Djokovic makes winning return, new dad Federer ready to play

 Novak Djokovic made a winning return nearly a month after suffering awrist injury, starting the Rome Masters on a rainy Tuesday with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat ofRadek Stepanek.The second-round victory after a bye was the first match for the world number twoSerb since losing a Monte Carlo semi-final on April 19 to Roger Federer while suffering with his right wrist problem.Djokovic, a two-time champion at the Foro Italico, was to have played last week inMadrid but held off. He won in Rome with new coach Boris Becker looking on.The Serb who is competing in Rome for an eighth straight year, won his 25th matchhere against five defeats. Three of his losses have come against Nadal, the top seedbidding for an eighth trophy in the capital.The end against Stepanek was a struggle, comprising four consecutive breaks ofserve before Djokovic took victory with a service return winner out wide in gustingwind after 97 minutes."On clay, the wind comes in your eyes. I could not get any rhythm at all," saidDjokovic. "Stepanek is a very experienced player and has such variety of shot."It was frustrating to lose serve twice in the second set, but I managed to gothrough in the end."Third-seeded Monte Carlo and Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka won thefirst seven games in a defeat of Spanish qualifier Pere Riba 6-0, 6-3 with the Swiss taking just 50 minutes to go through with 50 winners.Roger Federer will be back on court eight days after the birth of his twin boys Leoand Lenny as he competes due to some fortunate timing in the birth of his secondset of twins. "Since they were born last Tuesday, that gave me a better chance of playing Rome,"said the Monte Carlo finalist, who plays on Wednesday against France's JeremyChardy."I didn't want too much of a break. "It doesn't matter if I play five matches or onematch here. As long as I keep with the pulse of things on the tour."Of course I hope to win my first-round match, but at the moment I have totallydifferent priorities."Federer has lost three Rome finals, all three to Spaniards and the last two two (2006,2013) to Nadal. The top-seeded Spaniard is relishing one of the biggest annualchanges on the clay when he starts three days after winning another the Madridtitle."Yes it's a big change (from Madrid altitude to sea-level Rome), but when you arewinning it is a lot easier," said the holder. "You always need time to adjust."It's nothing crazy, you must work on how you hit the ball. The ball flies more inMadrid (at 800 metres) and you have less control. In Rome you have to hit harder."But this is something that I've done a lot over the past years," said the worldnumber one, who claimed his first title in Rome nine years ago in an epic five-set final over Guillermo Coria.In men's first-round play, a pair of Colombians both retired -- Croatian Marin Cilicadvanced over Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 2-0 while Latvian Ernests Gulbis advanced 6-1past Alejandro Falla. German 15th seed Tommy Haas won his first Rome match since 2002, beatingAndreas Seppi of Italy 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. In the women's first round, Camilla Giorgi of Italy upset ninth seed DominikaCibulkova 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), tenth seed Sara Errani beat South African ChanelleScheepers 7-5, 6-3 and 13th seed Carla Suarez Navarro defeated German MonaBarthel 6-2, 6-2. Source: AFP