Dubai Duty Free Tennis: Roger Federer happy to be back in the city he knows well but admits return to court is step into ‘unknown’ after injury problem

The legendary Swiss, who will be stepping onto court at the Aviation Club this week for the first time since his historic Australian Open success last month, knows Dubai well – given he trains in the Emirate in the off-season and owns an apartment in Dubai Marina.

And, after missing last year’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships through injury, Federer made it a priority to return in 2017, especially given the tournament’s special 25-year anniversary celebrations.

The 35-year-old admitted he has only recently returned to full practice following a world-wind few weeks after his triumph Down Under, which have included adequate rest time with his family and many off-court commitments, including the launch of the Laver Cup in Prague last week.

Federer says returning to match action is a step into the “unknown” but he is over the worse of his troublesome adductor problem.

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work in this city, which I think has benefited me a lot around the world in other match situations,” the record seven-time Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships winner told Sport360 at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel on Sunday.

“Mentally, I feel fresh, physically I feel just fine.

“It’s still a bit of the unknown. Regardless of whether I’m 100 per cent physically or not I was always going to feel a bit rocky coming into this event. It’s the beginning of my comeback and conditions are fast here.”

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