"Usually before a grand slam you take it easy or practice, that's all you do," the 13-times grand slam winner added.
Federer was forced out of the invitational eight-man field at the Kooyong Club in suburban Melbourne last January with what later transpired to be glandular fever, an illness that affected his form for much of the first half of last year.
THREE MATCHES
"You don't have linesmen, or the fans or umpires and it's a different mindset when you come out on the court here at Kooyong."
He lost in the semi-finals of the Australian Open to eventual champion Novak Djokovic and also ceded the number one world ranking that he had held for a record 237 weeks to Spain's Rafael Nadal last August.
MELBOURNE - A year after withdrawing from the Kooyong Classic with a mystery virus, world number two Roger Federer returned on Tuesday and declared himself fit and ready to finalise his Australian Open preparations.
Federer and Moya will then play their match before Croatia's Marin Cilic meets Spain's Fernando Verdasco while Ivan Ljubicic, who replaced the injured Marat Safin, will play Chile's Fernando Gonzalez.
"If you play matches in practice it's not the same.
Federer, who plays Spain's Carlos Moya in the second match of Wednesday's opening day
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"This is a different type of approach here, we are all lacking matches at the beginning of the season and you are looking for matches.
Switzerland's Roger Federer listens to a question at a news conference in Melbourne, before the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament January 13, 2009.[Agencies]
"I'm feeling really good
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Federer's Beijing Olympics gold-medal winning doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka will open the tournament against 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis.
"It's why I'm really happy to be part of it this year. It's a great tournament and I love playing here because it is great preparation for me for the Australian Open."
A back injury in the second half of the year also restricted his performances but he still managed to win his fifth successive U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows.
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