Roger Federer says that winning the Australian Open means he has "less pressure" in his comeback from an injury layoff, and he will keep the same approach he had Down Under.
Returning to tour competition for the first time since Wimbledon, Federer took the Australian Open for his 18th Grand Slam victory. Going into the tournament, he said he just wanted to finish a match healthy.
"It would have been a successful trip for me," he told *TIME.com*. "Because the reason why I went to Australia was to find out where my body was at. In practice, I knew it was good. Matches are a different animal, it’s a different story. I thought in the best case I could make the quarters, and beat one good player. Maybe two, if things went crazy well. That was my expectation. That’s why it feels so much better."
Federer, who defeated four Top 10 players—including Rafael Nadal in the final—Down Under, had anticipated a slower start as he returned from knee surgery that forced him to take half the season off.
"I thought it would be a stepping stone for the season,” he said. “Basically, my year would start 100 percent in April. That's how I saw it.”