Wimbledon 2021: Roger Federer vs Lorenzo Sonego preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (6) Roger Federer vs (23) Lorenzo Sonego

Date: 5 July 2021

Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon

Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)

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 Lorenzo Sonego preview

Roger Federer booked his place in the Wimbledon second week for the 18th time in his career with a 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie on Saturday. Federer will now take on Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the fourth round on Monday.

Sonego, on his part, defeated James Duckworth 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in his third-round match on Saturday.

Almost 40 and still flexin’ 💥#Wimbledon | @RogerFederer pic.twitter.com/ZiRCvIQais

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2021

After suffering a slow start to his Wimbledon campaign against Adrian Mannarino, Roger Federer has seemingly gone from strength to strength. The 39-year-old followed up his emphatic win over Richard Gasquet in the second round with a largely spotless performance against the in-form Norrie.

Federer played some immaculate tennis in the first two sets on Saturday, serving well and hitting the ball crisply off both wings. He did lose his way late in the third set, but made amends to clinch the win in under three hours.

Lorenzo Sonego, meanwhile, has made his way into the second week of Wimbledon for the first time in his career. He had suffered opening-round defeats in 2018 and 2019 prior to this run.

Sonego beat Duckworth without dropping his serve a single time. In fact, the Italian faced just one break point in the entire match.

Sonego was particularly effective with his serve, winning a massive 84% of his first-serve points and racking up 14 aces. Overall, the 23rd seed struck 32 winners while coughing up 22 unforced errors.

Roger Federer vs Lorenzo Sonego head-to-head

Roger Federer leads Lorenzo Sonego 1-0 in the head-to-head. Federer and Sonego met for the first time at Roland Garros in 2019, where the 20-time Major champion triumphed 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

Roger Federer vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction

Lorenzo Sonego

Despite his recent resurgence, Roger Federer will not enter this match as the clear favorite given Lorenzo Sonego's power-packed game. Sonego has a big first serve and an even bigger forehand, which makes him a lethal opponent on grass.

Federer will look to test Sonego's mobility with his variety of groundstrokes, and try to prevent the Italian from getting into a rhythm. But the Swiss would need his serve and forehand to be firing on all cylinders, without which it would be next to impossible for him to get the upper hand in the rallies.

Federer hasn't shown any physical issues so far, and would be hoping to stay fit for as long as he survives at the All England Club. Sonego, on his part, will hope that the 39-year-old suffers a dip at some stage of the match, the way he did against Norrie.

All things considered, however, Federer can be expected to find a new gear on Monday and come away with the win.

Prediction: Roger Federer to win in five sets.

Match win No. 1️⃣0️⃣4️⃣ at #Wimbledon 🎥: @Wimbledon | @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/Ok7sEHzQSr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 3, 2021