Roger Federer's return to action was more difficult than he might have imagined. In his first match since dropping out of the French Open, the Swiss needed three very close sets to finally defeat young American Taylor Fritz and advance in the Mercedes Open. In a match marred by rain, the higher seed took the lead before a delay forced the men to play the following day. Then, Fritz claimed the second set with a break and Federer was able to edge out the decider and advance in Stuttgart 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Strong beginnings
Federer, eager to test out his once-injured back, got all that he could handle from the young Fritz, starting with the very first set. Both men held serve for quite some time in the elongated affair. The solid form of both players mirrored one another at times. It saw Federer glide across the grass surface and Fritz trying his best to avoid any mistakes against one of the icons of the sport.
Unfortunately for Fritz, a sloppy seventh game would see him take a 30-0 lead before losing every remaining point in that game. Fritz's mistakes were coupled with the patented, smooth ground strokes by the Swiss number one and third-ranked player in the world.
That break would ultimately be disrupted by rain. The gloomy weather forced a suspension of the match and both players would have to return the next day to finish this bout.
Closing it out
The following day, Federer began on solid footing once again. He consolidated his break with a hold and would go on to close out the first set with a 6-4 win. However, young Fritz was not discouraged.
After both players held through the first three games of the following set, Federer ran into trouble. He struggled to hold serve in a very long game. Twice the Swiss was on the brink, and twice he fought. That determination led to an uneven hold, but a hold nonetheless.
Yet again, Fritz would push the Swiss to the edge of losing the set. In the set's final game, Fritz would need four set points before he finally broke through.
Federer, however, reminded the young American why he is one of the legends of the sport. Fritz is just breaking into. He would dig deep to save another break and both players would eventually hold for the next several games.
Federer was simply too good for the young player. In the final game of the match, his serve was far too crisp for Fritz to handle. His groundstrokes were far too strong and his form was far too solid. Despite an effort that surely gained him the respect of Federer, it was the swiss who claimed his 1,071st career victory on the ATP World Tour.