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Thursday, January 11, 2007
Kooyong Semifinal
By AAMI Classic Official Site
R. FEDERER/M. Safin 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
An interview with: ROGER FEDERER
Q. Did you find that a bit easier today, Roger, the conditions?
A. Yes. It's always a bit swirly winds out here at Kooyong. I was
warming up on Rod Laver today, no wind, and then I come here and
Marat said he only practised 15 minutes because he got fed up
with the wind. Out here, it's always so much more windy, which
is kind of good maybe, I guess, more windy here, and for the
Australian Open it's probably easier to play, so the level will
be higher there. But I thought the level was pretty good, we had
some big hitting from the baseline. With Marat, obviously you're
going to get the rhythm because he's such a good ball striker.
I definitely served better and just tightened up the game a bit,
so I was really happy.
Q. Is that the match you wanted, to just feel your rhythm, after the
two so far?
A. Well, I didn't know exactly what to expect today against Marat,
I didn't know how he was playing himself. I was expecting a
really tough match because yesterday I was struggling with the
rhythm and everything. But I came out and played really well,
didn't make many unforced errors in the wind and everything, and
could hang with him from the baseline and varied my game well.
So I'm really happy the way I played, and I also think he didn't
play too bad, so it was a good level of play.
Q. How much better did you play today against yesterday, can you
put a percentage on it?
A. It's a totally different opponent. My opponent from yesterday,
he's known for changing up his game a lot, coming to the net,
serve and volleying, chip and charging, not giving you the best
of rhythm from the baseline, because he does miss a lot because
he takes many chances. He's not famous for his groundstrokes but
for his attacking style. It was obvious that we were not going
to have great rallies with Radek, but today that was going to
happen, so it did and we both, I thought, played well.
Yesterday was okay, too, I thought, for a first match, it's
just that I had too many loose moments. But it was obvious, too,
that that was going to happen. It was just a matter of getting
my act together for today, and I did, so I'm feeling good today
for the next match.
Q. Knowing you've got a match here on Saturday, what will you do
tomorrow?
A. Probably have a light hit tomorrow at Melbourne Park at some
stage later on in the day.
Q. Do you feel as comfortable on the Rod Laver as you do, say, on a
Wimbledon; I mean that ambience, the court itself? Is it a
special place, or can that only be at Wimbledon?
A. I probably feel most comfortable at Wimbledon and the Australian
Open, because it's really closed in, you don't get too much wind.
US Open and French Open is much more open, and when it is windy
you do also feel it on these courts, whereas Rod Laver and
Wimbledon you don't get to feel it so much because it's so closed
in. So you get a great feel on those courts. But there are many
courts I like around the world. I like those, you know, that are
the most secluded, kind of closed up, because outside you can get
tough winds, and then it's tough to play, the level of play goes
down.
But I've really started to enjoy also playing with the
challenge of the wind, because I used to hate it. Now I kind of
like it sometimes because the rallies are different, it's not
always spin and everything, it makes a difference, it's the right
shot at the right time, and I've really been able to do well.
Q. Marat hasn't played tennis for the last couple of years. Is he
still as good as he was?
A. Yes, he's got one of the best returns in the game. When he
really wants to serve well, he can clock that serve every time on
the line, when he's on. That's what happened two years ago here,
so you've always got to expect that. He's got one of the best
backhands as well. He's definitely improved his attacking style.
His slice is better, his volleys have become better. And
I definitely think he's a better player now than he was at the
beginning of his career. He's always been physically very fit,
and that's why he's such a tough player to play against,
especially at a slam.
Q. Do you have a preference whether it's Roddick or Andy Murray on
Saturday?
A. I guess, for rhythm, you would rather play against Murray. In
terms of kind of prestige, it's kind of nice to play against Andy
in the finals here. But not really. I practised with both of
them already last week, so it's okay.
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