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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