June 14, (THEWILL)- Former world number one tennis player Roger Federer marked his return to the grass court by expressing a sincere sentiment of how much he “missed” playing on his favoured surface. The Swiss legend started his Wimbledon preparations with a win over Ilya Ivashka at the Halle Open on Monday.
The Belarusian gave the 20-time Grand Slam champion a tough match but it ended 7-6, 7-5 as Federer advanced to the second round in Germany. The Open will give him another opportunity to stretch himself in the two weeks before the third Grand Slam of the year starts in London at Wimbledon.
THEWILL recalls that the Swiss pulled out of the French Open after his third round win just over a week ago. He explained that he had to look after his body ahead of Wimbledon, which is regarded as Federer’s favourite surface and his eight titles from that Grand Slam prove it.
His physical health will be a concern as he gets back to competitive action after two knee surgeries and at the ripe old age of 40 this year. It is increasingly likely that the All England Club is his best chance of adding another Slam to his collection, after it had proven to be elusive for a while.
However, for now, the legend of simply relishing the feel of being back on grass having not played on the surface since losing to world number one Djokovic in an epic Wimbledon final two years ago.
His delight was felt in his words, in his post-match comments: “I’ve missed it, I haven’t played a tournament in two years on this surface so I’ve done the hard courts, I’ve done the clay and now I’ve done the grass.
“It’s been great being here in Halle, I love playing here, there was just very little crowd. It’s obviously a bit of a disappointment for all of us but at the same time, I’m excited to be back on the green grass and getting a win is obviously always very nice.”
Federer believes he is in good shape from his rest after the exertions of Roland Garros: “The back’s good, I feel fine, it’s really just the legs and the match fitness that I’m looking forward to and getting through here breakers, like I did in Paris as well, and getting through here on a different surface, staying calm, taking the right decision when it’s most important – that’s what it’s all about for me right now.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
