Tennis news 2021 - Roger Federer wins in comeback match against Evans for first win in over a year
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ByEurosport
Updated 10/03/2021 at 21:49 GMT
The last time Roger Federer won a match it was January 2020 and things looked a lot different. However after spending over a year out after knee surgery Federer is finally back and he has won his first match, beating Dan Evans by two sets to one. It kicks off Federer's 24th season as a tennis professional.
Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates winning his match against Dan Evans of Great Britain on Day 3 of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on March 10, 2021 in Doha, Qatar.
Image credit: Getty Images
20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has won his first professional match in over a year after beating Great Britain’s Dan Evans 7-6(8) 3-6 7-5 in Doha.
Federer hasn’t won a match since January 2020 at the Australian Open where he suffered a groin injury.
The Swiss star then underwent arthroscopic surgery in his right knee that forced him to withdraw from the clay season, before suffering a setback and shutting himself down for the entire year.
Federer wasn’t fit enough to play at this year’s Australian Open but ear-marked Doha as the opportunity to return.
Federer looked a little rusty at times, particularly when he had to check what the shot clock time was before the match, but he also showed a lot of the old magic.
Evans fought hard and more than held his own against his legendary opponent but ultimately he was just outlasted by Federer.
It was a magical moment for Federer who said it had been a long and tough road since his last match, a semi-final defeat by Novak Djokovic at the 2020 Australian Open.
"It feels good to be back, happy to be standing here whether I won or lost," the evergreen Federer said on court.
"I was tired and focused on being tired rather than winning the points. If I was going to go out I wanted to go out swinging. Incredibly happy about my performance and it was nice to finish with a backhand winner down the line.
"We'll see how I feel tomorrow and the next day and the next six months," Federer said. "It's been a long and tough road but I enjoyed it, it was a huge challenge and I had a wonderful team around me who supported me throughout."
After a traumatic year for the world and a testing one for tennis, the sight of Federer going through his silky repertoire again was a reassuring one.
"After everything I hope this was a bit of an uplift," said three-times champion Federer, who will face Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals.
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