Last update on. From the section TennisWimbledon 2021 at the BBC Dates: All England Club: 28 June-11 Jul Coverage: Live on BBC TV, Radio and Online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer and Red Button, Connected TVs, and mobile app. You can find more details hereRoger Federer, eight-time Wimbledon champion, avoided an upset when injury prevented Adrian Mannarino from winning a memorable victory.Federer, the 39-year-old sixth seed, was trailing 6-4 6-7 (3-7-3-7) 3-6 4-6 4-2 when Mannarino fell and injures his knee.After losing the fourth set, the world number 41 continued to fight and was eventually defeated. The decider ended with one point.As Mannarino, who was 33 years old, left court, the Centre Court crowd stood in support and gave Mannarino a warm ovation.Mannarino was dealt a crushing blow. He had been playing brilliantly in the second set to make him within reach of Federer's first win in seven attempts.The fourth set was already beyond the reach of the Frenchman, but it was not certain that Federer, who has had his own knee problems over the past 16-months, would have kept the momentum.It is a terrible moment that shows how one shot can make all the difference in a match, season, or career. Federer said, "I wish him all of the best.""I wish he gets well quickly so we can see him back on court. He could have won, he was the stronger player, but I got lucky."In the second round, the 20-time Grand Slam champion from Switzerland will face Richard Gasquet of France or Yuichi Sugita of Japan.After falling in the fifth match, Serena Williams lost the first set and was forced to retire against Aliaksandra Ssnovich in the second set.Mannarino fell to the baseline when his left knee buckled while he tried to return to the right side of the court.Federer is still far from his bestFederer was not in his best shape going into the favourite Grand Slam. He had suffered a painful defeat at Halle earlier in the month, which left him feeling uncharacteristically depressed.The Swiss seemed more positive during his pre-tournament media conference. He said he had learned from the experience and was ready and "pumped up" for Wimbledon.He was drawn against Mannarino, a left-handed player against whom he hadn't dropped a set in his previous SW19 matches.It was a long and difficult journey for Federer, before Mannarino's misfortune gave him a big slice of luck."I didn’t want to win like that, but it’s what happens sometimes." Federer said that you don't get many walkovers during a career, and that it is important to try to not let it happen to you."Obviously, I'm glad to have another chance to play another match."I worked hard, and at the end, I had a lot of fun." It was great fun right up to the end."Federer was not at his best, but he rose to the occasion and broke serve with a classic backhand winner to win the first set.He became more ponderous with his shot-making and decisions, possibly as a result some unpredictability in the grass.He had only played two grass-court matches at Halle since the 2019 final.Mannarino started playing at a high standard and with Federer's serve & forehand misfiring Mannarino took advantage to lead two sets.Federer faced his first exit in the opening round at Wimbledon since 2002, which was the biggest shock of the tournament.The 7,500 crowd was there to support Mannarino and lift the tension.
