Roger Federer rusty, but well-rested for Monte Carlo Masters

Roger Federer admitted he is rusty ahead of his Monte Carlo Masters campaign, but the Swiss Maestro also claimed he is well-rested to compete in his first match since suffering a knee injury in January.

Federer will approach the Monte Carlo Masters with a bit of rustiness, having been sidelined for more than two months due to a knee surgery that repaired a meniscal tear on his left knee. But despite being in the shelves for a significant period, the 34-year-old Swiss assured he had ample rest “mentally and physically.”

“I am rested mentally and physically,” Federer said, reports the ATP’s official website. “I believe you can add everything to the back end of your career, in terms of being fresher mentally and being able to train harder. Whatever rest it is, it ends up in a canister you can draw from.”

Aside from his knee recovery, Federer also enters the clay-season in Europe with concerns from his previous setback that robbed him of the chance for a comeback. However, Federer is adamant that he has recovered well from the stomach virus he sustained at the Miami Open that forced him to miss a fourth-straight ATP World Tour event.

“I’m happy to say that I’ve recovered well from the virus in Miami,” Federer added. “At first, I was concerned that it might be something that would last a while, but I was feeling better three days later. I arrived in Monte Carlo nine or 10 days ago and I’ve been training on centre court for the past eight or nine days.”

Federer, who enters the Monte Carlo Masters as the third seed, attempts to win the tournament for the first time in his illustrious career. The four-time runner-up only reached Round of 16 last year after succumbing to a loss against France’s Gael Monfils. He opens the tournament against the winner of a Round 64 matchup between Thomaz Bellucci and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.