It was, in many ways, as if Roger Federer had never even been away.

Walking onto the rebuilt Philippe-Chatrier Court at Roland-Garros for the first time in four years, the 2009 champion received a rockstar's welcome from a packed crowd on Sunday afternoon in Paris.

The Swiss, dressed for the occasion in a cream-coloured pair of shorts and long-sleeved top that just so happened to match the new beige colour-scheme inside the stadium, warmed up against his 73rd-ranked Italian opponent, Lorenzo Sonego, to loud chants of “Roger, Roger”.

An hour and 41 minutes later, overwhelming his opponent with the kind of first-strike tennis that has reignited his extraordinary career in recent years, the 20-time Grand Slam champion moved into the second round with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 win.

“The reception I got today was crazy,” Federer said. “It was really nice to see a full stadium for a first round like this. It was a beauty.”

 

Question marks

There had been some question marks over Federer’s decision to return to Roland-Garros for the first time since 2015, when he lost to fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.

He missed Roland-Garros in 2016 with a back injury, and gave the 2017 and 2018 editions a miss to focus on the grass.

Now 37 years of age, would his knees hold up on the high-bouncing clay? After winning his 101st tournament in Miami in March, he had jokingly told reporters he’d forgotten how to slide on the slow red dirt.

But after warming up for Roland-Garros in Madrid, where he reached the quarter-finals, and Rome, where he handed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece a walkover because of a right leg injury before their last-eight battle, Federer told French media he mostly wanted to enjoy himself in Paris and “play freely”.

Faced with an opponent who had never before played in the main draw at Roland-Garros, Federer did exactly that.

Gliding across the clay, attacking at every opportunity, it was a vintage Federer performance from start to finish, as he fired 36 winners, including five aces. Of the 30 times he rushed to the net, he won the point 25 times.

Federer also neutralised Sonego’s main weapon, a hugely powerful first serve that averaged over 190kph as he broke him five times.

 

Slow down Roger

Having started his first service game with two aces to lead 2-0, Federer drew Sonego in with a drop shot return, before passing him.

Such was Federer’s hold over his 24-year-old opponent, certainly no beginner on the clay with quarter-final spots in Monte Carlo and Marrakech this season, one spectator shouted “Slow down, Roger!” when he led 6-2, 4-0 after 41 minutes.

After dropping the first two sets in just over an hour, Sonego, now grunting heavily, battled hard in the third set. He was able to keep up with Federer until 4-4, when the Swiss broke on a backhand crosscourt winner as dark clouds started to gather, and took the match on his own serve as Sonego made his 26th error.

 

Underdog

With 11-time Roland-Garros champion Rafael Nadal and No.1 seed Novak Djokovic the two favourites for the title, Federer doesn’t mind being cast in the underdog role on the Parisian clay.

“It's nice to be an outsider,” said Federer, who plays German qualifier Oscar Otte in the second round. “It relaxes you on the bigger points maybe or it relaxes you subconsciously as you walk through the grounds and go to practice and go to the press room.”

 

Garden court

The other big star attraction on the opening day of Roland-Garros, the only grand slam tournament with a Sunday start, wasn’t a player, but a tennis arena set in a greenhouse.

Named after the 1938 and 1939 women’s champion and French World War II heroine, the brand new Simonne-Mathieu Court lies in the heart of the Jardin des Serres botanical gardens, adjacent to the Roland-Garros site. It features a semi-sunken court, which is surrounded by four greenhouses that are home to more than 1,000 plants plants from four continents.

The first ever match on the Simonne-Mathieu Court, the third-largest court at the French Open with a capacity of 5,000 seats, was contested by former Roland-Garros and Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain and Taylor Townsend.

“It's a very cute court,” Muguruza told reporters after moving to the second round with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win over the American.

Elsewhere, the current Wimbledon champion didn't fare quite as well, with Angelique Kerber going down to the former junior Wimbledon champion Anastasia Potapova in straight sets.

 

Beige

Other major changes at Roland-Garros this year include a bigger Philippe-Chatrier Court, which has gained 11 metres of space on each side on the ground level, and 15 metres at the top. It will have a retractable roof from 2020.

Just like on the garden court and the nearby Suzanne-Lenglen Court, the main stadium seats and benches are made from beige wood, and offer more comfort and better visibility for spectators.

Competing in his 18th Roland-Garros, Federer said he had to get used to the seats no longer being green.

“It was helpful that the stadium was full, so you don't see the beige seats,” he said. “In practice, when it was empty, I thought I saw a lot of glass. I saw a lot of concrete. I thought, hmm, it's quite different. But as the stadium was full, I thought the atmosphere was great and it was nice playing on there.”