Wimbledon 2021: Roger Federer vs Hubert Hurkacz preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (6) Roger Federer vs (14) Hubert Hurkacz

Date: 7 July 2021

Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: London, Great Britain

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £17,066,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Roger Federer vs Hubert Hurkacz preview

Roger Federer will face Hubert Hurkacz in his 18th Wimbledon quarterfinal on Wednesday. While Federer dispatched Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets in his fourth-round match on Monday, Hurkacz ousted Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller played over two days.

Hurkacz had never gone past the second round at any Major before last week, which means this is his first appearance in a Slam quarterfinal. Federer, on the other hand, reached his 58th Major quarterfinal with his 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 win over Sonego.

Federer faced a minor blip in the opening set on Monday while serving for it at 5-4. Sonego broke back to love, eventually reeling off 10 points in a row to give the eight-time champion cause for concern.

This @rogerfederer forehand. On repeat. 😍#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/YdYwAhSO8D

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2021

But Federer was then aided by a rain delay, which disrupted Sonego's momentum and allowed the Swiss to serve out the opening set at the second time of asking. Federer had an easier time over the next couple of sets, as he dominated the Italian in all facets of the game.

The 39-year-old legend struck 32 winners in the match overall, while keeping his unforced error tally to a respectable 26.

Hubert Hurkacz, meanwhile, started off poorly against Daniil Medvedev on Monday. He dropped his serve for the first time in the tournament during the first set, which allowed the Russian to take the lead comfortably.

Hurkacz made amends in the next set, taking it in a tiebreak, but Medvedev regained his lead in the third set. Rain then halted play with the score at 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 3-4 in favor of the Russian. The match was surprisingly postponed to Tuesday rather than being finished off on Monday itself, drawing the ire of many in the tennis community.

When they returned to the court on Tuesday, Hurkacz played like a man possessed. The Pole didn't give Medvedev even a whiff of a chance, as he broke the World No. 2 thrice to confirm his place in the last eight.

Roger Federer vs Hubert Hurkacz head-to-head

Roger Federer leads Hubert Hurkacz by a margin of 1-0 in the head-to-head. The two faced each other in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters in 2019, where Federer won 6-4, 6-4.

Roger Federer vs Hubert Hurkacz prediction

Hubert Hurkacz

This has all the makings of a close encounter, given that Roger Federer and Hubert Hurkacz are seemingly peaking at the same time. While Federer is not at his highest level yet, he has gone from strength to strength with every match.

Hurkacz, meanwhile, has been serving exceptionally well at SW19 so far, and he could put the Swiss under pressure with that shot. The Pole's first serve has been nearly unreturnable so far, so Federer will try and exploit his relatively weaker second serve.

There is little doubt that Federer is one of the world's best grasscourters even at almost 40 years of age. However, he has shown lapses in concentration in all of his matches this year.

Hurkacz on the other hand has shown that he can maintain a high level consistently. He hasn't leaked too many unforced errors either, meaning that Federer will have to fight hard to win each point.

The Pole has all the weapons to cause a famous upset, but Federer's immense grasscourt experience might just help him squeak past and book his spot in the last four.

Prediction: Roger Federer to win in five sets.

Hubert Hurkacz is being extremely bashful & disarming in this interview. 'It's going to be a fun battle, I hope I'll get a little bit of support,' he says of facing Federer. pic.twitter.com/aGjGy24rA5

— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) July 6, 2021