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August 2, 2004
Cincinnati AMS Pre-Event
By ASAP Sports
An interview with: ROGER FEDERER
THE MODERATOR: Roger comes in with a 57-4 match record on the
season. That's the best since Ivan Lendl won 58-4 back in 1989. Roger
leads the ATP circuit with eight titles, and he's won his last ten
finals going back to last year. Yesterday he became the first player
since Bjorn Borg in 1979 to win titles on grass, clay and hard courts
in succession. Questions for Roger, please.
Q. Is the day off working out for you? You feeling any effects, or you're not able to relax today?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, it's all right, you know. Got in last
night from Toronto. So I had a good night's sleep, really, because I
was very tired. You know, I feel it a little bit today. I think
three-quarters of the day I will relax and then one-quarter I will
start preparing for tomorrow because, you know, it's an important match
coming up. I haven't lost in the first round since French Open last
year, so I hope it's not gonna be the first time here. It's always
difficult to bounce back from a tournament which you really played well
and there were a lot of emotions, you know, in the finals. So looking
forward for tomorrow, but this is like my day off. I'm sitting here.
But it's relaxing, it's okay.
Q. How does this tournament compare to other tournaments throughout the world?
ROGER FEDERER: You mean importance or...?
Q. Just as far as the whole setting, the stadium, the venue.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, for me, I haven't been spending too much
time here because I've always lost early. But I hope to change that,
you know, this week. The center court is beautiful - really. I like it
very much. Otherwise, it's very quiet outside, you know. It's sometimes
good to get away from the big cities, and, you know, you can --
something much more quiet. Yeah, I really enjoy it here. The importance
of the event, everybody knows it's a huge event with a lot of points, a
lot of prize money, so a lot of prestige. This will definitely be one
of my tournaments to win.
Q. It's a pretty heavy schedule this year in particular for you
since the French because you've been winning. Do you have any concerns
that you're going to tire out? You have this tournament, the Olympics,
the US Open.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, you know, I have a week in between
Cincinnati and the Olympics and a week between the Olympics and the US
Open. So I guess I have to, you know, catch up with relaxation in that
time. Even though I will go through, you know, couple of jetlags, I'm
used to that and I get over it. But it is important just that I have
days where I'm not playing at all and just really relax. Because I went
for eight days vacation after Gstaad. So, I mean, I had that. This
should carry me through till after the US Open because then I get
another week, so...
Q. What do you do on your vacation? Do you go away?
ROGER FEDERER: I go to the beach. I go to the beach.
Q. You don't go home?
ROGER FEDERER: Do wellness and spa and beach and sleep and... Not much (smiling).
Q. Is it possible that you can be as intense this week as you were
last week? I mean, is it possible you can keep going like you did, or
is it going to stop for a while one way or the other?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, it's going to be different. Coming
here, the opening -- the first match is always kind of a weird
situation because, I mean, I didn't have time now to get used to the
courts and all the things. The balls are the same, you know, so I
shouldn't have too much of a problem. It makes me confident knowing
that Andy did the same last year, you know. He came here after winning
and then he ended up winning this tournament. So that gives me a little
bit of confidence. It's about, you know, being physically and mentally
ready. Because I'm hitting the ball fine, you know. That's not going to
be the problem. I hope the timing will be there. I'm moving fine. But,
you know, the intensity, it will be tough to get the same like in the
finals. But it's always like this in the early rounds, you know. You
have to go through. Once you're in the tournament you have to pick up
your rhythm. I hope that will happen here.
Q. When you take those vacations, is there exercise involved? I mean...
ROGER FEDERER: Nothing.
Q. You do nothing?
ROGER FEDERER: Nothing.
Q. You don't...
ROGER FEDERER: I push the off button (smiling). So...
Q. How long does it take you like if you're gone a week or
more, how long does it take you to get back to where you're ready: A
day, three days?
ROGER FEDERER: At the end of the year, after the Masters, I get
two, two and a half weeks in a row. It takes me about one week until I
feel kind of recovered, and then the rest I have is really just
recovery. Because the first week is like, "I'm so tired, I can't move,
I can't even walk to the bar, to the restaurant," I can't do nothing.
So it's just mental huge tiredness. When I have a week, it kind of cuts
in half. It's like three, four days where I'm really tired and the next
few days are just there for relaxation. So that's the way it goes. I
wish I had more holidays, but I love tennis as well. I like to play
tournaments.
Q. This is an off-day for you, yet you're here. Why did you decide to come and do the interview?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I come here and play. I go and hit a half
an hour later on just to check out the courts and see, you know, if it
plays any different to last week so I'm really prepared for tomorrow.
So at least I did, you know, all I could. I'm just here to organize
some things and be here for you guys also, the media. I want to keep
you update because I think it's important, so...
Q. Do you think you and Andy Roddick have started to develop a
rivalry? Seems like you are meeting each other in all these
championship finals. Do you look at it as a rivalry?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, in a way, a little bit. You know,
especially now that we've played each other twice in finals in - what
is it - in three or four tournaments, you know, we've played. Now that
we face each other, it's always in the finals because he's No. 2, I'm
No. 1. So it's good for tennis, I think, that the best players play
each other more often than in the past. Because in the past, you know,
there were a lot of surprises all the time. And for people who didn't
follow tennis that much, it was very, I think, tough to understand how
come, you know, the top guys are not winning all the time. Now that me
and Andy, we've been dominating a little bit, I think it's good for
tennis. Especially now leading up to the US Open, it's going to have a
huge effect on tennis, I think.
Q. Not that this should bother you, but can you really see it as a
real rivalry if you're always winning, to your good fortune?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know. Ask Andy. For me, I'm in the
driver's seat, you know. I'm No. 1 in the world. I've won the last
couple of meetings, I've won the big tournaments lately. For me, you
know, whoever comes, I'll try to beat him. But it's almost up to me to
decide who's my rival, isn't it (smiling)? No, Andy has been playing
great tennis. I think he's a great player. He's good for tennis. We
need Americans who are good. He's definitely got the character as well.
I'm looking forward to playing him many more times, but we shouldn't
forget other players. There's many other great players as well.
Q. You said the rivalry is good for tennis, but especially in
America, where tennis is a little bit on the back burner - at least
men's tennis. Is that also good just for the American viewers, a
rivalry?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, yeah, definitely. I definitely think so. I
don't spend too much time in America, but I know that maybe basketball,
hockey and baseball and NFL, you know, is maybe more important or gets
maybe more coverage in papers or TV or whatever. So I think it's
important, you know, that we have a guy like Andy, you know, having to
focus here in America, and I'll try to do my best as well. And then,
you know, we should have good matches. And. Like now, you know, since
Wimbledon I think it's, like I've said, it's going to help leading up
to the US Open. Because I think tennis deserves, you know, a place in
every paper in every, you know, TV show, sports show because I think
it's a great sport. Now that we have so many great players, I think
it's good and we should keep it up.
Q. Speaking of other players, how do you look at Marat Safin, who
obviously has a tremendous amount of talent but seems to lose himself
up here and doesn't really put it all together as often as you would
think somebody with his talent would?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, you have to know it's very difficult to
play very consistent all the time, you know. He's been injured a lot
the last two years. He had a great start to the season, you know. What
a great story that was as well, you know. Unfortunately for him, I beat
him in the finals. But still I thought it was a great story. Since, he
maybe hasn't picked up on where he started from. But everybody knows
that on a given day he can play very well. Because, you know, people
tend to look at it like it's normal now I'm playing so well, winning
every match and all this and that. But if you look at Marat's story,
it's not so easy to come out every day and win. I've experienced that
in the past. He's got a good coach, so...
Q. You didn't think it was surprising in Australia, after the way
he played, that he basically didn't even give you a fight really? He
crumbled.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I played him first round in Dubai, beat
him 7-6, 7-6. But it could be that suddenly he wins the US Open and he
wins many other events. So you should never count Marat out - same as
Lleyton and Agassi and other guys as well.
Q. Do you feel different about yourself now than after you won your
first Grand Slam event? Do you feel like, "Yeah, I am this good"? Is
there ever a question when you win one, "Maybe I just won one, maybe I
can't win another"? But now you've won multiple, you've been No. 1, do
you feel different than you did when you won your first Wimbledon?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I do. I definitely do. Because when you
win one, you think, "Oh, my God, I've had to put so much work in, and
it finally paid off and I won a Grand Slam." Because you never know if
you're going to win ever a second Grand Slam. For me, especially when I
won the Masters in Houston last year, that kind of gave me the
confirmation that, "Hey, I'm really on the right track. I'm playing
well, I'm beating the best." That kind of gave me huge confidence for
2004. I took advantage of it right away at the Australian Open. Since,
I've really proven to myself, "Hey, look, that was not just luck,
whatever, good draw, whatever," because I think if you can win the
Masters and beat the guys, all of them that are in the top eight in the
world, I think that really says something. That gave me a lot of
confidence for this season, and I'm really taking advantage of it. I
feel much more secure on court. I'm, obviously, a little bit confident.
But, you know, you have to take advantage of it because the confidence
can go away basically in a day. So you have to really always work at it.
Q. I read something last week that you're thinking for next year
you might get a coach. If that's true, what would be the advantage to
you, since it seems to be working without one?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, you know, a coach could come at any time.
I have to sometimes give the media something to hang on to, because
otherwise they'll ask me all the time. So, yeah, I'm looking around,
but I'm not in a hurry at all because you can see without a coach it's
going well, too. Especially since the Australian Open where I went
there and didn't have a coach, I was not sure if that's gonna be going
okay without a coach, and suddenly I end up winning. So that gave me a
lot of confidence that, "Hey, look, I'm traveling on my own. It works
out. I don't need to rush into something." Because if I would have lost
early, then I probably would have put pressure on myself and say, "Hey,
okay, Roger, let's start looking around, let's go ahead," go more
offensive, you know, into looking for a coach. But now that
everything's going so well and so smooth, you know, my whole - how do
you say - group around me is making me feel really well. Coach or no
coach, the results are still there. So we'll see what happens with the
coach situation in the future.
Q. Do you have anybody that you confide in or talk to when you play?
ROGER FEDERER: No.
Q. Or do you just...
ROGER FEDERER: You mean during a tournament?
Q. In between tournaments do you sit down, does anybody ever brainstorm with you?
ROGER FEDERER: Nobody (smiling). Because that would be a coach,
wouldn't it? I really don't have anybody I talk to about my tennis, no.
Q. In a certain way does your girlfriend have something to do with that?
ROGER FEDERER: Mirka, because she played tennis, you know, I
sometimes just talk to her, you know, and ask her, "What do you think
about my match," or "What do you think?" That's normal, because you
can't always talk about shopping or whatever. Sometimes she also has to
talk about tennis with me, because she's got a little bit of a clue. So
I will speak to her. It's nothing like a coach, so...
Q. Your recent run since Wimbledon, has it kind of amazed you?
ROGER FEDERER: Unbelievable amazing for me. If you go back even
more, you know, I maybe lost third round at the French against Guga who
played extremely well, I thought. I didn't play my best, but still he
played a good match. Two weeks before I won Hamburg as well. So out of
the last six tournaments, I won five, you know, and that is, for me,
quite amazing. To win Hamburg again, which is one of the toughest clay
courts to win, I beat Coria, Gaudio, Moya, Hewitt, everybody. I mean,
it was amazing. So to keep that run going now throughout three
different surfaces, it's, for me, really amazing. I'm very proud of
writing a piece of history books or being on the same level like a
Bjorn Borg or so. That really makes me very proud.
Q. Where do you put the Olympics? Tennis players used to grow up not even thinking about the Olympics.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, when I grew up, Olympics was there, you
know, in tennis. It was for me always a goal actually to be able to
compete in the Olympics, especially since I took part in Sydney. I had
a great time, you know. Also I met my girlfriend there, you know. She
was playing as well. This is where we kind of got to meet each other.
But at the same time it was, you know, also kind of my breakthrough. I
went all the way to the semis. Finished fourth. That was a
disappointment, but still I had a great time seeing all the different
athletes. Ever since, I wanted to come back to the Olympics. It was for
me always -- the Olympic year for me very important.
Q. Are there other sports you'd like to go and watch?
ROGER FEDERER: I would like to go and see basketball and
athletics, but I heard athletics is after we already stop. So I'm
probably going to miss that. That's a pity.
Q. Who has the better Eiffel Tower, Paris or Cincinnati? Over at King's Island?
ROGER FEDERER: I think I've seen it once, but... Is it the same
size? No, it can't be, eh? I guess I have to go with Paris then
(laughing).
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