New Delhi: Indian tennis fans were eagerly waiting to watch their favourite star play in India from the day Roger Federer announced that he will be coming to the country to participate in the inaugural edition of the International Premier Tennis League. The long wait ended finally on Sunday as the 17-time Grand Slam champion played his first tennis match on the Indian soil on Day 2 of the Indian leg of the IPTL at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.
The fans made a loud cheer of "Roger! Roger!" to welcome the champion as he entered the arena for warmup before the start of the match. And he didn't disappoint them. Federer looked in his vintage form as he won all three sets in the Men's Singles, Men's Doubles and the Mixed Doubles. He made a brilliant start with Sania Mirza as they thrashed the pair of Daniela Hantuchova and Bruno Soares 6-0 in the second set of the first match.
Federer showed that playing in this new format is not as playing any exhibition match. He looked disciplined and focused throughout the match and was brilliant at the nets. Every backhand winner and every point won by him was received by huge cheer from the fans.
Sania Mirza, who had told that she was 'super-excited' to play alongside Federer, was not in awe of the Swiss and scored some crucial points during the match. Hantuchova/Soares struggled from the first game against Federer/Mirza and in the fourth game Soares was replaced by the Ausssie Nick Kyrgios.
Federer continued his form in the Men's Doubles also and he went on to win the set with ease. Federer and Rohan Bopanna topped the Australian pair of Lleyton Hewitt and Kyrgios 6-1. He had now given Indian Aces a comfortable lead over the Singapore Slammers and in the process he had lost just a single game. What else we would have expected from him?
Federer played his third set in a row against the big-serving Czech Tomas Berdych in the Men's Singles. Federer won the opening two games easily and also broke Berdych's serve. He then asked for a Happiness Powerpoint, but Berdych made a comeback to win the third game. Berdych showed some fight for the Slammers and levelled the set 3-3 after Federer, with his Indian partners Sania and Bopanna had put Aces in a commanding position.
Berdych tried his best to stop Federer's winning run but eventually lost the fourth set 6-4 .
The singles set was tougher for Federer compared to Mixed Doubles and Men's Doubles but he made sure that the Aces strengthen their top spot in the league.
Elsewhere, Ana Ivanovic defeated Daniela Hantuuchova 6-5 (7-5) in the fifth set as the Indian Aces won the match 26-16 against the Singapore Slammmers.
Federer, who arrived in the capital early on Sunday morning, had shared the news of his arrival on his twitter account when he posted a photograph of him along with 14-major winner Pete Sampras. "Just landed in Delhi. Look who I found on the plane #PistolPete," Federer wrote in his twitter page, along with the photograph which had both the legends smiling for the camera.
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