LONDON (Reuters) – Sixth seed Roger Federer survived a massive scare against Adrian Mannarino before advancing to the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday when the Frenchman retired with a knee injury after slipping on court.
The match was poised at 6-4 6-7(3) 3-6 6-2 with the eight-times Wimbledon champion forcing a fifth set before Mannarino, who was celebrating his 33rd birthday on Tuesday, decided he could not continue.
Federer was serving with a 4-2 lead in the fourth set when the 41st-ranked Mannarino slipped while attempting a return and twisted his right knee.
The Frenchman received medical attention on Centre Court and limped back to complete the set before shaking hands with Federer, who now has a 7-0 head-to-head record against him.
Federer, at 39 the oldest man in the draw at this year’s grasscourt Grand Slam, will meet either Frenchman Richard Gasquet or Yuichi Sugita of Japan for a place in the third round.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Ed Osmond)
