Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federeris a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals. His accomplishments in professional tennis have led to him being regarded by many as the greatest tennis player of all time. Federer turned professional in 1998 and has been continuously ranked in the top 10 since October 2002...
NationalitySwiss
ProfessionTennis Player
Date of Birth8 August 1981
CityBasel, Switzerland
CountrySwitzerland
I was struggling in the beginning, obviously. I was a little disappointed about the start. I was looking for my rhythm and he keeps coming at you and he didn't really allow me to get the rhythm either. But to turn it around in the end, and not playing my best, is always a good feeling.
Many people say I'm better on other surfaces but I know I can play well on clay. The French Open is definitely a goal of mine.
My confidence is back, ... You lose it when you don't play. I've earned it again. That's the thing I've achieved this week.
I'm a little bit used to the situation, and it's not an easy one to be in. I mean, basically, he has been waiting for this day his whole life. He's going to come out there and try to beat me, not just play with me.
I have a great record against anybody, basically, right now. So it doesn't really matter who I play in the finals; I'll be in there as the big favorite.
Trying to put on a show? Not really, ... All I'm trying to do is win the match.
When I would lose matches, I would feel, I think, three times worse than when the guy was losing. I just realized that's not the point, either, ... I wanted to enjoy it, win or lose, out on the court. It's not some kind of war or anything. We're having fun out there in the end. I like the challenge. When the match is over, life goes on.
Every time I step on the court in a Masters series, I know how important they are and I try to do well.
Both times I had to serve well to get the upper hand. I thought I should be aggressive, take my chances, put the pressure on him. He's a good counter-puncher.
I've got to adjust quite a bit to play Rafael. But I already feel like I'm improving a lot. The more I play against him, the more I'll be able to figure out his game and the easier it will be.
That match taught me what some things about how I should play against him. But I've still got to go out there and beat him.
It's not for sure I'm going to finish No 1 in the world. I've still got to play well and defend my titles and make sure I play well. So I have a lot to play for next few months.
It's always a pleasure to play against him because it's so different. It was because of him, not because of me, that the match was so great.
I stick to what I always do, whether it's a final or first-round match. I want to get the rhythm, see how the conditions are, adjust string tensions if I have to. Then I'm off.