The tireless striker, hoping to make up for his sending off against Inter Milan, intercepted a Blackburn breakaway with a sliding tackle and set up Malouda, who strolled through the defence but shot straight at the keeper.
There was no sign of the drama to come when a relaxed-looking Federer, his parents Robbie and Lynette watching from the Royal Box, strolled out onto a sunny Centre Court, wearing a gold-trimmed zip-up cardigan.