Chardy Edges Federer in Third Set Tiebreak

Returning to the tour a week after his wife gave birth to twin boys Leo and Lenny, Roger Federer was edged out in a third set tiebreak by Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. Conditions were breezy, with mini sand storms swirling at times. Although the Swiss maestro got off to a casually quick start, he would be locked into a close match, even needing to come back from a break down in the third set just to keep even.

Roger Federer Rome 2014 Nike Outfit

Roger Federer Roland Garros 2014 Nike Outfit

Federer reached match point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, until Chardy came up with a last second forehand pass, one for the highlight reel. The Frenchman then pushed past perhaps just a bit of rust from Federer, 1-6 6-3 7-6 (6).

“Beating Roger, for sure, is the best win ever,” said Chardy. “For me, he’s the best player, he’s like a legend. Normally, you cannot have an idol when you play, but I really like the way he plays. So, for me, it’s really good to win today.”

“Today it was a difficult match. The conditions were really difficult, a lot of wind. I played a really bad first set, he played a really bad second set. After that, the third set was a good fight. I made an amazing shot on the match point and in the end I won. It was the perfect scenario to beat Roger.”

For Federer, he heads back home to his family, before heading to Paris for Roland Garros (begins May 25).

Chardy Edges Federer in Third Set Tiebreak