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August 10, 2007
Montreal AMS Quarterfinal
By ASAP Sports
An interview with: ROGER FEDERER
R. FEDERER/L. Hewitt 6-3, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. It's been two and a half years you haven't met
Lleyton. Shouldn't it have been a tougher match, a tighter match?
ROGER FEDERER: I think it was a tough match, you know.
Maybe the score and everything, it looked like I was pretty much in
control. If you look at the first set, it took 45 minutes.
We had our chances, both of us, on both serves. It went my way in
the end because I served well in the important moments.
I
think the second set, you know, once he broke back, I knew this was
going to be now one of those tough matches against Lleyton again.
Thank God, you know, I played a good game to break him. In the
end really I served well. You know, I was just more consistent
from the baseline. My forehand was great today.
So I
really think it was an excellent match from my side. Hard-fought
really. Look at the shoe, it's used. Normally it's not like
this, so...
Q. Stepanek you've played three times on clay, 2-1 with
him. What are your feelings tomorrow?
ROGER FEDERER: I played him in the Kooyong exhibition, I don't
know if it was this year. I beat him 7-6 in the third set.
Okay, it was an exhibition, whatever, he should have beaten me there.
I
think he's a very uncomfortable player. He plays very flat from
the baseline, moves well. He's got a good backhand. He
likes to come to the net. He's a good doubles player, too.
He knows how to volley. When he serve and volleys, he really
serves well, too.
I'm
expecting a tough match. It was kind of a weird kind of rhythm
from the baseline. So it's going to be an interesting match.
I
hope I can pick up his serve pretty well and play aggressive from my
side. Hopefully I'll be consistent. Looking forward to that
match. He played a good match against Davydenko today.
Q. We know you don't like Hawk-Eye. On that serve today,
when you look up and you see it's out by virtually nothing, what goes
through your head?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I felt it was kind of maybe more out than
in, obviously. But the tough part is to wait for it, you
know. Then you hit a second serve having basically 20 seconds in
between. That is a tough part. Of course, it's my choice to
challenge. But why not challenge? I would kill myself if it
was in, you know, and not have challenged.
I
mean, look, let's not even talk about it if I don't like it (smiling).
Q. If the ball is out by that much, do you ever wonder how the
lines person can call it out?
ROGER FEDERER: Look, I think this is how it's been for so long,
you know. I think they look, stare down that line, and they know
how the balls are coming. They're used to it. They're
professionals. I think they do an excellent job, you know,
because I wouldn't want to be sitting on that line. I just get
disappointed when they miss shocking ones. But that can happen,
too. I'm the guy who doesn't get too crazy about it. So
it's okay.
Q. Is it something the players just accept?
ROGER FEDERER: What's that?
Q. Hawk-Eye itself. When it is such a close call, do you
think to yourself, Okay, just accept it, move on?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, what other choice do you have? Can't
go drink coffee with the guy and say, Let's discuss this line call
(laughter).
Q. You still see some people take it up with the umpire.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, but with a second serve to play, you kind of
want to stay in the rhythm.
It's
a weird thing, you know. I still don't trust a hundred percent, I
probably will never do. I had one in the first match against
Karlovic, a serve, the mark's clearly out because you can see the marks
here on this court. I couldn't believe again when it touched,
reminded me of the Wimbledon situation. This is then really when
kind of it proves to me that the machine is not really working.
That's also why you see many guys giving it a shot when they think it's
an important point. You know it's out, but maybe it did clip the
line, you know.
So I
think that's -- many guys are thinking that. But I don't
know who voted for it, so I don't care.
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