WIMBLEDON, England — You never know when it will happen at this late stage in the game. Not at age 33 with a trick back and a little less foot speed and that nagging third-round loss to Andreas Seppi at this year’s Australian Open still stuck in the collective memory bank.
But full-flight Roger Federer is always worth the wait, and there it undeniably was on Thursday in a very familiar setting: Centre Court at Wimbledon.
For about 25 minutes, Sam Querrey, a powerful and pleasant-mannered Californian, was Federer’s opponent. But after Federer broke Querrey at 4-4 in the opening set, Querrey rapidly became Federer’s canvas: a bold backhand brush stroke here, a dab of a half-volley winner there and most avant-garde of all, a lob hit between the legs.