Roger Federer reveals how six-month injury absence contributed to strong start in 2017

Roger Federer has revealed that his knee injury that kept him out for six months in 2016 has given him a new perspective, which has played an important role in his new found form in 2017.

The 35-year-old has surprised himself and everybody else with his strong comeback after a lengthy injury layoff by winning three of the four tournaments he has played thus far this campaign. Federer added an 18<sup>th Grand Slam title to his kitty in his first tournament back from injury, and followed it up with back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and Miami. The only blemish in his 19-1 win-loss run came in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.

The Swiss ace came into the 2017 campaign without any expectation unlike in the past where he was favourite in every tournament he played. And has continually stated that he is way ahead of schedule in terms of the targets he had set himself prior to the start of the season. Federer has won three titles and has risen from world number 17 to number four in a short span of three months.

"I had a great buildup," Federer said, as quoted on tennis.com. "I got really rejuvenated and fresh and ready, and excited to come back on tour again. And I was finally able to speak differently to the press and everybody, and just tell everybody how little expectations I really have."

"Because for the last 15 years I always said, more or less, 'I want to win the next tournament I enter,' because that was reality. Because of this injury, it sort of reset everything, and it was a beautiful thing," the former world number one added.

Federer is currently on an eight-week break after choosing to skip the clay court tournaments in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome. He is pencilled in to return at the French Open that begins on 28 May which will be his first foray on clay in 2017.