Roger Federer
Mar 24, 2016; Key Biscayne, FL, USA; Roger Federer speaks at a press conference on day three of the Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. Reuters/Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Federer will finally be back in the tennis scene as he makes his post-knee surgery debut against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Round 32 of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco.

Federer returns to tennis action for the first time after suffering a knee injury a day after his semifinal Australian Open loss against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Swiss Maestro has been sidelined for more than two months after successfully undergoing arthroscopic surgery that repaired a meniscal tear on his left knee.

Federer admitted he feels a bit rusty heading into his second round clash against Garcia-Lopez, but was adamant that he is well-rested for the tournament.

“My knee hasn’t bothered me, but the big test will be seeing how it reacts in match conditions,” Federer said, reports the ATP’s official website. “There are no easy draws in a Masters 1000, so I am not underestimating anyone. At the same time, I hope no one is underestimating me just because I’ve been hurt.”

It would be interesting to see Federer play from a knee injury that forced him to miss a chunk of tournaments, and the same goes with the Swiss Maestro facing Garcia-Lopez, who defeated Thomaz Bellucci 7-5 6-1 in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Federer leads the 32-year-old Spaniard by 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup, but it has been a while since the Swiss faced Garcia-Lopez in a tennis match. Their last meeting took place in 2009 at Wimbledon, where Federer won in straight sets, but with a newly-repaired left knee and the lack of competitive matches may give the 17-time Grand Slam winner a tough challenge in his opening campaign.

But according to Federer’s coach Severin Luthi, the Swiss’ participation at the Monte Carlo Masters could serve as the “best workout” for the world No. 3 to assess his form for the European clay-court season, especially at the French Open, where he would have a chance to extend his all-time Grand Slam records to 18 titles.

“For Roger, matches are the best workout,” Luthi told Tages Anzeiger. “The tension is different in the match. Each match is valuable for Roger. But he is no longer 18, with him things come back faster. He is again relatively quickly in the match mode. Especially since he loves to play points."

The winner between Federer and Garcia-Lopez could face either Jeremy Chardy of France and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round.

Live streaming info and score updates

Watch the Monte Carlo Masters 2016 live via ATP’s official website or TennisTV. Live scores for matches will be available on game days via ATP's official website.

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