Roger Federer said he “couldn’t care less about the outcome” after winning his first match in over a year on Wednesday as he returned from injury to beat Britain’s Dan Evans at the Qatar Open.
The 39-year-old, who underwent two knee surgeries in 2020, said “it felt great to be out there again... it will give me a lot of answers”.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow,” he added following his epic two hours and 24 minutes 7-6 (10/8), 3-6, 7-5 victory over the in-form British number one.
Highlights and report: Roger Federer vs Dan Evans
The 20-time Grand Slam title winner had not played a match since a semi-final defeat by Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January 2020 – 405 days ago – and acknowledged it was unusual for a player of his age to return after injury.
“I was very happy with how I was able to handle the tough moments, I didn’t think my game started to wobble,” he said.
Here’s a look at some reactions to his comeback win:
Win number 1️⃣,2️⃣4️⃣3️⃣
— ITF (@ITFTennis) March 10, 2021
Welcome back, @rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/LvOddVAgLd
Smilerer 😅
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 10, 2021
Whatever the outcome, @rogerfederer clearly enjoyed being back on a match court! pic.twitter.com/yC9IyOjo9S
Great to see you back on court @rogerfederer. 🚀 https://t.co/G7YFQgz9Il
— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) March 10, 2021
Evans gambit was tricky ( as it usually is right @agadmator 😁?) today but Roger knew the best lines 😁. Great to see @rogerfederer back on court competing again
— Ivan Ljubicic (@theljubicic) March 10, 2021
Pretty much only Federer on my social media feeds. Love to see it
— Shelby Rogers (@Shelby_Rogers_) March 10, 2021
😂🙌🏼😍🎾
Interesting to compare @rogerfederer's quest this year to that of Ken Rosewall, who reached the @Wimbledon final at the age of 39 in 1974. Throw in the two knee operations and it's a massive task. Could he do it?
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) March 10, 2021
Decades that Roger Federer has played on the ATP Tour
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) March 10, 2021
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s pic.twitter.com/odTooX97MG
'98: 2-3
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 10, 2021
’99: 13-17
’00: 36-30
’01: 49-21
’02: 58-22
’03: 78-17
’04: 74-6
’05: 81-4
’06: 92-5
’07: 68-9
’08: 66-15
’09: 61-12
’10: 65-13
’11: 64-12
’12: 71-12
’13: 45-17
’14: 73-12
’15: 63-11
’16: 21-7
’17: 54-5
’18: 50-20
’19: 53-10
’20: 5-1
2021: 1-0
24 years, 1 @rogerfederer! pic.twitter.com/pUL3BAeUgs
January 2017: Federer returns to tennis with a win against Dan Evans (Hopman Cup)
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) March 10, 2021
March 2021: Federer returns to tennis with a win against Dan Evans (Doha)
Twitter is so much better with @rogerfederer back on court 🤴🏻🎾
— Wilson Tennis (@WilsonTennis) March 10, 2021
Some quotes by @rogerfederer in Swiss German: «I am somewhat surprised I won. But I was even more surprised two weeks ago when I started to play sets with Dan and realised I could hang with him. So much has happened in the last weeks and months. What a wonderful comeback!» (1/3)
— Simon Graf (@SimonGraf1) March 10, 2021
Today is a special day for @rogerfederer & his loved ones but also for us fans. Our life changed so much over the last 13 months, we still can't do many things which we took for granted but getting the chance to see Roger back on the court gives us so much joy which we just need.
— Doris (@DorisLaRubia) March 10, 2021
Epic quote from Federer's presser.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) March 10, 2021
"I've done one ice bath and I didn't like it. I'm not going to do that again."
Federer hasn't lost a match in over a year.
— The Big 3 (@Big3Tennis) March 10, 2021
Roger Federer isnʼt just a tennis player, heʼs a cultural reset, a reason to breathe, an escape from this cruel world, the first gift you open on christmas, a hug from a loved one. heʼs everything youʼve ever wanted, everything youʼve ever needed.pic.twitter.com/c8yn0DfGue
— nina loves roger (@thiemderers) March 10, 2021
I am just a boy sitting in front of a screen watching Roger Federer back on the tennis court, play for a few hours to win it with a backhand down the line and smiling ear to ear for absolutely no other reason at all :).
— Navin Madhavan (@madnavin) March 10, 2021
Federer: “It’s nice to finish off with a backhand down-the-line of course” pic.twitter.com/XEGDTuCg53
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) March 10, 2021
The rivalry between Federer, Nadal and Djokovic fans is finally back. pic.twitter.com/vE4i2NI2sf
— SerMM91 (@SerMM91) March 10, 2021
Federer is always worth the wait.
— Rohit Brijnath (@rohitdbrijnath) March 10, 2021