He sure doesn't look like a man who hasn't played on the surface in three years. Roger Federer sped through the opening set 6-2 in only 23 minutes against Richard Gasquet on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, showing no rust in his first clay-court match since 12 May 2016.
The Swiss broke Gasquet in the second game and raced through his service games, much like he did en route to his 28th ATP Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March, the last time Federer competed on the ATP Tour.
The Swiss is gliding on the red dirt and thinking clearly with his shot selection. He offered a couple “Are you kidding me?” drop shots, including one during a service return, to close out the opening set.
Gasquet is playing in only his second tour-level match of the year after undergoing groin surgery on 18 January. He has lost the past 21 sets against Federer and trails 2-17 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour http://bit.ly/2VmgurR
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