"One thing can change the outcome of a match, season, career" says Federer on Mannarino retiring due to injury

Roger Federer did not enjoy the best of days on Centre Court of Wimbledon against Mannarino as the Frenchman troubled him significantly before retiring.

Roger Federer kicked off his Wimbledon campaign by winning the opening set and then losing the next two. He would come back to win the 4th thanks to a knee injury to Mannarino who could not play. In the end, the Frenchman retired to which Federer said:

"It’s awful. It shows that one shot can change the outcome of a match, a season, a career. I wish him all the best and I hope he recovers quickly so we see him back on the courts. He could have won the match at the end. Obviously, he was the better player, so I definitely got a bit lucky."

Federer showed great self-awareness admitting that Mannarino was the better player and for large stretches of the match he was. Federer was too erratic and times missing badly with his forehand. The injury brought back negative flashbacks for Federer who dealt with knee problems recently himself:

"You don’t get many walkovers throughout a career and you try also not to have it happen to yourself. It’s a reminder how quickly it goes. But of course, I’m obviously happy I can get another chance for another match here. I worked very hard and at the end I enjoyed myself out here today. It was great fun until the end, obviously."

Federe will play Richard Gasquet next and that matchup was the Wimbledon 2007 semifinal.