Have more clarity in my head now – Roger Federer after first round win in French Open

The former World No.1 Roger Federer made a resounding comeback into grand slam as he eased past Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin by 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round of ongoing French Open. Federer needed only one hour and 33 minutes to get past Istomin as he dominated the game.

The flamboyant player came up with a brilliant first serve and he wasn’t afraid to go to the net to get his points. In fact, Federer had looked rusty in the Qatar Open and Geneva Open, where he lost to Spain’s Pablo Andujar but he looked at his sublime best against Istomin.

The confidence in Federer’s game was palpable as he timed the ball to perfection. Fed was hitting the ball with force and there was more clarity in his shot making.

“I swore to myself that I wouldn’t be as far behind the baseline on the return as I did in Geneva. That was a complete joke. I was not feeling well there and wanted to try it with the sledgehammer. I have more clarity in my head now”, Federer reflected.

“I just felt overall much clearer, much better,” said Federer. “I think [I’m] getting used to the tournament and match rhythm again, the whole thing – the towels there, the shot clock there and everything that goes with it. I really felt like I didn’t find the rhythm [in Geneva].”

Federer was seen at his best and this win must have added a lot of confidence. In fact, Federer was playing a grand slam match after a long time as he had last played in the semi-final of the 2020 Australian Open, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

“I felt today I really made a bigger effort of going more in swings and not going through [the motions] like in the practice, where you just go point for point for point – let’s play a maximum amount of points. I sometimes have to tell myself, ‘Take a little bit of time, walk to the towel, do something different’. You might think it’s silly, but it’s true.”

Federer will play Croatia’s Marin Cilic in the second round of Roland Garros.