Roger Federer had a few problems with the umpire but none in subduing Australia’s Peter Luczak as he began his defence of the French Open.
A disputed line-call on set point in the first set sparked a prolonged debate between Federer and the man in the chair, Emmanuel Joseph, who insisted that he had already called the score and could not over-rule even though Federer claimed to have found a mark on the clay.
The fans at Roland Garros are not known for their patience, and Federer was jeered and hooted as he stood for over a minute in discussion with Joseph. But the world No. 1 did not let the argument affect his game.
Ranked 71 in the world, Luczak is the Australian No 2, and a player who has hit the best form of his career at the ripe old age (for a tennis player) of 30.
His nickname, somewhat predictably, is Lucky. But this has not been reflected in his draws at Grand Slam tournaments this year.
Before today’s match – a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 thumping at the hands of Federer – Luczak played Rafael Nadal in the first round at Melbourne, the outcome being another straight sets defeat.
He caught Federer off guard a couple of times with precise little drop shots, but the champion maintained a first-serve accuracy of 71 per cent and kept Luczak scampering into the corners with his crunching groundstrokes.
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