There was no easy start to the 2017 tennis season. Six competitive tournaments (three ATP and three WTA) as well as one mixed exhibition event in Perth kept followers of the sport on their toes throughout the week. Seven days into the new season, an array in intriguing stories has already erupted in the tennis community.
Federer is as popular as ever
The French duo of Richard Gasquet and Kristina Mladenovic might have clinched the Hopman Cup title, but Roger Federer was also a winner is a completely different way.
Returning to competitive tennis after a six-month hiatus due to a troublesome knee injury, thousands of fans poured in to watch him play. Twice he broke the attendance record at the exhibition event within the same week, attracting a new benchmark of 13,917 fans on Friday when Switzerland was edged out 2-1 by eventual champions France.
“It’s the third match into the year so I am starting to feel the ball better and better and I am just moving around the court better, so I am really pleased,” Federer said on Friday.
“I don’t know if today was my best match, or yesterday, but you have to be able to handle different opponents and I am happy with where my level is at.
“I was uncertain (coming into the week); I didn’t know how it was going to go.
“I am very pleased that it is already going so well.”
Federer’s first week of the year saw him produced straightforward wins over Dan Evans and Richard Gasquet in the men’s singles. His only blip occurred against one of the rising stars of the men’s game, Alexander Zverev. During a two-and-a-half-hour clash at the Perth Arena, the Swiss was edged out 7-6(1), 6-7(4), 7-6(4).
Opting to start his new season in a non-ATP tournament for the first time since 2001, the 35-year-old has described his week as ‘perfect preparation’ for the Australian Open.
“It’s always hard to not play for ATP points, because at the end of the day that is what I have done for 20 years,” he said.
“I am happy I took the decision now. In hindsight, I think it is the best decision to come here and have a perfect preparation for the Australian Open.”
Federer will be seeded outside the top ten at the Australian Open for the first time since 2003.
Highlights: Roger Federer Vs Richard Gasquet (2017 Hopman Cup)
