March 27, 2007

Miami AMS Fourth Round

By ASAP Sports

An interview with: ROGER FEDERER

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A match like that, what can you say about it? You had the final sets, you had the break, you had points for the double break. What's your sentiment right now?

ROGER FEDERER: You know, it happens. That's the only thing. I mean, I was in total control for almost all the match, and once I broke back in the first set.

I was really happy with my level of play. I thought it was a great match, so it was disappointing to lose, of course.

Q. Maybe you don't know, but you actually won on points. You had 111 to Cañas' 108, so you actually won on points.

ROGER FEDERER: Unfortunately that doesn't matter right now.

Q. You had 54 unforced errors. Could you still think it was a great match?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, because the statistics guys have no clue what an unforced error is. I was checking it out. They take incredible unforced errors, you know, which is a forced error. I only had about half that.

Q. What is it about his game that makes him so difficult to play? What does he do?

ROGER FEDERER: He's a great competitor. He scrambles back so many balls and doesn't miss much, and then he moves the ball around very well, you know.

He really improved his backhand, his serve. They weren't that good a couple years ago, so that just tightened up his game a lot. I guess he played well against me both times, and I couldn't put him away unfortunately.

Q. What happened on the high volley at 5-5?

ROGER FEDERER: Look, you're not going to take it on the overhead, but I didn't want to let it bounce, so the obvious choice was to forehand drive.

Yeah, it's a tough shot to hit. I mean, I guess at 15-Love and 1-0 in the first set that's not a problem. But it was tough. It was getting into the night. It was day in the beginning and night in the end, and it kind of made it a bit tricky and I messed it up, so...

Q. How much did you think about your defeat two weeks ago?

ROGER FEDERER: Not too much actually. I took it as a new match. I had some blister issues, but I could have, should have maybe won the first set there, as well. Ended up not finding my rhythm into the match in the second set.

I knew this was going to be totally different. It did feel like it, too. I played so much better than last week, a couple weeks ago, and that was obvious for me. I was really expecting myself to win tonight, but it's one of those matches I should have never lost.

Q. You said the other day that you liked the atmosphere in Miami because the South American fans were very boisterous. How about the way it was today? Did you enjoy that atmosphere?

ROGER FEDERER: As long as they don't boo the Swiss guys, yeah. (Laughter) It's not so funny actually.

Q. Is there any way that you can up the technique, or do you have everything down in your game, it's just a matter of executing it on the day against that particular guy?

ROGER FEDERER: I should not lose the first set in the first place. That puts me against the wall, not to make another mistake. I did make another mistake in the third set. I should have gone up with double break, then gave it away easily to let him come back into the match.

Then of course it's a tight match, but I should never be at 4-All in the third set in the first place. But he dug deep and played well, and like I said, I was just not in the end very happy with the way things went.

I could have won, but I didn't do it, so it's disappointing.

Q. You've lost four times back to back against people; this is the fifth time. How do you get out of this?

ROGER FEDERER: I'm not going to play him every week, so it doesn't matter.

Q. Do you feel that he's less intimidated by you than maybe some higher ranked players? Do you feel that on the court?

ROGER FEDERER: No. I mean, everybody gives 100 percent against me and believes in their chances. You know, I have a feeling sometimes players play better against me than they would against other players because they have less to lose.

Yeah, so I definitely beat myself at Indian Wells, and here I got unlucky maybe to a point, but he played well again.

Q. (Indiscernible)?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, it's not the first time. I'll be okay for the clay court season. I'm looking forward to that one. That is obviously the huge goal for me. Since the Australian Open everything has been planned down so I play well at the French Open.

So you got to expect a loss here and there, you know, what I did the last couple of years to win back to back Indian Wells and Miami.

I knew that was not going to happen until the end of my career, so it's okay. It's just of course a disappointing loss here, and physically something was wrong last week. It's obviously disappointing coming from so far away, but it happens. I'm going to be fine for clay, that's for sure.

Q. In your mind then with the French, were these the two tournaments, despite their level and opponents, that were most expendable for you not to win?

ROGER FEDERER: I didn't get it, I'm sorry.

Q. Were these the tournaments easier for you not to win going into the French, the clay court season, because they're hard courts?

ROGER FEDERER: They're easier or harder for me?

Q. Easier for you.

ROGER FEDERER: To win these?

Q. No, easier for you to accept losing.

ROGER FEDERER: I don't get it. I don't know what's wrong with me. Sorry.

Q. You're usually the crowd favorite almost everywhere you play. How does it feel? Is it unusual for you to have the crowd rooting against you?

ROGER FEDERER: No. Look, I mean, it happens all the time. South America doesn't have the Master Series so they can consider this one as theirs.

So it's normal for them to support their players. Many South Americans make their way up here, and they make it a nice atmosphere for us players. Like I said, as long as they don't boo my Swiss flag. But otherwise it's okay, you know, and they handled themselves okay.

I've had much worse in the past in Davis Cup or in other places where I played a local guy. So this was a nice atmosphere to play in.

Q. You had a lot of success pressing the ball at the net today. Do you feel in your mind that in retrospect you could have pressed to the net more?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I guess I could, yeah. I could definitely serve and volley a little bit more, yeah. I think when I was at the net I played very well. I volley had well lately. This entire year I've been volleying well, the Australian Open, as well.

It's definitely a good sign, good to have, especially coming into the clay court season. I wish I could use it more, but conditions are so slow and you can see these guys run down every ball. They pass in two turns. They first hit it down below and they pass you after that usually.

It makes it hard to get to the net, so I would make like a little bit faster courts.

Q. Are you happy with the challenging the calls? When you challenged a few calls at the line, were you happy with it?

ROGER FEDERER: It worked for me this week. I've had some good success with it, but that's not why I won or lost the match, again.

Q. Do you think in some way that Guillermo having been away from the tour while you've sort of consolidated your place at the top sort of helped him these last couple of matches?

ROGER FEDERER: I didn't get the beginning.

Q. Guillermo's being away, you've consolidated your place at the top has maybe in some way helped him because he's not sort of aware of whatever aura you bring on the court?

ROGER FEDERER: No, that's a similar question to what I answered before. I've beaten him and lost to him in the past, as well, when I was actually favored already against him. He just plays tough. I should have beaten him here twice in the States but I didn't do so.

Q. Your breakpoint conversion today was only 25 percent; you only converted 4 out of 16. That really hurt you today.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, of course it killed me in the end. I should have been up double break and then things are routine after that. Maybe he played well on a few points. I think I messed up also the situation at Love-30, not just the breakpoints. The big points didn't go my way in today's match, but that happens.

Q. Going to the clay season what is your plans about the preparation? In other words, which tournaments are you planning to play facing the clay season?

ROGER FEDERER: I'm going to -- I'm going to of course have another break here now because after that -- it's going to be a tough schedule because I'm going to play Monte Carlo, Rome, Hamburg, French Open, Halle, Wimbledon, and that's all big tournaments in Europe. It's going to make it hard.

So I need a break here after this, and then I'm going to start practicing and get to Monaco early and hopefully play well.

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