LONDON (ENGLAND) JULY 03: Roger Federer, from Switzerland, plays a forehand in his men's singles... [+] match against Cameron Norrie, of Great Britain, during Day Six at The Championships – Wimbledon 2021 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, July 03, 2021, London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images). Getty ImagesRoger Federer did not play his best tennis Saturday, but the 39-year old legend was able to progress to the second week of Wimbledon and stay alive for a possible 21st major title.No. 6 Federer defeated Britain's Cam Norrie, No. 29 seed, 6-4.6-4.5-7.6-4. To advance to the fourth round encounter with No. 23 Lorenzo Sonego. He improved to 18-0 in Wimbledon's third round and won his 1,250th career tour match. He has 368 career major wins. At 365, Serena Williams is the second Open Era champion. Federer's record against left-handers at majors has also improved to 27-1.Federer, seeking his ninth Wimbledon title said, "I'm super relieved." It was a hard battle. It was close...He deserved the third set. He played an excellent match today. I felt that I was able to maintain a high level of play. Although he lost the third set due to a bad break, overall I am very pleased with my performance.Federer broke Norrie in 5th game of the 4th set, but he couldn't convert, and was then broken for 3 all. He broke for 5-4, and then closed the match on his serve.Federer was fortunate enough to progress in the first round against Adrian Mannarino of France. He had been playing in a fifth set. He looked a bit slow and struggled with his forehand during that match. However, Federer was much more efficient in round two, defeating Richard Gasquet in straight sets.Federer won against Norrie with seven aces, winning 74% of the points on his initial serve and converting 4 out 11 break opportunities.He said that overall, I believe Im playing at a high standard right now. That was my first round. Things are going well for me, my English is improving.The Federers draw looks great. Sonego, 26, is now ranked No. 27 around the globe. In 2019, Roland Garros was the only place where they won their match in straight sets.He could take on No. 2 Daniil Medvedev came back in two sets to beat Marin Cilic, the former U.S. Open champion, in five sets. Or Hubert Hurcacz (a rising star in Poland), who advanced in straight sets. Three Russian men are in the round 16: Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Karen Khachanov.Federer could face No. Sascha Zverev was 4th seed and defeated Taylor Fritz, an American, in four sets on Saturday. Zverev will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime (20 years old), a Canadian who was advancing after Nick Kyrgios' retirement due to injury. Kyrgios had not played since the Australian Open, and he admitted that he hadn't trained hard for Wimbledon in two weeks.World No. Novak Djokovic is the current world No. 1 and he revealed Friday that he considers wolves his spirit animal. Federer could also face him in the finals.Federer said that it was very impressive to see him doing again this year. Djokovic is now half the way to a calendar Grand Slam. He is the favorite. He is deserving of it. He has worked very hard.Federer, who was 19th in majors, is closing in on Rafael Nadal's record of 20, which he held with Djokovic. Federer had two knee surgeries in 2020 and said that Djokovic has made it clear that he doesn't believe he's still playing. Rafa is the same. I do my own thing. I had my own problems with the knee. This has been my focus.Federer stated that he had made it to the fourth round of a major for the 69th consecutive time in his career. It is a proof to me that I can wake up every morning and that it has been a good thing.I have played a lot tennis. It has been a great experience and I look forward to the next few. It's a great pleasure to play right now. This one is special because I'm almost 40. It was the last round before hitting the big 40. It's all a bonus at this point, and I'll see how far we can go.
