The number one seed Roger Federer nearly saw his Wimbledon campaign stall in his match against Falla on Monday, admitting that a certain amount of luck was involved in helping him play to victory against a supreme effort from Alejandro Falla.
 
Never one to suffer from a lack of confidence for too long, Federer accentuated the positives. “I was able to go get the victory – he didn’t just donate it to me and that makes me feel good, because at the end I did play a great fifth set. Nobody will talk about that, I know – people will say he was tired, he choked already way before”
 
Although as in any competitive sport, luck inevitably plays a part, Federer’s superior ability shone through despite the immense effort put in by his opponent. Quality of the skill involved will always outweigh the persistent pressure of an opponents effort, but it is how the player copes under the pressures of a match that creates the outcome.
 
Luck is by definition a temporary state, a chance happening of fortunate events, and elite sportsmen such as Federer possess the more permanent feature of skill excellence that surpasses a need for luck alone.
 
That said, i’m sure that Federer won’t be ‘pushing his luck’ in the next match and we’ll see him in the training courts over the next few days.

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