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Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Toronto AMS Second Round
By ASAP Sports
R. FEDERER/S. Grosjean
6-3, 6-3
An interview with: ROGER FEDERER
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Roger.
Q. What did you think about the game today?
ROGER FEDERER: Similar at yesterday: good. I think
I played a little bit more aggressive. I again, you know, had
very, very good patches where I played very good tennis.
I was really pleased really the way I played because he's a tough
player. I haven't played him in a while. He's a veteran.
He knows how to play. He reads the game very well and
he's quick, so I had to play a good match today.
Q. There have been comparisons made between you and Tiger Woods
at times. What do you make of those kind of comparisons?
Are there athletes in other sports that you look up to, that you look
at and say I would like to have the same status in my sports that they
have in theirs?
ROGER FEDERER: I think being at the Laureus awards where the
best athletes all come together, are all up for nominees, it's always
obviously nice to come through like I did the last two years. As
soon as you not only have one great season, but back them up season
after season, you get compared outside of the sport with other sports.
For this reason I'm very happy to hear that people compare me to
Tiger and other people, and the same way around.
I enjoy watching many sports. I have the great pleasure all the
time of meeting all these other great athletes.
Q. Is it tough for you to live up to your own standards?
What is that like to know you have to be the best every single day?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, you get used to it after a while,
you know, having the pressure from the media or the fans, the
expectations and everything.
But losing is a normal thing, too. You can't just win, tennis
especially, because a lot has to do also with the day form.
Sometimes you run into another guy who's playing excellent tennis, then
it's also important to understand that today you were not better than
your opponent.
In the last few years, I've been able to eliminate many matches where
maybe I would have lost in the past because of mental fatigue,
physically tired. That hardly ever happens any more these days
because my preparation is so much better, my belief, my understanding
for the game has improved so much that now actually I've kind -- for
me, I've passed all the tests. It's just now for me really to
enjoy the tour out there, try to win as many matches because that's
what makes me most happy.
Q. There was a time when Hewitt was the guy chasing you.
There was a time when it was Roddick. Now it's Nadal.
When you see what's happened to Roddick or Hewitt, do you realize how
difficult or how improbable it is that you're doing what you're doing?
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, I obviously know how difficult it is.
I don't break many racquets for nothing. I know that what
I'm doing is not the usual thing, only losing four, maybe a maximum 10
to 15 matches a year. That's not a whole lot. On top of
that, I've been winning 11 titles a year the last two. This year
again I have six. All the Grand Slams I've been able to win.
I'm very well aware what I'm doing.
It's of course a pity to see other players kind of fading away, coming
back, not being able to play consistent. I think that leaves the
opportunity to other players, like, for instance, a Nadal, Ljubicic,
Nalbandian, all these guys have opportunities now to come up really
high in the rankings, like Blake. That gives him great
opportunities. For this reason you also have many more stories
now in the game.
Q. When someone like Andy is seemingly getting close to you,
that seems to be the rivalry people were looking for, you beat him so
handily, do you think for them how hard it is, for an Andy Roddick,
Lleyton Hewitt, to take a shot at you?
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, rivalries is obviously nice if you have
it. To be able to have a rivalry, usually you're not going to
have against the No. 50th player in the world. You're going to
have that against another top three or top five guy usually.
The thing about that, it's not so easy to make the finals every week,
like what Nadal and myself have been able to do over the last one and a
half years. All of a sudden he's only playing against myself,
it's not true. You first have to get there to the finals to get
it going.
We didn't play that a whole lot, me and Andy. I played Lleyton
Hewitt many more times. I almost played Andre more than I played
Andy. There was not that big of a rivalry after all except the
three Wimbledons in a row when we played each other the semis and then
two finals.
Look, I enjoy the guys like the greats who have all been No. 1 like
Lleyton Hewitt who is there for a long time. I like still now.
I fancy their chances to coming back to the very top. It
just seems like they need just a little bit more time right now.
Q. You were talking about breaking records. Is there one
record that you want badly to break in your career, one that's most
valuable for you?
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, I guess the one with the most Grand
Slams. If you could choose, that is probably the one you would
want to beat because that's where you probably are measured up at the
end of your career.
Of course, it would be nice to be the longest No. 1 in the world or the
most titles. I think one of those three is definitely very
special.
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