Federer battles rust, wins first-round test
It wasn’t an exhibition of the nearflawless style we’ve come to associate with Roger Federer when he played his first official match in six months in the Australian Open on Monday.
The magic was clearly not consistently there. Instead of steady and impeccable shot-making, there were uncharacteristic lunging serves and finger-crossing moments. The 17-time Grand Slam tournament champion didn’t always look like the guy many consider to be the best to ever pick up a racket.
But he can be forgiven because this is his first foray onto the comeback trail.
Federer, who had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee last February, managed his way through to a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win against fellow 35-year-old Jurgen Melzer of Austria.
Sometimes the best advice for a player not delivering his finest is the message that a win is a win. For at least one match, Federer appeared willing to accept a few flaws in place of natural finesse.
“This year hasn’t been so tough yet,” Federer told the crowd after the match. “It’s nice to be playing normal tennis again on a court like this. It was a long road. I’m back in the main draw, and that’s a beautiful thing. Any match is a good match because I’m back on the court.”
In the big picture of the 2-hour, 6-minute outing, Federer still posted 19 aces but also saved only one of four break points he presented Melzer. The Austrian, a former top-10 player, is coming back from shoulder surgery and is ranked 300th.
It’s worth noting that Melzer, as a lefty, also is Federer’s least- favorite type of player to face.
“I thought my serve was on and off in the beginning, which surprised me a little bit, because in practice, Hopman Cup, it’s been going pretty well,” Federer said. “I think there were definitely some nerves there. I was feeling nervous once the match actually started, and I was actually fine all day.”
The question that has swirled around Federer since he captured his 17th Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon in 2012 is if there’s an 18th major in his future.
Obviously, the first crack at that possibility is in Melbourne, where he has won the title four times but not since he beat Andy Murray in the 2010 final.
These are different times for Federer and not just because at 35 he can legitimately be considered a senior citizen in the tennis world. This is his first experience returning from a long layoff, and it’s anyone’s guess on how that will go during the weeks ahead.
The injury came the day after he lost in last year’s Australian Open semifinal, tweaking his knee while he was bathing his children. In early February, he had surgery and played in five more tournaments throughout the season.
Finally, on July 26, after a Wimbledon semifinal showing, Federer determined it was time to shut down his season.
There were some who thought we might have seen the end of Federer. How in the world could he come back from six months off at his age?
But walking away so easily would never suit Federer’s personality. He’s a champion. When he goes out, he’ll want to do it on his own terms.
“In a way it doesn’t surprise me, because I’ve been talking about retirement for seven years,” Federer said. “Naturally this was the perfect opening for people to ask that question yet again, think to themselves, ‘ Why more?’ I get it. It’s fine. I’ll keep answering it.”
The second round will deliver Noah Rubin, a 20-year-old who is 2-2 in Grand Slam matches. Rubin defeated fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in his first career five-set match and wasn’t upset to draw Federer as his secondround opponent.
“Of course you don’t want to play him first,” Rubin said. “Yes, you want to go deep, but wouldn’t it be an amazing thing to win a round and then play Fed. I don’t know how many years he has left. Honestly, we don’t know. It’s just one of those things to be on the court with him, compete with him and work your butt off to play against him would be a really great experience.”
Federer said he wasn’t overly familiar with Rubin, but he was aware of one thing that brought a smile to his face: “I know he’s a righty, and that’s a good thing.”