On a breezy afternoon reality kicked back in as the Swiss was beaten 6-3, 7-6 (4 ), 6-0 by Hubert Hurkacz, a Pole for whom Federer was an inspiration.Hurkacz, the 14th seed, appearing in his first grand slam quarter-final compared with the 58 of Federer, showed no nerves, no inferiority complex and, as the male who has actually dominated these courts so many times faded, he ruthlessly finished the job. Rosewall had reached out to Federer with a message of support prior to his quarter-final but after the dynamism of his previous match, the 20-time grand slam champ seemed a little flat, his ball-striking not as crisp as typical, his motion not as sharp on a day when the wind made life difficult for both.Roger Federer appeared out of sorts at different stages of the match, winning just 33% of points on his 2nd serve. It never looked as if he would make it 11, though, and after he dropped serve in the 2nd game, the match and the set wandered away.After his final forehand flew wide, Federer managed a smile for his opponent and as he left the court, with a wave to the crowd, it was tough to envision that might be the last time he steps out on Centre Court.This was Federers 5th event of 2021, having actually returned just in March after 13 months out following 2 knee surgical treatments that took longer to recover from than he had hoped.

On a breezy afternoon truth kicked back in as the Swiss was beaten 6-3, 7-6 (4 ), 6-0 by Hubert Hurkacz, a Pole for whom Federer was an inspiration.Hurkacz, the 14th seed, appearing in his first grand slam quarter-final compared with the 58 of Federer, revealed no nerves, no inferiority complex and, as the man who has controlled these courts so numerous times faded, he ruthlessly finished the task. The 24-year-old had actually never ever made it past the 3rd round of a grand slam championship however, having actually taken out the No 2 seed, Daniil Medvedev, in five sets in the previous round, he went into his match with Federer carrying plenty of confidence.The Swiss, after his escape in the first round when an injury to Adrian Mannarino let him off the hook, trailing two sets to one, had grown with every match and thoughts were turning to Ken Rosewall, the last 39-year-old to reach the last here, in 1974. Rosewall had reached out to Federer with a message of assistance prior to his quarter-final however after the dynamism of his previous match, the 20-time grand slam champion appeared a little flat, his ball-striking not as crisp as typical, his movement not as sharp on a day when the wind made life tricky for both.Roger Federer appeared out of sorts at different phases of the match, winning just 33% of points on his second serve. The caution indications were there early, as Federer conserved three break points for 2-2 in the first set, and he was then broken 2 video games later as the set wandered away.The arena, by then practically entirely complete, did its finest to get behind its man and he reacted, breaking serve for 2-0 and extending his lead to 4-1. It never looked as if he would make it 11, however, and after he dropped serve in the 2nd video game, the match and the set wandered away.After his last forehand flew wide, Federer handled a smile for his challenger and as he left the court, with a wave to the crowd, it was tough to imagine that may be the last time he steps out on Centre Court.This was Federers 5th occasion of 2021, having actually returned only in March after 13 months out following 2 knee surgical treatments that took longer to recuperate from than he had hoped.