Roger Federer admitted he felt drained at occasions as he returned from 14 months out to beat Dan Evans on the Qatar Open on Wednesday however is not going to be altering his post-match routine. The 39-year-old Swiss, who had not performed since dropping to Novak Djokovic within the 2020 Australian Open semi-finals since when he has had two knee operations, produced some classic tennis to win 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-5.
Encouragingly, Federer displayed his trademark silky motion and mentioned the knee had held up throughout a two-hour 24 minute duel.
Asked whether or not he can be using any new restoration methods earlier than his quarter-final in opposition to Nikoloz Basilashvili, Federer mentioned he would stick to his normal routine.
“You’re talking to an old-school guy. So I have done one ice bath and I didn’t like it. So I’m not going to do that again,” Federer advised reporters. “I don’t simply take painkillers for enjoyable. I solely take them once I actually have to. Don’t really feel like that’s the case tonight.
“I’m going to stretch and take a massage and sleep in and then warm up properly tomorrow. Very simple.”
While the 20-times Grand Slam champion mentioned within the build-up that tennis for him is like using a bicycle, he admitted there have been nerves as his first match again loomed.
“In the morning I started to think about it and, I don’t know, you can just feel like you’re getting more tense again,” Federer mentioned. “Not that you could start worrying, but you`re actually getting more excited than anything else. But overall I was really excited and happy the way I played.”
Federer has been away so lengthy that he even had to be reminded of the principles, such because the time of the warm-up and whether or not or not to ask the ball youngsters for his towel.
“It happened a ton of times, not just once,” he mentioned. “I forgot to take the towel. I forgot to carry the towel. Then the time, the shot clock remains to be not one thing that’s embedded in my system. I’ve performed too lengthy with out the shot clock.
“Then I also forgot that the warm-up I guess was four minutes, because I was hitting with Dan and then next thing I know after 30 seconds he was already at the net volleying. I was, like, Why is he hurrying up so much?”
As far as his tennis was involved, nonetheless, Federer produced a well-known show.
“There are a lot of things I can still improve on, but overall I’m incredibly happy how I played,” he mentioned. “If I lose 6-2 6-2, I’m equally happy than sitting here 7-5 in the third, because it’s been over 400 days I haven’t been on a tennis court, so it’s been a long time.”
