French Open tennis - Roger Federer wows fans with outrageous winner at Roland Garros - 'Not bad for 39!'
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Updated 31/05/2021 at 18:13 GMT
The Swiss superstar Roger Federer enjoyed entertaining the fans during his return match in the first round of the 2021 French Open on Monday afternoon as he faced Denis Istomin. Federer produced a sublime forehand winner that instantly rolled back the years in the opening set at 4-2 up to leave the fans and his opponent surprised.
'Not bad for 39!' - Federer wows fans with outrageous forehand winner
Roger Federer produced a vintage forehand winner during his 2021 French Open opening match against Denis Istomin at Roland Garros.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion was warmly welcomed as he made his return to Paris for his first match of this year's edition of the clay-court Grand Slam.
The Swiss produced a sublime forehand winner that instantly rolled back the years in the opening set at 4-2 up to leave the fans and his opponent stunned.
Federer was drawn a long way outwide on his forehand side by a short and precise shot from Istomin, but he somehow got it back for a winner that got the crowd on their feet.
"Oh, that's not bad for 39!" came the roar from the Eurosport commentary booth.
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Fans welcome Federer back: First point sees Istomin double fault
It was a quite magnificent shot - and one which almost had to travel round the net given he was pushed so far wide to play it.
Eurosport expert Annabel Croft said on commentary: "Well, I'll tell you what, Istomin's legs are going to be hurting tomorrow because he is doing a lot of running.
"Look at the foot speed [from Federer] - this is never easy. A nice slide into this one and then the control of the racket face."
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'Only Federer hits this shot, he's unbelievable' - Wilander stunned by Fed magic
Intriguingly, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Federer are all in the same part of the men's draw with Djokovic and Federer potentially set for a quarter-final clash.
Djokovic could take on Nadal in the semi-finals in Paris in what would be a repeat from last year's final in the postponed autumnal edition.
The three most successful players in the history of the men's game have won 17 of the last 20 Grand Slam titles between them.
Eurosport's experts gave their predictions for how far Federer could go in this year's French Open in the video below...
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Will Federer reach second week of French Open? Eurosport's experts give predictions...
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Watch all the action from the 2021 French Open live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app with 13-time champion Rafael Nadal eyeing a remarkable 14th title at his favourite event and 2020 Roland Garros sensation Iga Swiatek aiming to replicate her stunning triumph.
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