Agencies
Monte Carlo, April 13: Fifth seed Rafael Nadal and fourth seed Stan Wawrinka began their clay court season here in style with impressive wins, but it turned out a poor outing for sixth seed Tomas Berdych at the Monte Carlo Masters here Wednesday.
Spaniard Nadal had an easy 6-3, 6-3 victory over Aljaz Bedene while Wawrinka battled it out for close to two hours overcoming German Philippe Kohlschreiber 7-6 (7-5), 7-5. But Berdych went down in three sets to David Dzuhumr 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 3-6.
Nadal had an easy workout against the resilient Bedene winning in 80 minutes. But he admitted that he still is not his best on his favourite surface and picked Novak Djokovic as the favourite to win the French crown. “He (Djokovic) is playing good and it will take some form to beat him,” Nadal stated. “I would say he is the favourite at Roland Garros this time around.”
Meanwhile former World No.1 Roger Federer returned from a 10-week layoff with a 6-3, 6-4 second-round victory against Spain’s Guillermo Garcia Lopez here Tuesday.
The third-seeded Swiss had knee surgery February 3 and was forced to delay his scheduled comeback in Miami because of gastroenteritis. Federer, who has failed all 12 attempts to win the first clay court Masters of the season, was barely bothered by the World No. 38. The only glitch he suffered came when he was broken as, leading 5-2 in the second set, he was serving to win.
Back in Monte Carlo for the first time since 2013, World No. 2 Andy Murray laboured into the third round with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The Brit’s unease on the red clay was apparent as the World No. 58 took a set off him.