Roger Federer 'lucky' Wimbledon opponent withdrew with injury

All-time tennis great Roger Federer was in serious trouble and down two sets to one against Adrian Mannarino in Tuesday's first-round Wimbledon match when Mannarino, celebrating his 33rd birthday, slipped and appeared to suffer a knee injury. 

Per Alix Ramsay of the Wimbledon website, Mannarino was given painkillers as he attempted to play through the discomfort but was ultimately unable to continue and retired one point into the fifth and final set. 

"It’s awful," Federer said of Mannarino's setback. "It shows that one shot can change the outcome of a match, a season a career, so I wish him all the best. I hope he recovers quickly so we can see him back on the courts because, look, he could have won the match at the end. He was the better player. I definitely got a bit lucky, but who cares about that – I wish him all the best." 

Federer withdrew from the French Open after a taxing third-round win and is still working to recover from the multiple knee operations he underwent last year, and CNN's John Sinnott notes that the 39-year-old with 20 Grand Slam titles on his career resume had played only nine competitive matches in 2021 before Tuesday's developments. 

Federer was able to smile during the post-match interview: