Mischa Zverev in just 39 minutes in Halle. It was only the second time that the Swiss has hung a double bagel on his opponent.
“Yeah, I think it is disappointing for a serve-and-volley player to go down like this,” Federer told The New York Times and other reporters. “It shows also how much easier it is to hit passing shots or returns today in this day and age. But I really expected him to cause me more trouble with his serve. First of all, he is a lefty. And then it is a grass court, he is a serve-and-volley player, so you always think he’ll find a way to make me feel uncomfortable somewhat with my backhand.
“I just had a pretty easy time picking up his serve, and made a ton of returns, and always made him hit first volleys under the net. And then eventually maybe he forced a bit too much, or didn’t believe as much anymore in his own serve, and that gave me a lot of opportunities.”