Federer confirms he's a starter for Montreal

Federer confirms he's a starter for Montreal Zurich - Roger Federer will return to the courts for the first time after last month's Wimbledon triumph as he confirmed Friday he will play at next week's Montreal Masters.

The new father of twins born last July 23 gave no hint if his family would travel with him to Canada.

The Cincinnati Masters which starts a week later was not mentioned.

"After the wonderful experiences over the past days it is my pleasure to inform you that I will be participating in the Rogers Cup in Montreal," the player who turns 28 on Saturday told his website.

"As I was able to find enough time to practise these past weeks I must say that I feel fit and full of energy."

The 15-time Grand Slam Slam champion said it was "a bit strange not to have played for a longer period - five weeks in total this time.

"So I'm happy to be back competing and sharing my passion..."

In Montreal Rafael Nadal went through what local media called an uninspiring training session late Thursday after not playing since his French Open loss on May 31 to Robin Soderling as he rested his tendinitis-plagued knees under doctor's order.(dpa)