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February 26, 2005
I am still the best, says Federer
By Ahmed Abbas Rizvi, Khaleej Times
DUBAI — Greatness knows itself. One look at Roger Federer and you know the truth of that maxim. Dare
suggest that his loss to Marat Safin in the Australian Open semifinals
and three consecutive third set tie-breaks could be because the rest
are catching up, and he looks up at you hurt.
“You
wouldn’t like to say that because I have the feeling I haven’t been
playing well but still coming through,” the ‘Basel Dazzler’ said after
his latest escape, a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over Juan Carlos Ferrero at
the Dubai Tennis Championships Men’s Open on Thursday night, when he
survived two match points to enter the quarterfinals.
“I am winning the crucial points so that shows I am at the top of my game when I have to be,” he added.
And
then, as if to challenge the rest, he said: “We will see at the big
occasions if they are close or not. I am still by far the number one
player in the world.”
To even suggest that the amazing Swiss’ powers are on the wane would be incredulous, if not blasphemous.
Hear it when past master John McEnroe tells you Federer has “a chance to be one of the greatest players to ever live.”
Believe
it when Lleyton Hewitt says “Roger has raised the bar for us over the
last 18 months. Does he have any weaknesses? I don’t think so. We’ll
all just have to work harder.”
McEnroe should know. Hewitt should know: He lost six straight to Federer in 2004, none of them particularly close.
Federer
finds himself astride the men’s tennis world that he has pounded into a
lopsided shape favouring himself. The Safin loss at the Australian is
just an aberration.
He is 33-1 in his last 34 matches, and the past season has given him divine bragging rights.
The
Swiss, blessed with prodigious talent and unflappable playing style,
went 18-0 during 2004 against so-called peers in the Top 10. He lost
just six matches in 2004 while winning 74, thus batting .925, the
highest winning percentage since Ivan Lendl’s .925 in 1986 and John
McEnroe’s .965 in 1984.
He
won 11 titles in 2004, the most since Thomas Muster racked up a dozen
in 1995. And he has won every one of his last 15 finals.
So what’s with this Safin “secret” to beat Federer?
“You
know, he knows so many secrets, it’s amazing: He knows everything,”
laughed Federer, when reminded of the Russian’s boast that he knows the
secret of beating the Swiss. “No, I am just joking. He is a good guy.
“Ferrero
said he has a secret, Hewitt knows a secret, Safin knows a secret —
they all know it. But I am still on top,” the Swiss replied.
But then, what is the secret of stopping the ‘Fed Ex’?
“You shouldn’t ask me, you should ask them,” he said. “I have no clue how to beat myself.
“Jeez,
I am such a good player,” he added with a laugh. On a more serious
note, he added: “It all depends on your form on the day. Of course I
cannot expect that every time I play a Top 10 player, I am going to
beat him. I think they know that.”
But surely, there must be some chinks in the armour?
“My
backhand and my returns at times,” he revealed. “Some days it could be
your volleys, sometimes your quickness on the court lets you down — It
all depends upon your form on the day.
“But my backhand has always been bad,” he added, with a sheepish grin.
And yes, the defeat to Safin in the Australian Open semifinal had also got him thinking.
“It
was on my mind till just before the tournament in Rotterdam,” he
revealed. “I was not sure how I am going to cope with this defeat
because it hadn’t happened since the Olympics. That was quiet a while
ago.
Good start
“In Rotterdam, the start was good and I ended up winning the tournament. So that’s (the Safin loss) forgotten and it’s good.”
The three tight wins — the Rotterdam final and two matches here — have only added to Federer’s confidence.
“I
am so happy to have won the last three close ones,” he said. “There was
one close one before that I lost and that was a rough one against Safin
(at the Australian Open).
“So
I am happy to have now overcome this again. When I get into tie-break
in the third set, I am not thinking about the Safin match.”
The
Safin match couldn’t have bothered him for long anyway. Because
Federer’s mind is always on winning — not just the Majors, but every
tournament he participates him.
“When I come to a tournament, I am here to win it; I am here to do well and not just to participate,” he said.
He understands that some players use certain tournaments for practice purpose. But not him.
“It’s
easy to practice around a tournament. All the players are here, the
setup is perfect,” he said. “At home, sometimes it can be tough to find
the right sparring partner.
“For
the ladies, it’s different. They can hit with a guy. But we are already
the best out there, so we cannot just go and hit with anybody. We need
somebody who, at least, can handle our rhythm. So for this reason,
sometimes players come to a tournament and take it as a preparation for
the next week. But I don’t like to look at it this way,” he asserted.
“Every tournament counts for me; it is not just the Slams.”
Such
hunger, if he can keep it burning, will someday surely see Federer
eclipse Pete Sampras’ monumental record of 14 singles majors,
accomplished in 13 seasons between 1990 and 2002. Sampras had won five
majors at age 23. Federer, 23, has won four.
Neither
Lendl nor McEnroe won three majors in one year as Federer did in 2004
(Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open). Mats Wilander did it in
1988, but failed in the Masters, losing in the round-robin.
Of
the game’s big five (the majors plus the Masters), Federer won four in
2004. In 2005, he has missed out on the Australian Open.
That will surely have made him hungrier, as McEnroe warned.
“Federer’s
the kind of guy that as soon as he lost at Australia, he was setting
his sights on the French Open (which begins in May),” McEnroe said.
“He’s the sort of guy that immediately starts looking toward the next major.
“The loss will make him hungrier. I think it will motivate him even more. And that’s a scary thing for the rest of the field.”
Scary? For the rest of the field maybe. For the rest, it would be a pleasure.
FEDERER’S REIGN
By Our Sports Reporter
DUBAI
— In 2004, the Swiss superstar compiled one of best seasons in nearly
two decades, capturing an ATP-best 11 titles in as many finals,
including three Grand Slam and three ATP Masters Series victories.
His
11 titles in 2004 were most by a year-end No. 1 since Ivan Lendl won 11
in 1985 and his .925 match winning percentage was highest since Lendl
compiled same mark in 1986.
In last two years has compiled an 18-2 record in finals after going 4-6 previous three years.
Became
first player since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three Grand Slam titles
in a season and fourth player overall in Open Era to win at least three
in a year (Connors won three in 1974, Laver won four in 1969).
Became first player in Open Era to win his first four Grand Slam finals.
In
2004, his staggering statistics included an 18-0 record against Top 10
opponents (23-0 going back to ‘03 TMC in Houston), defeating every
member of year-end Top 10.
He
has established an Open Era record by winning 15 consecutive finals
(going back to 2003), surpassing mark held by Hall-of-Famers Borg and
McEnroe, who won 12 straight finals.
In
2004, he became first player to win multiple titles on clay, grass and
hard courts in a season and first since Borg in 1979 to win consecutive
titles on those surfaces.
Compiled winning streaks of 10-more four different times in 2004, including a career-best 23 in a row from June 7-August 1.
PERSONAL FILES
Began playing tennis at age eight.
Mother,
Lynette, is South African and father, Robert, is Swiss and they met on
a business trip (they both worked for a pharmaceutical company).
Has one sister Diana, who is two years older.
Idol growing up was Boris Becker and favorite player was Pete Sampras
Enjoys sitting on the beach, playing cards and table tennis, is a fervent fan of hometown soccer team FC Basel.
Named 2003 “Swiss of the Year” by his country’s TV audience.
In
2003, initiated Roger Federer Foundation which supports disadvantaged
children in South Africa and promotes sport for young people.
Enjoys being an ambassador for global promotion of tennis and is inspired by the cultural diversity of the world.
In
November 2004, was on hand at United Nations in New York to announce
2005 as “International Year of Sport and Physical Education” with UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan.
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