"I've missed it" - says Federer after winning start on grass

Roger Federer made his return to the grass courts yesterday by defeating Ilya Ivashka 7-6(4) 7-5.

The Swiss ace played a very balanced match against the tricky Belarussian serving well and attacking with his forehand. That allowed him to keep points on the shorter side as he preferred. He did not commit too many errors and overall looked good. After the match he said:

"[I] had a tough moment early on in the first set when he had break points, so that was crucial to get out of those. And then I played a really good tie-break, which I was happy about. I think as the match went on I started to create more opportunities and started to also calm my nerves a bit. Overall I think I served very well. Clearly, I can always be a little bit better, but I’m very happy and excited that I was able to get through the first one.”

It was Federer's first match on grass in over two years and the Swiss ace looked very happy on the court. Asked about returning to grass he said:

"I missed it. I hadn’t played a tournament [on grass] in two years on this surface. I’ve done the hard courts, I’ve done the clay and now [I am] on the grass. It’s been great being back here in Halle. I love playing here."

To conclude Federer says he was happy to be back on grass and get the win:

"I’m excited to be back on the green grass. And getting a win is obviously always very nice."