Gunning for his seventh Wimbledon title, World No. 3 Roger Federer of Switzerland will take on World No. 76 Xavier Malisse of Belgium on Monday at the 2012 Championships, this year’s second Grand Slam tournament, being played here at the All England Club.
The Swiss will be back on the court for fourth-round action on Monday after surviving Julien Benneteau in five sets on Saturday in a stiff encounter. But, Federer’s next opponent is a fellow veteran contender Xavier Malisse. Though, Federer has claimed the title here six times, Malisse has been enjoying a decent form at Wimbledon this year and he is also feeling highly confident – that can certainly pose some threat for the Swiss ace. The 31-year-old Belgian made it to the semis here in 2002. And, he has reached the fourth round of this tournament for a second straight season. Malisse opened at Wimbledon with straight-set wins over Marinko Matosevic and Gilles Simon then got past Fernando Verdasco in five-setter on Friday.
The Swiss legend earned a five-set victory on Saturday to overcome Julien Benneteau. In the first two rounds, Federer earned straight sets victories over Albert Ramos and Fabio Fognini. Federer has a tremendous 42-6 win-loss record for the season so far and he has claimed four titles in 2012.
Federer’s opponent Malisse is a good player on grass. The Belgian turned professional in 1998 and has won three titles so far. This season he has an ordinary 16-15 win-loss record, but he has been enjoying a decent form here on grass. In head-to-head, Federer apparently leads with 9-1. Last time they met in 2011 Madrid Masters, where Federer topped the Belgian in straight sets.