Six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer caused the crowd to buzz with concern after he called for a rare medical timeout at the All England Club during the first set of his match against 2002 semifinalist Xavier Malisse. Turns out that the injury was not that serious and he came back eight minutes later to continue with the match and beat Malisse 7-6 (1), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. This means that Federer has extended the record to 33 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances.
His next opponent on Wednesday will be Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny who overpowered Denis Istomin 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-5.
Federer now has a 10-1 record against Malisse. On paper he’s going to be the heavy favorite against Youzhny as he has a 13-0 record against the Russian.
“We know what to expect, both of us,” Federer said.
“I hope to recover and play a good match against him,” the Swiss star added.
