For the Roger Federer fans on Centre Court and the legions watching on televisions around the world it was a reassuring sight as the Swiss swept past Argentina’s Guido Pella into the second round of Wimbledon on Monday (June 27).
Knee surgery and a nagging back injury had restricted the 17-times grand slam champion to 22 matches this season and his no-show at the recent French Open ended a run of 65 consecutive major appearances.
Talk of time finally catching up with Federer has been doing the rounds. So all eyes were on the 34-year-old Swiss great as he stepped onto Centre Court where he had held the trophy aloft on seven occasions.
But Federer began his 18th consecutive Wimbledon campaign with a tidy 7-6(5) 7-6(3) 6-3 victory that, while never spectacular, was relatively comfortable.
