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Monday, June 21, 2004
Wimbledon First Round
By Wimbledon Official Site
R. FEDERER/A. Bogdanovich 6-3, 6-3, 6-0
Roger Federer Interview
THE MODERATOR: First question for Roger, please. Q. Do you think you're more comfortable on grass even than your cow Juliette? ROGER FEDERER: I don't think so. She should be more comfortable because she spends more time on it, so... Q. It's been said that for a defending champion, the first match coming back to that Slam
is always one of the toughest because there's always a case of possible
nerves, playing that first match, getting by it. Do you have a system
or some sort of mental attitude you use to get ready for that first
match? ROGER FEDERER: Important is to get a good start, you
know, because once you're leading, you can relax more, you can play
either more consistent or you can even go for more. That makes you feel
good, you know, for the rest of the match. That's a little bit
what happened to me, it was important to get that good start. After
that, I saw he really couldn't hurt me on my own serve. This is really
when I could just play consistent. That was enough. Before the match, I was just really trying to stay calm as much as I could, and basically enjoy it out there. Q. So you actually consciously thought about how to approach this first match? ROGER
FEDERER: Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, I spend, you know, times on
Centre Court doing interviews. At the same time, you know, I'm trying
to imagine myself also, before I'm going to bed, playing on a Centre
Court with a lot of people, you know, in a tough situation also. I'm just trying to also create the worst‑case scenario in my head. Q. What was the worst‑case scenario? ROGER
FEDERER: Well, being down, losing. Other guy on fire, and me nothing to
do about it. But, you know, luckily for me, it didn't happen today. So
now I know how it feels again to be back here. Really looking forward
for the next one. Q. Most people would try and visualize the most positive thing happening. ROGER
FEDERER: I do, too, visualize me playing well and playing good shots. I
do both sides because if I don't do on the other side, too, I'm
suddenly in that scenario, then I have a problem, because I don't know
how to get out of it. Q. Which is a more powerful vision, the positive or the negative? ROGER
FEDERER: Obviously, positive, because I'm playing so well right now.
You know, I don't have much doubt in my game. This is why I'm very
positive going into matches these days. Q. You have a nice
mix of serve and volley and staying back on both first and second
serves. You came in a number of times on second serve today. Do you
reckon that's something you want to use if you make it all the way to
the final or will it depend on who your opponent is for each of those
matches? ROGER FEDERER: Well, today I have to say I played a
little more safe. I didn't want to start serve and volleying first and
second serve like I did two years ago when I lost first round. I told
myself, I'm playing well from the baseline, I don't have to exaggerate
it by coming to the net. So I really just played it when I felt
it was the right time to do it. But I hope in the long run I will serve
and volley a little more often than I did today. Q. This guy you played today is reckoned to be an example of a British
player with quite a lot of potential, who should be ranked higher than
where he is. Did you see much potential from the other side of the net
today? ROGER FEDERER: I did see, yeah. He definitely hits the
ball well. You know, it's also a very difficult situation for him, as
well, to play against me on Centre Court. On grass, I don't know what
his favorite surface is, but he plays mostly from the baseline. So
it's tough to say. You know, the match went very quickly. But I
definitely see also potential because he's got a good hand, you know.
He's got an all‑around game. He just needs to work, you know, on his
conditional strength and the mental will follow the more matches he
will play. He needs experience, so... Q. Is it important for you to have someone or even yourself keep an eye on Tim Henman, Andy Roddick, the players that you could possibly face down the road in this tournament? ROGER
FEDERER: No, not really. They're too far away in the draw really to
send out scouts to see how they play, because I know them. But,
you know, as the tournament goes on, if I would make it to quarters or
semis, obviously I start looking at their matches. But just now I just
basically, if I watch their match, it's more to enjoy than to study the
way they are playing. Q. And you have your spies right to go? ROGER FEDERER: I don't have spies here. I'm the only spy around. Q.
As you rightly said, the match went very quickly. How could you tell he
needs to work on his physical conditions, given the fact you were out
there for less than an hour and a half? ROGER FEDERER: It's
not speaking about endurance, it's speaking more about the explosive
and just, you know, the volume of the body. I think he still can
improve that, which I had to still work on over the last three or four
years. You feel sometimes behind your serve, you could have a little
more, or when he's in defense in the corners. This is when good
condition helps you out. There he's maybe playing a little bit too much
with his hand, but this is normal because he has a good hand and he
gets out of it with that. But in the long run, he has to maybe work a
little more. I don't know. Don't take that to serious. Q. How is the grass? ROGER
FEDERER: The grass was nice. It was a little bit slippery, like you
said. No, it's perfect. The lines are perfectly white. You know,
they're not a little used and stuff. When they go on the lines, it's
difficult, because the ball really stops. But I have to say it really
felt really nice. Q. Was there a moment when you thought about last year, being back out there playing a match? ROGER FEDERER: The moment I walked on court really. After that, I was in the groove and I was just focused on the match itself. Q. I know you sometimes watch videotapes of matches. Have you been rerunning the tapes last year as preparation? ROGER
FEDERER: Not as a preparation. I did it more last year, just for
enjoyment, you know, to get the sensation once more, the goosebumps and
all this. But I didn't use them here for a motivator. I didn't need
that this year. Q. Do you agree with me you have quite an easy draw this year? ROGER
FEDERER: Oh, I don't know. Maybe if you look at the first two, you
know, I play qualifiers and wildcards which, you know, some can
consider as good draws. After that, you know, I see potential dangerous
players around in the third, fourth, you know, and so on. It's
a good draw for a seed, I would say, because there's not this big
dangerous player in the first two rounds, and this is when I myself can
find the rhythm for the tournament. Then I get stronger and better. I wouldn't consider it a bad or a good draw. It's all right, you know. Q.
You said before the match you didn't quite know what to expect. We know
what you said as far as how he can improve his game. Was there any
point during the match you were surprised by him at all? ROGER
FEDERER: I thought he was going to use his forehand a little bit more.
But when I saw how good his backhand was, you know, I wasn't surprised
anymore. But nothing really surprised me too much, you know, except
maybe that he was using his slice more than I thought. I thought he
would serve a little more to my forehand because I was having problems
there to return that serve. But other than that, that's what I
heard around, that's what I also saw a little bit of his game. So I
knew kind of in a way what to expect. Q. I know you know Martina. She wins 6‑Love, 6‑1. ROGER FEDERER: I saw during the match. Q. Were you surprised? ROGER
FEDERER: Well, obviously surprised, but it's nice. I saw the first four
or five games. There I thought, the poor opponent was so nervous. But,
you know, Martina played smart and she plays so different than anybody else, so it's tough to beat her on grass. Q. Do you look forward to playing here when you're 47? ROGER FEDERER: We'll see, huh? Maybe I'm coming back. Stop now, save the energy, come back at 47 (smiling). No, we'll see. I can't tell you.
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