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Publication date: August 15, 2005
Federer says he's underdog
He has just 1-4 mark here
By Josh Katzowitz, The Cincinnati Post
MASON, Ohio - The guy is considered, by pretty much
everyone on the planet, to be the best player in the world. He has a
58-3 record this season. Tennis analysts say that by the time Roger
Federer's career is complete, he could be viewed as the best ever to
play the game. It was slightly strange then to hear
him cast himself as an underdog in tonight's 7:30 first-round match
against American wild card James Blake in the Western & Southern
Financial Group Masters. Remember, this is a guy who
won Wimbledon in June, who has triumphed in seven other tournaments
this season, who is nearly unbeatable when he reaches the finals of an
event. Still, Federer refuses to put pressure on himself. He prefers a
different approach. "In a way," Federer said Sunday, "I have nothing to lose." Considering
Federer has been ranked No. 1 for 81 straight weeks, that's an
interesting comment. But if you search for it, you can see the point
Federer is making. His record in this tournament
isn't impressive - in fact, it's downright awful - but the top-seeded
Federer wants to prove that he's recovered from the foot injury that
has kept him off the court since Wimbledon and that he can perform well
at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, perhaps the only place on earth
where he's struggled consistently. "I tried to get
in as early as I could," said Federer, 24, who arrived in Mason on
Thursday in order to begin improving his 1-4 career record here. "I'm
giving myself a chance to get over jet lag and giving myself a feel for
the tournament. I haven't really gotten the chance to get a feel for
the tournament, because every time I played here, I left straightaway." Federer
also had the chance to arrive here early, because he didn't play in
last week's Masters Series event in Montreal because of the injury.
That withdrawal allowed him to rest his foot, on his doctor's advice,
and prepare himself mentally for rejoining the ATP Tour after a
six-week absence. "I'm not worried, but I am anxious
to see how I'm doing," Federer said. "Matches are always different than
a practice. So far it's been good, even though Cincinnati, in the last
couple of years, hasn't been the best tournament for me." That's
a bit of an understatement. Last year, coming into the tournament on a
23-match winning streak, he fell to Dominik Hrbaty in three sets. In
2003, he was knocked out in the second round by David Nalbandian, who
is 2-0 lifetime against Federer. In 2002, he was beaten in the first
round by Ivan Ljubicic, and in 2000, he says, "I was a nobody." As Blake attests, Federer is somebody now. "I
could play a decent match and lose," said Blake, ranked No. 56 in the
world. "It's possible. He's the best, for sure, right now, and by the
time he's done, he could be considered the best of all time." Blake, though, could give him a test. After
losing four straight matches earlier this summer, Blake made the final
of last month's Washington event before falling to Andy Roddick. In the
process, he beat Radek Stepanek, then-ranked No. 20, in the second
round to earn some much-needed confidence. Plus, if
you consider Federer hasn't played in quite a while and hasn't ever
performed well here, Blake has the ability to give Federer a tough
match. "Hopefully, he's a little rusty, and I'm
going to try to take advantage of that," Blake said. "I'll try to get a
quick start. But the guy has had a lot of rest, and he's very
professional about his workouts. I'm sure he's coming in here in shape
and ready to get you. But like I said, he hasn't played for six weeks." Federer isn't that worried. His foot is feeling good, and he's feeling relaxed. "It
was a fine time to give the foot a rest," Federer said. "You look down
the road, and it's tough to have the chance to give it a rest - the
only chance would be after the season. But then it's hard, because you
only have two or three weeks to get ready (for the new season). It's
tough, but I'm happy I did it now. I feel fresh, mentally and
physically and with everything else."
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