Federer begins Swiss ATP with win

Federer, who has not played since the Davis Cup world group playoff against Italy in September, won 6-3 6-4 against the world number 61 from Belgium.

One service break in each set was enough for Federer, who was playing in front of his home crowd at a tournament where he was once a ball boy and which he has won for the last three years running.

The Swiss, who suffered a stunning defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in the U.S. Open final, has opted to rest since then, pulling out of two ATP tournaments.

Federer, who maintained a 100 percent record in seven meetings with Rochus, looked fresh although the Belgian held his own until he was broken in the sixth game.

“I was eager to come out and play again and it was a good match for me,” Federer told reporters.

“It was nice to come back at a home tournament where I have so many memories. It was a nice start.

“I thought I served well at the key moments. He got the better of me off the baseline, but I tried to stay aggressive.

“The conditions here were quick, with the heat of the crowd, and I'll have to get used to that.

“I always try to have an off-season within the season,” he added. “It's not so easy to do because I like to play as much as possible but the joy is even greater when you come back off a break.”

Federer will start his campaign for a fourth straight trophy at the event which is perhaps closest to his heart, the tournament where he got his start as a ballboy a decade and a half ago.

The 15-time grand slam champion has laid low and got to know his three-month old twin girls as he assumed his additional new role as a father.

Federer will face Italy's Andreas Seppi in the next round due to be played Thursday.

Seppi won 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 against Swiss Stephane Bohli at the Swiss Indoors on Monday.

The result in two and a half hours was not what the home crowd at the St Jakobshalle would have wanted prior to the operatic concert which was preceding Federer's opening match with qualifier Olivier Rochus.

In the day's opening contest, Frenchman Florent Serra survived 15 aces off the racket of serve machine Ivo Karlovic but still subdued the Croatian 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

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