The Swiss star had been sidelined after suffering a knee injury midway through the 2016 season, but the 35-year-old showed little sign of rustiness as he cruised past Evans.

Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam winner, raced to a 6-3, 6-4 victory in just over one hour to begin 2017 in impressive style.

Switzerland’s first Group A victory was sealed when Belinda Bencic battled to a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Heather Watson.

A whitewash was completed when Federer and Bencic combined to win the Fast4 mixed doubles format, where sets are determined on a first-to-four-games basis.

The duo triumphed 4-0, 4-1 against their British opponents.

Earlier in the day, France’s Richard Gasquet and Kristina Mladenovic fought back to earn a narrow victory over Germany.

The women’s singles rubber proved to be a one-sided affair as Germany’s Andrea Petkovic dominated Mladenovic to secure a straight sets 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Gasquet was able to respond in his match against rising star Alexander Zverev, with the experienced Frenchman defeating his 19-year-old rival 7-5, 6-3.

It left the tie to be decided in the mixed doubles, where Gasquet and Mladenovic secured an early advantage.

The pair maintained the momentum throughout the match, ultimately sealing a 4-2, 4-1 victory to complete a come-from-behind success.

The tournament sees one male and one female player compete for their nation.

In total, eight nations will be represented at the tournament.

Split into two groups of four, each team plays the other three teams in their group.

The top placed team from each group at the completion of the group matches then meet in the final.