July 3, 2003

Wimbledon Quarterfinal

By ASAP Sports

R. FEDERER/S. Schalken 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

An interview with: ROGER FEDERER

Q.. This is the fourth time you beat Sjeng in straight sets. What makes his game so easy for you to read?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, you know, like yesterday he wasn't at his best, definitely. I think that was obvious, you know. But it was just important to stay focused and to, you know, whatever I felt was the right game, you know, that I kept playing that, even though I was down in the third. It's not so easy to play against somebody who is not feeling great, who takes chances, so... But, yeah, somehow, you know, his game is okay for me, you know. I can read it quite well. He hasn't got a big serve, that makes me always have chances on his serve because I can play with him from the baseline. So I guess that's his problem against me.

Q.. You could sense he -- of course you knew about his injury. Could you sense that at the beginning of the set?

ROGER FEDERER: You know, of course when you know that he's got something, you know, you try to figure it out and you pay a little bit more attention to your opponent. You know, I definitely didn't play super today, because of all this talk around my injury, his injury. And all this, you know, made us play maybe not a great match. But, you know, in the end this all doesn't matter. I'm just, you know, very, very happy to be in the semifinals. It's my first time, you know. I'm happy I took this opportunity. You know, I'm sorry for him, you know, he couldn't do better today. But, you know, for me, it's a great day, you know. I've been waiting long for this moment.

Q.. A breakthrough for you, do you feel?

ROGER FEDERER: I don't know; I don't know. People have just been talking about me taking the next step, you know. Taking the next step beating a guy who's injured and going to the semis. It's all giving yourself opportunities. And this is the same what Sjeng has been doing, you know. He's been performing well in Grand Slams and then he played his semifinal at the US Open, you know. Almost played it here as well. So it's all about giving yourself opportunities and then taking them, you know. And this is really -- these two weeks have been the same for me, you know. Now I try to go further, you know.

Q.. What about your own level of fitness, Roger? Any recurrence of the back problem that you sustained?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, people who saw my match, they saw there was nothing wrong. Also myself, I felt good. So I'm not worried at all.

Q.. Is that gone now?

ROGER FEDERER: Uh-hmm.

Q.. You'll be able to play okay tomorrow?

ROGER FEDERER: For sure. Same was counting for yesterday and today, you know. If I would have been played yesterday, it would have been the same yesterday, so...

Q.. Talk about how excited you are about playing Roddick. We have two young guys, neither have won a Slam. It's a big opportunity for both of you.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, it's a great chance for both of us, as you said. Yeah, it's gonna be a match that everybody's been kind of waiting for, especially myself as well. He's been in a semifinal before, me never. So who knows if he's got more experience or not. This is quite tough to judge because we're quite young. I think it's gonna be a good match, you know. We've always had good matches in the past. I'm really looking forward.

Q.. How do you keep concentration and confidence if he serves as well as he's been serving? He's been bombing it in pretty well the whole tournament. What do you have to do to keep yourself in the match?

ROGER FEDERER: I'm not worried about his serving, you know. Because if he serves, he serves, you know, there's nothing -- I don't want to change that anyway, you know. I want to beat them differently. For this, I don't believe I'm gonna get 200 aces, you know. So for that, I've managed to return his serve in the past, so I guess I can do that the same now, tomorrow. You know, I'm not worried in this respect, no.

Q.. Are you worried about anything?

ROGER FEDERER: No, no. What should I be worried about? Getting killed out there? No (smiling). (Inaudible) don't kill you. It's just the semifinals, the excitement. You have a chance to go to a final of a Grand Slam. Especially this, in my favorite Grand Slam here in Wimbledon. So this makes me more excited than playing Andy.

Q.. To come back at Wimbledon after beating Sampras, the expectations are so high. McEnroe called you already the new champion. Has that been difficult for you?

ROGER FEDERER: I would say, you know, was not easy because, of course, everybody had very high expectations, especially after this match against Sampras, you know.

But, you know, I got over it a few months after, you know. I was injured after and that was maybe not the best. And, you know, I always had my chances in Grand Slams to do well, but I just didn't take the opportunity and that was the problem. People were talking, you know, they're allowed to. But here I am now, finally, you know, in the semifinals, you know. It's not normal again, you know, I had a back problem and kind of sneak through that round against Lopez. But now I feel good and hope to take the chance, you know. That's the most important.

Q.. Are you seeing yourself in the finals already?

ROGER FEDERER: No.

Q.. Why?

ROGER FEDERER: Why not? I mean... This is something, you know, you cannot answer because you never know. A new day is totally different story, you know? And it's open match, so I cannot answer.

Q.. The way you're serving in the first set you only lost two points. The first point was a double-fault. That must give you confidence, the way you're serving yourself?

ROGER FEDERER: Today I felt Sjeng was struggling on the returns, you know.

Q.. Doesn't count for you?

ROGER FEDERER: Yes and no. Of course it makes me feel good, you know. But I know that if he would be fit, he would return better than that, you know? I didn't serve as well after, you know, because maybe just thinking too much or whatever, you know... But, yeah, today was not easy, you know. It was a struggle for both.

Q.. Did you find it difficult to get into the game because of the atmosphere? It was a little low-key in comparison to what you may have expected?

ROGER FEDERER: A little bit disappointing to play on Court 2 of quarters. But in the end, it don't matter, you know, for me anyway now, so.... Yeah, the atmosphere could have been better, you know. We could have played on Centre, would have been better. Play on Court 1, it would have been better. But doesn't matter, you know.

Q.. You're said to have maybe more shots and weapons than anyone. Is it harder to play that way when you know you need to play a straightforward match? Are you just happy you have all the different things you can do?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, I think it's good to have all these, you know, this potential I have, you know, to play any shot. So it's kind of simple, you know, against Andy you know. You always get targets against him because maybe he puts you under pressure, especially on his serve. Your serve, you just got to stay aggressive. It's quite simple to play a big server - don't matter if it's Andy or anybody else, you know. So that makes the approach easier.

Q.. Will the winner be decided by the mentally strongest player or the person who's strongest technically?

ROGER FEDERER: I mean, I don't know. It's so difficult to answer, you know? What do you want me to tell you? I cannot answer you this... I can tell you after the match what decided what, you know. Maybe - I hope, or I guess - that the match will decide on a few points, a few shots, like it always does with the big servers. So that's all I can say.

Q.. Do you feel Switzerland is backing you up? Can you feel people are getting excited about what you are doing?

ROGER FEDERER: Not the same way like it was against Sampras, you know. That was something really special, big surprise, you know. Expectations are too high to be -- to surprise somebody, you know? That's the problem I have a little bit so... But I still hope people are happy in Switzerland, I feel a lot of demands for interviews and this kind of stuff. You know, I hope they follow me and they show the matches there. And I guess if I will be in the final, you know, then there will be something very special. But right now, I'm not sure.

Q.. If you have the public with you, I mean, do you like it when people...

ROGER FEDERER: It's just important it's a good crowd out on the court, you know? I don't think you think too much about your own country when you're playing a tournament. Davis Cup is different story, you know, but...

©2003 - 2008 Shinanat Mahamaytakit