WATCH: Roger Federer Practices with Gael Monfils Ahead of French Open 2021

After his maiden appearance at Geneva Open ended in an opening-round loss to Spaniard Pablo Andujar, Roger Federer had said he can’t be too down on himself and has to move on.

And, true to his words, the champion seems to have moved on from his somber wave to the Geneva crowd to a practice clay court in readiness for Roland-Garros.

Elina Svitolina shared the clip of Roger Federer hitting with Gael Monfils

A video clip has gone viral on Twitter showing the 20-time Grand Slam champion hitting tennis balls with veteran French star Gael Monfils.

What’s more, Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina, who is engaged to the Frenchman, has also shared the clip on her Twitter handle.

In the clip, the eight-time Wimbledon champion is seen practicing his net play as Monfils sends up lobs for him to volley back.

Though making his comeback to Roland-Garros this year, Federer has gone on record to say that winning the title is not his goal. While not counting himself among the title aspirants, the Swiss will be hopeful of picking up some wins and going deep into the tournament.

A second week in Paris will lift his self-belief, which took a knock in Geneva, and fill him with the motivation to mount a strong title run at Wimbledon.

Having won the second set after dropping the first and going up a break in the decider, the Swiss seemingly had the match against Andujar in control.

However, the Spaniard broke back to level the score and then broke again to win in three sets.

Federer returned to action at ATP Doha after 14-month absence

Federer took a break from the Tour to recover from a second knee surgery that he underwent after last year’s Australian Open.

After 14 months on the sidelines, the champion returned to competitive action at ATP Doha earlier this year.

Amid breathless anticipation from fans, the Swiss won his comeback match against British No.1 Dan Evans but crashed out of the tournament after losing his next to eventual champion Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Read More: “The Fire is There and It’s Burning”: Roger Federer Reflects on Return to Tennis After Surgery

Federer skipped some events thereafter to focus on training for the grass court swing before announcing a surprise return to clay.