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Sunday, May 16, 2004
Hamburg AMS Final
By Hamburg Masters Official Site
Press Conference with ROGER FEDERER
Federer vs. Coria 4:6, 6:4, 6:2, 6:3
Q: You seemed to have problems in the first set?
FEDERER: Yes, the serve wasn’t working the way I wanted it to. So, I
was missing the free points I needed, especially against such a good
return player like Coria. Obviously afterwards it gets tough because
you’re running behind him. My rhythm wasn’t quite there yet. He played
a good first set, didn’t miss much. I was missing a few too many and
seeing also how he was going to play, because I wasn’t quite sure what
he was going to do.
Q: When did you begin to feel better?
FEDERER: Obviously the game I broke in the second set was very
important, just to at least have broken him once in the match and to
maybe get the 3:0 lead in the second, but I got broken right away. But
from then, I felt if I can maintain this play, I can turn the match
around.
Q: Was there any specific reason why you couldn’t find you rhythm at the beginning?
FEDERER: Nothing. It’s got something to do with my opponent. Because
you know he will make returns and you know you will have to hit the
serve harder than you have been doing. Then when he starts running down
some balls, he tried to overhit. That’s credit to him. Because having
served so poorly almost the whole tournament long. But this is because
I knew I was going to play a good return player.
Q: But you did get on top of him and it started to flow again.
FEDERER: Yes, I started to change some things. My return, I started
to chip it more and my serve was starting to work better which gave me
time to relax during my service games. So, I could take more of a
chance on the return games which is always nice. Risiking more, hitting
the ball harder and you feel more confident in your own service games.
It was really important to win the second set because two love down is
not a good sign against Coria.
Q: How much better a player are you now than two years ago?
FEDERER: Two years ago I played unbelievable tennis as well. I
played an unbelievable match against Kuerten, against Marat in the
final. I think it’s similar the way I played. Sometimes it is more
difficult to win a second time. For me it’s an unbelievable surprise
that I can win this tournament twice in such a young career. When I
came here for the first time, I never thought that I’m going to be
close to the title here.
Q: Was it your strategy to play aggressive today?
FEDERER: First I wait and see how he is going to play. He covers the
court really well. He’s fast, but he also plays the ball a way you
can’t finish them off. So you always have a chance to get back in the
point. That’s also what I can do really well. But, he was doing it
better in the first set. I was hoping that my serve will come along.
Q: Compared to two years ago, in which area of the game did you improve most?
FEDERER: My serve has become better. It’s more consistent. My second
has always been good, but it’s a little better. My backhand is also a
little better. Especially when I am playing well, my backhand is not a
weakness like it’s sometimes at the beginning of the claycourt season.
Q: Does it also have to do with the confidence?
FEDERER: Yes, I’m less nervous going into a final like this because
I have a lot of experience of big matches now which helps. Plus knowing
that I played really well in my last final in general, not only on
clay. It’s very important that you win these finals, not only that you
make it to the final and then lose because nobody remembers you as a
finalist. That’s the way I look at it. Therefore Wimbledon was so
important for me to get on the board as my first Grand Slam win.
Q: He said that physically you were better than him in the second half of the match. Did you have that feeling?
FEDERER: Yes, definitely because he started to miss more shots. I
could feel that he wasn’t too happy with himself or with his game.
Especially when I won the second set, he started to get really down.
Could be that he had problems with the blister or somewhere else with
his body which I totally understand. Because it’s the worst when you
want but the body doesn’t want. Whatever, it was important for me to
come back in the second set and stay aggressive and get an early lead
in the third.
Q: How do you prepare for such a match without coach?
FEDERER: For a final or not final, it doesn’t make a difference.
It’s importance that I go through what I want to do and what I can
expect from the opponent. Today, I had to wait and see a little in the
beginning. But, for the moment, without a coach, it doesn’t seem like a
problem.
Q: Is there any chance that a victory like this before the French puts extra pressure on you?
FEDERER: I’m more relaxed now. The last two years, I went to Paris
with very high hopes. I thought, if I had been in the quarter-finals in
2001 and had won Hamburg in 2002, I can do better at the French. That
was what was tough for me mentally in the last two years. The first
year, a tough opponent, in 2002, a mental breakdown after the first
set. Now, I’m more relaxed and know how to approach Grand Slams. Before
I was hoping to squeeze through the first round, but now, I know what
it takes to get through that rounds. I’m a better player because I’m
mentally and physically I know a best of 5 match is not going to kill
me. And if it should be an unbelievable long 5-set match, I know I have
a day to recover and will be fresh again the next day. Obviously, I
shouldn’t do it every match. And if I should lose early, it’s not a
disaster because I know that my opponent must have played well. This
year I won’t be there just for the stats.
Q: What will you do between now and the French?
FEDERER: Go to Switzerland for a few days and then probably come to Paris in the middle of the week.
Q: Were there any problems with the court, the ball bouncing badly so you couldn’t take it?
FEDERER: I think that is a combination. The balls bouncing the wrong
way on clay, everybody knows that and I’m used to it. There is a
certain nervousness and you don’t move as fast as usually and then you
hit the ball with the frame and think it’s the court. Afterwards you
realise that it was your fault.
Q: Would you consider Coria as the toughest opponent?
FEDERER: For me the match was extremely important concerning the
number one, not the French Open. This way I can keep him down a bit.
Because if he wins the tournament again, he will defend all his points.
Now at least he lost a couple of points (laughs). And I keep a bigger
distance in view of Wimbledon and a bigger distance to Roddick, which
is important to me. It will be very important for the French Open.
Q: Was the difference that you made less mistakes after the first set?
FEDERER: Yes, I also served better. Therefore I could relax more on
my service games and risk more during the return games. He gets the
first in, so you have to see that you are better than him from the base
line. That wasn’t the case at the beginning. He kept me down with his
short cross backhand balls. I think his backhand is unbelievable,
because he hardly ever plays slice, which would give me time to run
around my backhand. He always keeps both of his hands on the racket,
that makes him tougher on clay but also on hard court, because he can
still play longline or cross or even lob. That makes him difficult to
play. I had to get used to that during the first set.
Q: When he threw his racket during the second set, did you think he lost his composure now?
FEDERER: It didn’t look at it like that. I threw my racket as well
afterwards (laughs). Therefore it wasn’t that important because I
couldn’t use my break afterwards. I gave away the chance to lead 3:0,
which was very important. Luckily I could play a good game then.
Q: Has Britney Spears inspired you?
FEDERER: It was good. It made me happy. We wanted to go to the
concert in Miami, but then I had a match against Nadal and it rained.
So it was too late. But the music was very loud, thankfully my ears
didn’t ring the whole day.
Q: Is this something Federer the coach allows Federer the player to do, which maybe wouldn’t have been possible in the past?
FEDERER: I don’t know, I’m my own boss now and I can do what I like.
But I think twice, see if I have a seat and when the concert is
finished. Because I’m not going to lose the match just because I wasn’t
respectable the day before. It’s important to me during the final to
win the tournament.
Q: Can you describe which trophy broke?
FEDERER: That was in Monte Carlo. Three years ago I got a trophy for
my first tournament title. There are Milestone trophies for the 1.
Title, the 5. Title etc. That one got broken in the car. That was after
Hamburg. So I called them and they understood that I broke my trophy
from Hamburg. But that wasn’t the case.
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