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February 19, 2005
Roger Federer: “The pressure doesn’t affect me.”
By ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
He is
the undisputed world No 1. An all-rounder who could well break Pete
Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam wins. However, for the time being
Roger Federer faces a more mundane challenge here in Rotterdam.
The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament is a regular fixture on your busy schedule. How does it feel to be back? “I
have played here for many years. The first time was in 1999, when
Tournament Director Wim Buitendijk gave me a wildcard to the
qualification tournament. I’m still grateful for that. I remember
making it to the quarter-finals, during which I nearly beat Yevgeny
Kafelnikov. I’ve always had a good feeling about this tournament. Come
to think of it, I feel at home on indoor courts in general.”
You lost to
Marat Safin in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. It was a long
match that ended 9-7 in the fifth. How did you cope with your loss? “It
left me with mixed emotions. On the one hand I’d won a large number of
matches before losing to Safin, making the loss more inevitable, while
on the other I had difficulties coming to terms with my defeat.
After all, I did miss an opportunity to win another Grand Slam title.
Still, Marat played a fantastic match. It was exciting from start to
finish and he deserved to win.”
You enjoyed many
successes last year, but had to make do without a coach. You’re
currently working with Australian Tony Roche, a highly experienced
coach. Why is that? Does it improve your game? “In view of
last year’s performance I might well have asked myself whether I really
need a coach. However, I still believe that having a coach is
imperative. You see, after a while, one or two bad habits invariably
creep into your game and you need someone to point them out to you. As
a matter of fact, I’d been hoping to work with Roche for quite a while.
He’s a little older though, and wasn’t keen on all the travelling. As a
result, he was in two minds for a while.”
Roche is not with you in Rotterdam. What arrangement have you come to? “Well,
he’ll certainly be there at Roland Garros. We’ve agreed that he’ll
coach me when I’m training, and not necessarily while I’m playing
tournaments.”
You are meanwhile the undisputed world No 1. How does that feel? “It
feels great. Luckily the pressure that comes with it doesn’t seem to
bother me much. I even feel quite relaxed. It was harder to reach the
top of the rankings than it is to stay there. Of course, you’ll only
hear me say that as long as I rank first. I realise only too well that
the other players want to beat me, but I still feel the urge to prove
that I’m the best.”
Pete Sampras
holds the record for winning the most Grand Slam titles (14). So far,
you have won four titles. Do you intend to break Sampras’ record? “I
wouldn’t mind if I made it to the record books. But beating Sampras’
record is not a goal I’ve set myself. If that’s what motivates you,
winning a tournament like the ABN AMRO WTT will be meaningless.”
How do you rate your chances here this year? “I hope my name will be on the boarding next year. And I also hope that I meet expectations.”
There are rumours circulating that a lady by the name of Juliet has entered your life. Do you have any comments? “Ah
Juliet! Juliet is a cow that I was given following my first Wimbledon
title in 2003. As a matter of fact I have two cows now - Juliet gave
birth to a calf.”
Your girlfriend is called Miroslava. Was it she who decided that the ponytail should go? “Actually
it was the hairdresser who made that decision. Or rather, he was forced
into making that decision. He was trying to trim my hair, but the end
result wasn’t quite what he had in mind. That’s when we decided to lose
the ponytail altogether.”
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