Roger Federer looked composed and confident as he returned to the professional tennis court for the first time in 13 months.
The Swiss superstar showed glimpses of his famous slice backhand and good spirit as well during his one-hour practice session with Briton Daniel Evans on Court 1 at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, ahead of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open which gets under way today.
The annual ATP 250 event in Doha is among the priority events of top-ranked players but this year it is grabbing more attention, as the 20-time Grand Slam champion will be seen in action for the first time after losing the semi-final of Australian Open 2020 against Novak Djokovic, following two surgeries on his right knee last year.
“It’s been a year since my last event,” Federer said in a video posted on Twitter.
“I can tell I’m very excited... it’s been a long and hard road. I know I’m not at the finish line yet but it’s good, I feel I’m in a good place, I’ve been practising very well and I just feel really pumped up.”
“The first time I played here was in 2003,” he said during a virtual Q&A with kids on Saturday. “I don’t know if you guys were born in 2003.”
“It was the first time I got a taste of this region, and I have seen the city grow a lot since then. I have great memories,” Federer said.
Federer is the most successful man in history of Qatar Open winning the competition three times in 2005, 2006 and 2011. The 39-year-old holds a 26-3 record at the tournament.
However, he is expected to face a tough test from early stages of the tournament on his return to the Qatari capital since 2012.
Federer – receiving a bye into the second round – is expected to start against Murray River Open champion Evans, who will clash with Jeremy Chardy in the first round. Frenchman Chardy has already played two semi-finals this season and Evans leapfrogged to a career-high No. 26 in the world rankings.
If the Swiss superstar manages to overcome the first hurdle, he could meet another in-form player in eighth seed Borna Coric in the quarter-finals. The Croat has shown good performance this week reaching the semi-finals of ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
Doha courts set for another exciting week of action
After the conclusion of WTA Qatar Total Open which saw Czech Petra Kvitova lifting the Golden Falcon Trophy for second time after defeating former World No.1 Gabrine Muguruza of Spain in the final on Saturday, the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex is expected to throw up thrilling matches in the ATP Qatar ExxonMobil Open with many stars featuring in the competition.
Apart from Federer, World No. 4 Dominic Thiem – the top seed, defending champion Andrey Rublev of Russia and 2019 winner Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain are also taking part in the tournament offering a total prize purse of $787,930. The final will be played on March 13.
Canada’s World No.11 Denis Shapovalov – seeded fourth, David Goffin, who claimed Open Sud de France in Montpellier title recently and former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka, the 2008 finalist will also be seen in action.
US Open champion Thiem, too, faces a challenging task in his first match with a possible match against Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev or Qatari wilcard Mubarak Shannan Zayid. Fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik and Reilly Opelka join the Austrian in the top quarter of the draw.
Meanwhile, third seed Rublev could meet 2013 winner Richard Gasquet or a qualifier in his tournament opener. The Russian is in the second quarter of the draw with 2008 runner-up and seventh seed Stan Wawrinka.
Fourth seed Denis Shapovalov and sixth seed David Goffin will compete in the third quarter of the draw. Shapovalov will face countryman Vasek Pospisil or a qualifier in his opening match, while Goffin will begin his third appearance at the ATP 250 against Filip Krajinovic of Serbia.
With additional inputs from ATP
