Roger Federer relishing return to grass in Stuttgart, but can he challenge for Wimbledon?

The seven-times Wimbledon champion, whose unbroken run of 65 consecutive appearances at Grand Slam tournaments ended when he withdrew from the French Open last month because of back pain, has been practising in Germany.

"I feel much better again. It's been a good last three weeks. No setbacks," Federer told the ATP's website (www.atpworld tour.com).

"My back's good again. I feel much stronger. I was pretty fragile three weeks ago."

The 17-times Grand Slam champion has been riddled with injuries this year - leading to suggestions time was finally catching up with the 34-year-old.

"It's been a tough year," Federer, who also had minor knee surgery, said. "But I'm super excited about playing another tournament."

While missing the French was a blow, a longer-than-usual rest and more preparation time on the grass could augur well for his Wimbledon hopes as he seeks an 18th major having been beaten in the final by Novak Djokovic for the past two years.

"It was much better for me to look forward to the rest of the season, rest of my life, really," Federer said.

"I didn't want to have setback after setback and injure myself maybe further. In hindsight, that was definitely the right decision."

If Andy Murray has been unfortunate to be competing in an era that includes Novak Djokovic - the undisputed world number one has denied the Scot four times in Australia and in Sunday's French Open final - Federer must be sick of the sight of the Serbian player when he has been so close to adding to his golden haul. There is no doubt Federer is sharp enough to make off with an eighth title at SW19, but time is against him before he even comes across Djokovic, who has reached 12 Grand Slams to close in on the Swiss's own landmark record that many thought was untouchable

Since winning the last of his 17 Grand Slams against Murray in London four years ago, he has lost twice in the Wimbledon final to Djokovic in five and four sets respectively in 2014 and 2015, at last year's US Open, when he was largely outplayed in four, and this year's Australian Open in the last four.

Grass is certainly the most likely surface for Federer to succeed as he attempts to squeeze another Grand Slam out of his career, but he could do with Djokovic's astonishing level dropping or somebody getting lucky earlier in the draw to do the job for him. At the moment, it is tough to see past Djokovic when he enters the latter stages of these events.

But hope springs eternal, and a fit Federer will hope to be in peak condition. The benefits of a kind draw also cannot be underestimated when your season has been blighted by injury.