Roger Federer beats Italy's Lorenzo Sonego on his return to French Open

ROGER Federer did the Italian Job on Lorenzo Sonego on his return to the French Open.

The Swiss superstar cruised into the second round following a 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory over the Italian journeyman on the revamped Philippe Chatrier Court.

No surprise that the World No.3 received a hero welcome’s in Paris in front of a almost-capacity crowd who adore him and would so love him to reach the latter stages of this tournament.

Though he lost in three sets, Sonego should be commended for his stubbornness and serving at times and he was not a brushover.

Federer said: "Thanks to the French crowd for the warm welcome. It's better for the players, for the fans, for the media. It's great to play on this court. Hopefully I can play on this court next match. I'm really happy I did it in straight sets."

Federer is playing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2015, having suffered an injury one year and then deciding to skip the clay-court season on two occasions.

Federer is playing on the revamped Philippe Chatrier Court, which will have a roof in 2021The 37-year-old was a winner here in 2009 but said on the eve of the tournament that he worries he might have the ammunition to deal with Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the red stuff.

In his pre-match press conference, Federer said: “Can I win this tournament? I don’t know. A bit of a question mark for me.

“Some ways I feel similar to maybe the Australian Open in 2017 – it’s a bit of the unknown.

“I feel like I’m playing good tennis, but is it enough or is it enough against the absolute top guys when it really comes to the crunch? I’m not sure if it’s in my racket, you know. But I hope I can get myself in that position deep down in the tournament against the top guys.”

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