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Thursday, May 27, 2004
Roland Garros Second Round
By Roland Garros Official Site
R. FEDERER/N. Kiefer 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6)
An interview with: ROGER FEDERER
Q. Can you just assess for us how you feel you're playing at the moment? ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I'm feeling okay, you know. It was important to get used to the center court, too, because it's really, really big. So, you know, it's just the sensations out there are different than even on Suzanne Lenglen.
I'm happy I got through because in the beginning I was struggling with my serve. And, you know, it's got also something to do with his game for sure because he was taking the ball very early and playing aggressive, just was putting me under pressure.
Q. Can you say how you consider your play, playing now compared to how you've played here before. ROGER FEDERER: Well, not much to compare to because only have three sets to compare it and that's not enough to say --
Q. Before this year. ROGER FEDERER: Well, feel like I'm, you know, moving okay. The serving could have been better today, but it was okay. I'm happy I'm through, and the game, so far, is good enough to be through to the third round. This is the way it should be, but I think I have to play a little bit better in the next match.
Q. In a way, it must be quite gratifying to win in a match where you haven't served very well, because it must tell you that if you do start serving well, then the matches are going to be better for you? ROGER FEDERER: For sure, yes. And especially in the second set where, you know, we had a lot of breaks. Showed me that I was actually returning pretty good today and this is what I was happy about.
That's what I always say about my game, if one thing is not working, you know, the other good part of my game needs to back it up, and that's actually what happened today. I'm very pleased that I won that second set and third set because they could have both gone his way. And I know that and this is something I have to improve for the next match, just in general overall better serving.
Q. Different from tennis, I know you enjoy football. Did you see champions league final? ROGER FEDERER: I didn't see it, no.
Q. You know the result? ROGER FEDERER: I do.
Q. Any comments on Porto? ROGER FEDERER: The reason I didn't watch it, because I was not very interested in it, so... (laughter).
So, if Porto or Monaco wins, it doesn't really change my life, so...
But I enjoy watching soccer, so I was happy to see some highlights.
Q. How excited are you about the prospect of facing three-time former champion Kuerten? ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I'm looking forward because almost looks like he's not going to make it through the third round in the first round. Now that we're both through, and I think it's a great match for the tournament and for us, too. We haven't played each other very often in our careers, either because of injury or just playing sometimes on different surfaces too much, you know, so we don't get the chance to see each other very often on tournaments.
But it's nice to play such a great guy off and on the court at such a tournament where he already won three times. So if I can get through him, you know, I think that is, for me, a huge step.
Q. Would you say you've learned anything in the first two rounds which adds or takes away from your belief that you can win here? ROGER FEDERER: My goal was not right away when I arrived here in Paris was not to win the tournament. I know I'm the favorite, but I don't want to put too much of a high expectation on myself either. So for me, this next round is difficult enough just to focus on this one match and not look any further, you know. It sounds very boring, as usual, but I can't do any different because that would be lack of respect also towards Guga.
Q. Were you focused in the second set or was he so good in the beginning of the second set? ROGER FEDERER: You have to repeat, sorry.
Q. Was he playing so good in the beginning of the second set, or were you little bit out of focus? ROGER FEDERER: I see it this way, that I think I had a chance in the beginning of the second just to convert my game and, you know, he broke me after. I think I served two double-faults maybe to -- also to let him back in that game. He took advantage of it and suddenly I was down a break and struggling to actually stay in it.
I think he even had breakpoints for double break. This is why for me that second set was very important to lead two sets to love and not be at one set all.
Q. This is not concerning that match, but generally, after Peter Lundgren, on the statistic, you don't seem to have a trainer, how do you do it? ROGER FEDERER: Well, I've been without a coach since six months now, and it's working fine, you know. I was not quite sure how the Australian trip will do without a coach, just with, you know, girlfriend and physio and friend. But when I won, you know, I really -- I was very relieved and I thought, "Why change things if it's going fine and I'm happy with it?"
So it's still the same situation but, you know, concerning a coach now, we'll see what happens in the future, but I'm not planning anything for next week.
Q. Just in general, how much confidence are you operating with right now? Is it at an extremely high level? ROGER FEDERER: In today's match it was not too high, really. He really put me on a lot of pressure and I was serving a lot of double-faults in the beginning and that was my problem. I couldn't really -- never really let go on my serve. I was scared that if I would miss the first serve, he would right away attack my second serve. But that's something to -- got something to do with his game.
And so he took that confidence away early on in the match. He was chasing me all the way along.
But otherwise I'm happy I got out of this, and, you know, obviously, you know, he double-fault twice in the breaker, crucial points, but still just to be able to let him do it, you know, that is the important thing.
Q. How are you going to approach Guga in the next match? ROGER FEDERER: Haven't really thought too much about it, to be honest. He also just came off the match, same as me. But, you know, this will be -- I will prepare really well because maybe have to look into a tape of his matches, because I haven't seen him playing at all, even the first round match, haven't seen anything.
But so far I know he stands far back, he has a great forehand, backhand, also his serve is very powerful. So we'll have to play aggressive, you know, try to be more aggressive than he is without, you know, overdoing things. And definitely I have to serve better than I did today. Otherwise, I think things are okay for both of us.
Q. With that in mind, when you're talking about getting a tape of a player and actually doing that scouting, when you're without a coach, whose job is that? Who is going to go in search of the tape? ROGER FEDERER: Well, tape, I never really did it very much anyway, or my coach. It was more just the coach would go out and look and see them playing and then let me know what the main areas of the game were. Now that we play same time, obviously it's a pity for both of us maybe.
So just have to maybe ask some players and, yeah, it's not a big deal, so...
It's not too complicated.
Q. Could you just give a hint, because pretty many people think it's all based from the footwork. What's behind your footwork? You know how it is, you're No. 1, please tell us what's behind it. ROGER FEDERER: What is behind it? Well, a lot of work really. I've been really working hard since three or four years now on my footwork with my condition trainer, Pierre Paganini. He said in the beginning when we started work together that his work, until it's almost complete, it will take about three or four years. That's exactly what it took.
And, you know, obviously we would like to have more time to get it to work, but at the same time, my career is only 10 or 15 years long, so I also want to play tournaments and win titles. This is what I actually want to do.
I think that I improve so much also in my condition ability that's made me stronger mentally. This is actually my main strengths I could improve over the years because that was -- used to be a weakness sometimes.
Q. I think you said in the answer to your last English question, that the development of your mental strength has been one of the key things in your recent rise. Can you talk a little bit about that, how your mental strength has been developed? ROGER FEDERER: Took me very long time, really, because I was rather crazy when I was young. And when I came on tour, you know, obviously I had to calm down just not to get all the fines, because you work hard for your money and just to give it away again was not the thing I wanted to do.
At the same time, you know, the respect towards the fans and the center courts I've been playing on, I calmed down myself automatically. But, still, I wasn't -- I was still using too much energy just for all the negative thoughts I had in my head and, you know, the screaming. All this would make me very tired in an entire tournament.
I would get to the quarters or semis and I was very, very tired already and I couldn't imagine myself playing two or three weeks in a row. And this was something I had to improve.
And suddenly, one point in my career, I started to realize that I should take it easy, I should calm down, and I got too calm. I had no more really fire in my body. My emotions were very quiet. It was very strange for me suddenly to go from one extreme to another.
But as the time went by, you know, I really started to get the fire back, you know, could pump my fist again, and I got the solution I was always wanting. And it came only maybe one or two years ago.
Q. Have you done this on your own? Have you worked on this yourself or with the help of someone? ROGER FEDERER: I had help in '98 but that was way before all my problems, that was maybe when I was in my extreme times. So since it was all about figuring out myself, because I had enough coaches and people telling me that I should change, so... .
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