Roger Federer has not dropped a single set in this year's French Open so far. He eased past all his opponents en route to booking a spot in the Round of 16. His toughest challenge came in the form of the young Norwegian Casper Ruud, who elevated the level of his game in the third set of the third round match against Federer. Ultimately, the Swiss Maestro prevailed without relinquishing a single set.
His next opponent, Leonardo Mayer, defeated his fellow countryman Diego Schwartzman in the second round, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, and then beat local favorite Nicolas Mahut in the third round, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-6. Mayer found a way to beat both his opponents in those rounds as he fought till the very end to claim victory, integrating some creative and precise shot selection along the way.
In the course of attaining these victories, Mayer got injured as well; he reportedly informed a journalist that he has a small tear in his left thigh. Mayer's injury will be a boon to Federer as he would like to conserve his energy before entering into the quarter-finals, where the competition gets even more difficult. If he can defeat Mayer quickly and heads into the second week of the tournament without significant soreness, he would have a better chance at beating the top contenders for the French Open.
Head-to-Head record between Roger Federer and Leonardo Mayer
Federer defeated Mayer in all three previous meetings - the most recent being the fourth round of the Cincinnati Masters last year where Roger won the match, 6-1,7-6.
In all the three encounters they had against each other, Mayer was able to trouble Federer on a few occasions but couldn't capitalize on the opportunities he had. With this injury scare, it will be interesting to see how Mayer approaches the match tomorrow.
For Federer, he would like to complete the match as smoothly as possibly, expending as little energy as possible. With a potential clash against Tsitsipas in the next round, Roger will need all his experience and flair to best the young Greek. Federer will look to avenge his Australian Open loss.
Mayer will give this upcoming match his best, but it might still not be sufficient to beat Roger Federer, considering how comfortable the latter has looked on clay; in all likelihood, Federer will be the eventual winner of this fourth round contest.
Match Prediction: Roger Federer - 90% chance of winning; Leonardo Mayer - 10% chance of winning.
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