| Roger Federer made a winning return to competitive tennis after six months out of the game |
Roger Federer made a winning return to competitive tennis after six months out of the game on Monday, thrilling a packed Rod Laver Arena as he beat qualifier Jurgen Melzer 7-5 3-6 6-2 6-2 to reach the Australian Open second round.
The 35-year-old Swiss had to battle hard throughout the two-hour, six minute contest and only really eased clear of his dogged opponent when the Austrian tired in the final set.
Federer could be forgiven a little rustiness after his prolonged absence to nurse a knee injury and made 36 unforced errors but there were also plenty of reminders of the brilliant skills that have won him 17 grand slam titles, four at Melbourne Park.
Seeded 17th, Federer has much tougher battles ahead if he makes it through to the second week of the tournament but will next pit his skills against American qualifier Noah Rubin.
Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka meanwhile survived a scare from Slovakia’s Martin Klizan, fighting back from a break down in the final set to move into the second round with a 4-6 6-4 7-5 4-6 6-4 victory.
“It was a big fight tonight,” 2014 champion Wawrinka said on court after the match. “The comeback came from fighting every day, on and off the court. It was a great atmosphere here and I am happy to be back. He was playing well, he was close to winning. It was a tough match.”
It took the world number four more than three hours to subdue his left-handed opponent to cries of “Allez Stan” from the crowd in the Margaret Court arena.
For long periods of the match Wawrinka was far from his best with errors flowing from his racket.
But as a pink dusk descended, Wawrinka slowly found the range on his groundstrokes to move ahead, although the outcome remained in the balance until the final few minutes.