Federer Regains Top Spot With Stuttgart Title

In recent news, tennis veteran Roger Federer made a sterling return to tennis by clinching the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart. After a long injury layoff which saw him miss the entire clay season, it was imperative for Federer to begin well at Stuttgart for two reasons: The rankings, and the preparation for Wimbledon.

The opening opponent for Federer was Germany’s Mischa Zverev. The Swiss did not begin well, and even looked a tad rusty, as he lost the first set by 6 games to 3. From there, Federer won the second and third sets quite comfortably and sailed into the quarter finals with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory.

The next matchup was against Argentine Guido Pella, which he looked quite at ease. Federer dispatched his opponent in two sets to sail into the semifinals 6-4, 6-4.

In the semifinal, Federer was against Nick Kyrgios, who gave him a tough fight. Both found it difficult to break the other, but Federer came back and won the second set by 6 games to 2, after dropping the first set in a tiebreak. Kyrgios was eventually beaten 6-7 (2), 6-2, 7-6 (5). Federer did not only enter the final, but also clinched the #1 ranking at that moment.

Milos Raonic, much like Federer, was making a return to tennis from an injury. Federer won the first set 6-4, and the second set in a 7-3 tiebreak in just over 78 minutes. This marked Roger Federer’s 98th career title, only behind the great Jimmy Connors, who retired with 109.