June 16, 2021 -- Halle, Germany 

Roger took his first loss on grass this year in his second round match at the Noventi Open on Wednesday in Halle. Next Gen player, Felix Auger-Aliassime, was ready to battle as he faced the 20-time Grand Slam Champion. The match went 3 sets and pushed the Swiss star as he continues to work on coming back from multiple surgeries which have kept him away from some of the  competition over the past few years. The young Canadian defeated the 5th seed 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

“It’s a huge challenge for me. Everybody who has been in multiple surgeries or a tough surgery knows what I’m talking about,” Roger said. “Things don’t come simple, they don’t come easy. You second-guess yourself rather quickly unfortunately, and that’s sometimes the biggest worry: the worry of pain or the worry of how you’re going to feel the next day or when you wake up, the first steps, how did they feel? All this stuff, it takes a little bit of a toll on you sometimes.”

Roger will now focus on prepping for Wimbledon.