Roger Federer made a last-minute decision to enter the Rome Masters, only confirming his presence after one final practice session on Wednesday morning.
But once he got out onto Court Centrale he quickly found his groove against Argentine clay-court specialist Carlos Barlocq.
Federer was coming off a masterful performance in Madrid, where he rose above the clamour about blue clay to land his seventh title in the space of ten tournaments since the US Open. It is the sort of form that makes a return to No 1 in the tennis world eminently possible. And what an achievement that would be, given that Federer will turn 31 during the Olympics.
Any weariness was slow to show against Berlocq, as Federer sprinted off to a 3-0 lead. You had to wait until the 16th point of the match for him to miss his first ball, slightly overcooking an attempt at an off forehand into the corner.
Inevitably, he couldn’t quite sustain such perfection, especially when the swirling wind was blowing clay dust into the players’ faces. But a 6-3, 6-4 win was still a solid outing for a man who has been feeling the effects of his workload.
“I just wanted to see how I felt and if there was anything major,” Federer said after the match. “If this were the last tournament of the season there would be no problem but we have a long summer ahead. This is the beginning of many tournaments in a row and many five-setters in a row, and I think it is important to make very good decisions.”
thetelegraph.co.uk
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