This time last year, Roger Federer fans (and likely the player himself) blinked in disbelief as the six-time Wimbledon champion fell behind two sets to love to unheralded Alejandro Falla in his first-round match. Falla, famously, failed to serve out the match in the fourth set before falling in five. Today, after a spirited first set, Federer's opening-round opponent Kukushkin went gentler into the good afternoon, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-2.
The match was played in breezy conditions, on early tournament grass with a few skids and bad bounces. Federer skipped Halle, citing a groin injury, and several abrupt stops and twists must have tested his physio's preparation. Federer hadn't met Kukushkin before this match, but he shouldn't have been short of scouting reports: Kazakhstan knocked off Switzerland in Davis Cup last year, with Kukushkin beating Stanislas Wawrinka in five sets on the first day. Severin Luthi, Federer's co-coach, is the Swiss Davis Cup captain.
This was Kukushkin's first match at Wimbledon, let alone Centre Court. He had plainly read Federer 101 before the match, aiming 80% of his groundstrokes at his opponent's backhand. After fighting off a break point in his first service game, Kukushkin played solid, baseline tennis for the rest of the first set, which had no further break chances. But Federer didn't offer any chances in the tiebreaker, and Kukushkin surrendered two service points to go down, 7-2.
Federer began to mix up his game further in the second set, converting a break point early by coaxing an error with a slice that barely got up to his Kukushkin's shoelaces. Kukushkin had break chances in the next game, but a Federer ace and an self-inflicted forehand error dashed those hopes. Federer was untroubled for the rest of the match. There was even that rarest of winners, a successful Federer Hawkeye challenge.
So long as he isn't feeling any twinges, Federer's draw doesn't look too imposing before the semifinal stage, but last year's first-round scare shows you never take anything for granted.
—Andrew Burton