World No. 2 Roger Federer made a winning return to the Hopman Cup in Perth on Saturday, comfortably beating Yuichi Sugita of Japan in straight sets.
Federer had a splendid 2017 season, winning his 5th Australian Open title against his arch-rival Rafael Nadal and a record breaking 8th Wimbledon crown in London during the British summer to take his Grand Slam tally to 19. However, Roger’s victory over Rafa in Melbourne was a turning point in his career because before that win, the Spaniard had generally bulldozed the Swiss on the court. But, things changed dramatically for Federer after he defeated Nadal in Australia.
The Aussie Open win over Nadal, gave Federer the belief, which was earlier missing in his game that he could overcome the challenge of the 10-time French Open champion in big tournament finals. And the subsequent results were mightily impressive as the Swiss legend went undefeated against the 31-year-old left-hander, compiling a 4-0 win/loss record against him in 2017.
Federer is hoping for a similar start in 2018. Warning his rivals, the 36-year-old remarked that he was playing extremely well and was looking forward to maintain that momentum at least for the next couple of weeks.
“This year I feel much more in a rhythm,” said Federer.
“You get to break point or the moment where you have to serve the first time of the year, and it’s a normal thing.
“Whereas last year, I was like, ‘Ooh, I hope I’m going to be able to hit my first serves, and I hope it’s going to work out as much as it did in the practice’.
“I’m just very happy I was able to have a good level today, and stay calm under pressure.
“I had some good moments moving forward and playing up in the court.
“That’s how I want to play for the year. I think it was a great start.”
