No expectations. That was Roger Federer's perspective as he began his long-awaited comeback from a knee injury to open the 2017 season.
But what started as a period of self-discovery quickly morphed into business as usual for the Swiss Maestro. Federer enters his first ATP World Tour event in eight months with renewed confidence after lifting his 18th Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open. Ahead of his return to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the 35 year old admits that registering strong results against the game's elite once again has been critical.
Despite his sudden success, however, Federer's expectations remain tempered as he turns the page on the newest chapter of his storied career.
"Dare to dream, why not?" said Federer. "I take it one at a time. This one has been so amazing and I’m still riding the wave.
"I hope we’re going to get into the problem that I will have to play every day, that means I’m winning matches," said Federer. "It’s going to take me some time, until probably April, to feel my best because then I would’ve played best-of-five matches in Australia, back-to-back matches in Dubai and maybe some in Indian Wells and Miami. Then after Miami I would really know where I’m at.
"I still feel like maybe it’s still some work in progress for me. Just getting to understand how the body is going to react, how much load the body can take. It’s definitely a little bit of the unknown."
Federer returns to a happy hunting ground in the Arabian desert, having won the Dubai title a record seven times. The winner in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2014 and 2015, the Swiss owns a staggering 47-5 win-loss record at the ATP World Tour 500 event. It is one of five tournaments he has claimed on at least seven occasions.
Seeded third, Federer opens against Benoit Paire on opening night, with their first-round encounter slated for 7:00pm local time on Monday.
Federer's Happy Hunting Grounds
| Tournament | Titles |
|
Gerry Weber Open (Halle) |
8 |
| Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships |
7 |
|
Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati) |
7 |
| Wimbledon | 7 |
|
Swiss Indoors Basel |
7 |
"I hope I can play tomorrow. If I were to win, then I have a day off and play Wednesday again. That would be definitely good, rather than having to play almost every day if you end up winning. But look, I know that the first round is tough and I don’t see myself as the favourite here at this tournament."
"Even though I have a great track record, it all starts from zero here. Yes I got some confidence in Australia but I did have a big break so I didn’t right away go play again. The break is too big for me to come in and just play like I did in Australia. The conditions are a bit different here. It’s faster."
Federer could face Mikhail Youzhny in the second round, in a rematch of the 2007 final, with top seed and World No. 1 Andy Murray looming large in his half of the draw. Defending champion and countryman Stan Wawrinka is seeded second in what is another stacked field at the prestigious tournament.