London: Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer overcame a first set scare to reach the second round yesterday beating South African debutant Lloyd Harris 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

Federer, whose great rival Rafael Nadal was also in action against Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita, took time to get going and was helped by his opponent suffering a calf problem midway through the match. "I struggled early on, my legs were frozen and the ball was not going where I wanted it to," said Federer.