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Federer received the all-clear from doctors last week before travelling to California to begin his preparations.
"Back on the court in Indian Wells today," Federer recently wrote on his Facebook page. "Felt great to hit as it was the first hit I had in 2 and a half weeks."
Federer won the Indian Wells title three times in a row from 2004 to 2006. Last year he reached the semi-finals before losing to Andy Murray in three sets.