Roger Federer returned to winning ways on Wednesday afternoon when he saw off Michael Berrer 6-4 6-2 in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open.
The Swiss star, whom Rafael Nadal had manhandled 6-1 6-3 6-0 in the final of the French Open, revealed he was glad to be back on the surface he has now won 55 straight matches on.
And judging from his performance against Berrer, it looked like he has never been away.
‘It was easier than expected, especially towards the end,’ he said after destroying his opponent in 61 minutes.
‘My reaction was good, my movement was good and my service was excellent. I even tried out a few things when I was up 30-0 or 40-0. I am very happy with my performance. It feels good to be back on grass.’
Meanwhile, defending Gerry Weber Open champion Tomas Berdych crashed out of the tournament following a 6-2 7-5 loss against Robin Soderling. The Swede easily took the first set before winning the last eight points of the contest to kick his opponent out.
Elsewhere, second seed James Blake came from one set and one break down to edge Germany's Benjamin Becker 4-6 7-5 6-3.
In two all-German battles, Philipp Kohlschreiber also defeated Tommy Haas 7-5 5-7 7-6 (7/5) and Andreas Beck toppled Mischa Zverev 6-7 (5/7) 7-6 (7/5) 6-1.
