Roger Federer, returning to the grand slam stage after an absence of 487 days, eased past Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 to reach round two of the French Open and offer the tennis world a reminder of what it has been missing.
Three months shy of his 40th birthday and playing his first major tournament since undergoing double knee surgery last year, Federer outclassed and outwitted Istomin, a 34-year-old qualifier whose pedigree belies his current ranking of 204.
Istomin did his best to keep the ball high on Federer’s backhand, where the Swiss is least comfortable, but struggled to make an impression on the match, enabling the 2009 champion to run through his full extensive repertoire.
Federer arrived in Paris with just one win from the three matches he has contested this year, but emphatically demonstrated here that his power, touch and variety remain undimmed. Encouragingly for the Swiss, who is seeded to meet Novak Djokovic in the last eight, there was no discernible sign of any lingering discomfort in his movement.
“I just felt overall much clearer, much better,” Federer said. “Clearly also maybe the type of opponent allowed me to have many different ways to win the point. I knew if I came to the net, that was an option, hitting a drop shot was always an option, taking the ball early was an option.
Also through is Daniil Medvedev, the second seed, who had never previously won a main draw match at Roland Garros. The Russian seemed in a hurry to alter that unwanted record against world No 37 Alexander Bublik, racing to a two-set lead before sealing a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory in one hour and 54 minutes.
In an entertaining match that featured an underarm serve, a brief barrage of bodyline tennis and a dropshot that seemed to defy the laws of physics, Bublik was undone by some poor serving at key moments.
“I felt I was not playing well in the past here, but this time I feel comfortable,” said Medvedev. “I am running well and moving well. I want to keep playing at this level.”
Jannik Sinner, the 18th-seeded Italian, recovered from match point down against Pierre-Hugues Herbert to win over five sets for the first time in his career. “When I saw the draw and his name, I knew it would be tough,” said Sinner, who ran out a 6-1, 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-4 winner and will now play compatriot Gianluca Mager.