Roger Federer: I’ve Played Just One Tournament This Year Injury-Free

Ahead of Halle, Roger Federer assessed his game and his prospects for the remainder of the grass season after a loss in the Stuttgart semifinals to Dominic Thiem.

Federer was playing Stuttgart after missing the French Open with a back injury. The back was part of a spate of bad luck with ailments this season, he said, which left him only feeling healthy in Melbourne.

“It’s much better. I served normally last week, served a lot of aces and also quite a few into the net because I haven’t found my rhythm yet. But at the end it was quite good. I was happy,” Federer said. “Every day that goes by is a step forward, and every match is a step forward.

“I’m just hoping I can keep up a good level from Stuttgart. It got better as the tournament progressed. It was unfortunate that I couldn’t win against Thiem but after all I felt improvement throughout.”

The 9-time Halle champion meets German wildcard Jan-Lennard Struff in his opener on Wednesday.