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By Richard Pagliaro | Monday January 16, 2017

 
Roger Federer

"“Even if I had lost today it would have been good because I’m back on the court,” said Roger Federer.

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Missing in action from the last Grand Slam while rehabbing his knee, Roger Federer spent some time chasing his kids around the house.

Returning for his 18th consecutive Australian Open today, the 35-year-old father of two sets of twins showed plenty of enthusiasm racing around Rod Laver's house.

Watch: Wawrinka Pegs Klizan

Moving fluidly, Federer shrugged off a second-set stumble defeating 35-year-old qualifier Jurgen Melzer, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, at Rod Laver Arena to roll into the Australian Open second round.

Receiving a rousing reception from Melbourne fans, including Hall of Famer Laver, Federer converted seven of nine break points and cracked 20 more winners (46 to 26) than the left-handed Austrian.

“It’s nice to be playing normal tennis again on a center court like this,” Federer said afterward. “So this is beautiful. I couldn’t be happier I’m here now. It was a long road and I made it. So I’m in the draw, which is a beautiful thing. I hope I can stick around for a little bit. The first round is never easy for anybody, so I’m just happy I live another day.”

It was Federer’s first Tour-level match since he suffered a five-set Wimbledon semifinal loss to Milos Raonic last July.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee last February, showed some signs of rust seeping through his bright pink Nikes.

Former Roland Garros semifinalist Melzer smacked some baseline drives with authority earning the first break in seizing a 4-2 lead.

Stepping closer to the baseline, Federer began slashing forehands to spread the court and move Melzer. Signs of Federer's familiar explosiveness were evident when he drilled this running forehand down the line for triple break point at 5-all in the opener.




Federer reeled off 16 straight points, snatching the opening set with an ace and breaking to open the second.

At that point it appeared the four-time Australian Open champion was in control. Melzer responded breaking serve three times in a row and winning six of the next seven games to level the match.

Former world No. 8 Melzer played just four Tour-level events last season while rehabbing from left shoulder surgery. Federer and Melzer practiced side-by-side before the match began. The pair are friends with a long history of practicing and playing together. In fact, Melzer won their last meeting in the 2011 Monte Carlo quarterfinals.

“I was expecting to play a young guy in the first round because there were a lot of young guys qualifying,” Federer said. “To play Jurgen was cool. We know each other since we were 16. We used to play doubles together at the Orange Bowl back at Flamingo Park in Miami. We go way back.”


Shaking off his second-set lapse, Federer served with greater authority over the final two sets. He permitted just four points on his first serve in the third and fourth sets, striking 11 of his 19 aces to put the match away.

“Absolutely any match is a good match,” Federer said. “Even if I had lost today it would have been good because I’m back on the court.”

The 17th-seeded Swiss will play 197th-ranked American qualifier Noah Rubin for a spot in the third round and potential rematch with Tomas Berdych.

Long Island native Rubin, who stunned Benoit Paire in the Australian Open first round last year, rallied from two sets to one down defeating compatriot Bjorn Fratangelo in five sets.



 

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