Watch highlights as Roger Federer faces Federico Delbonis, and Fernando Verdasco upsets Grigor Dimitrov at the BNP Paribas Open. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Photo: Mike Frey/Tennis Photo Network.
It is rare these days Roger Federer has a score to settle with an opponent he has lost to and never beaten before. The defending BNP Paribas Open champion will earn that chance on Saturday when he takes on Federico Delbonis in the second round. Federer trails the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head ledger 0-1 after the Argentine prevailed on clay in Hamburg in 2013. Delbonis advanced to the second-round showdown after he saved two match points to deny American Ryan Harrison in three sets. Much like their lone prior encounter, the No. 67 in the ATP Rankings will look to dictate play with his powerful lefty forehand against the five-time Indian Wells champion. Delbonis’s best result came two years ago...
That feeling of ascending to the pinnacle, knowing the struggles from having been there before, as Roger Federer admits, is “deeply gratifying”. As athletes in any sport will attest, though, it can be lonely at the top. The defending BNP Paribas Open champion understands how it can happen. Your opponents want to emulate your winning ways; media and sponsorship commitments escalate and as your profile grows, your every move is scrutinised. Relishing the pressure that comes with his return to World No. 1, though, is a bubble the Swiss is careful not to slip into. "I think when you're at the top, everybody is watching everything you do extra carefully so you maybe go into a shell to some extent,...
