Roger Federer has expressed his happiness following his victory over Malek Jaziri at the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier today.
The former world number one lost the first set to his Tunisian opponent 7-5, before going on to win through thanks to a 6-0 6-2 success.
Reflecting on the three-set win, Federer admitted that he had found it "difficult" to overcome a player who is ranked 128 in the latest standings.
"It important to sort of react and make sure I didn't panic," said Federer. "But, of course your mind starts to wander, especially in a match where there is hardly any rallies. He's going for broke on every return. All you're trying to do is get into some rallies, and you're missing a lot yourself.
"It was a difficult match for me out here tonight, but I'm happy I found a way and got a day off now so I can work a little bit on the game. Just maybe the pressure is off a little bit, and then automatically I will play a lot better in the second round."
The match was Federer's first on the ATP circuit since October 2012.
Liam Apicella
