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Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Roland Garros Quarterfinal
By Roland Garros Official Site
R. FEDERER/T. Robredo 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2
An interview with: ROGER FEDERER
Q. I want to ask you about the next match. Robredo right now has 8-0, your next opponent, Davydenko has 8-0 -- ROGER FEDERER: Did he win? Q. He has 4-3 in third set. What do you expect of Davydenko?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, let's wait. But I think he's a great player, you
know. I mean, I've had some great matches with him over the years, you
know, and also I know him for, since, you know, quite a while now. And
I've played him on many occasions. I haven't played him on clay very
much. I think I played him in Hamburg one time. I don't know of
anywhere else. But he's really improved over the years, as well.
You know, like guys like Robredo, or other guys, but I think really,
he's gotten much more consistent, you know, from the baseline. His
serve has improved a lot. He's always been a great runner from the
baseline. He's very tough to play against, very physical matches with
him, and I enjoy playing against him. I think it will be a great match in the semis against him.
Q. The second set, what was really going on? I mean, you were -- I
don't know what happened, but you lost pretty easily, too many unforced
errors. What was really happening in that set? ROGER
FEDERER: Well, I think it was, not looking for excuses, but, you know,
it was windy. And I didn't play well in that set, that's for sure. But
he played solid, you know. Didn't miss much. Used his forehand very
well. And I was hitting too flat, you know, instead of looping the ball
a bit more and using the wind. I was actually playing wrong in that
point of time. But he took advantage of it and played well,
you know. I couldn't really react to it when I wanted. But I think
important was that I reacted, actually, at 5-1 in that set. You know, I
had a kind of a tough last service game of his, that gave me a bit of
more hope again for the third set. And I was just hoping to get a good
start. And once I got that, I was on a roll again. But I was struggling, that's true, and he played well in that set.
Q. Did you feel that Robredo lost concentration in the beginning of the
third set when he was leading at 15-40 over your serve, and then you
tied it and won it? Or was it rather that you kind of improved your
level and won easily that set? ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean,
one game, anything can happen, you know, a couple of points here or
there. But I think I served well on one breakpoint, and on the other
one there was a rally. And I knew that I have to start winning baseline
rallies again, you know, because the serve is not good enough. And to
serve and volley, I mean, you can do it over some period of time on
clay, but every point, I can't come to the net and win the point from
there. So I knew I had to beat him again, from the baseline. And this
is what I couldn't do. So that one point came at the right time, you
know, winning that crucial breakpoint. And that got me back into the
match. After that, I had a good game. I was playing with the
wind at that point. I knew that was my chance to break him. I did. And
then I served a great game. And I'm up 3-Love, and all of a sudden, the
momentum is again on my side. So I was very happy the way I
reacted to it. He definitely started to miss more balls. But also me, I
was starting to mix it up better, because in the second set, I wasn't
happy with my game. But like I said, he did also play well in that set.
Q. It had been a while since you'd lost a set
in Grand Slam play. In that second set, and you talked now about some
of the problems you were having in that set, but is there a shred of
nervousness or doubt at all that comes in your mind during that set?
ROGER FEDERER: Not really during the set. After losing it, yeah. I
mean, you feel like -- and I don't lose sets 6-1 that often, you know,
so you're like, Oh, come on, you know, get up and react to it, and stay
positive as much as you can. Even though I was like, Okay, this could,
you know, start becoming really bad here. Plus I was down 15-40.
Still, basically, the match is just starting, the best-of-three match
now, the best-of-three set match now, and try to look at it as positive
as you can, even though I was not very optimistic looking forward.
But I turned it around. And then it didn't really matter. But it was a
tough match that I expected today, and thank God I played a great third
and fourth set. Q. It's obviously not often
that you say that you were playing something -- playing it wrong. You
said you were playing wrong technically or whatever. How do you get
yourself through that, and how often does that actually happen, where
you suddenly realize I'm approaching this completely the wrong way?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, you know, 6-1 happens quickly. So you don't have
time to play that wrong for that long, which is good (smiling).
Happens, 20 minutes, you play the wrong way, and you lose 6-1. That's
just how it goes in tennis. So you better react quickly to it.
No, I don't know what happened, you know. I think I was just the better
player in the first set, you know. It was hard fought. I got broken
against the wind, so it was kind of tough. But the second set, I just
couldn't really get into the match, you know. He started to play a bit
better after he broke me the first set. He already got some confidence.
And in the second set, for some reason, I just couldn't really figure
out how to play him or the way I want to play him. I didn't figure it
out. And my serve left me down, too. So I was always tangled
up in all of those baseline rallies going the wrong way for me. But I
didn't allow them anymore in the third and fourth set, and that's why
the result changed to my favor. Q. Just to
follow up, how often has that happened to you where you've been in the
middle of a match where you have a set like that, where you're just --
you don't know how to play it? ROGER FEDERER: Well, it
happens and you still end up winning it sometimes. You feel you're
playing -- you still don't have the key of knowing how to beat him, but
you still end up -- the serve keeps you in the match. But today that
wasn't the case. He was too tough. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.
Q. You have two days off now. Do you think that it will be disruptive
or do you think that is something positive, then you're going to say to
yourself, I'm going to have a rest? Is there a risk? I mean, is it
going to be a problem? ROGER FEDERER: No, I don't think so.
I mean, it suits me. I think that last year I played on Thursday and
then on Sunday. So this year, it was more disruptive, I would say. But,
I mean in boxing you have to prepare yourself for six months; and in
tennis, you have two days off. And people will think that you will be
out of the match. No, better the case. I'm confident with this
semifinal. I will hit the ball tomorrow, and the day before the match,
I will practice. And I want to be 100% fit. That's quite important for
the continuation of my tournament. So whoever my opponent, it
will be a tough match, and it will be a tricky match. I'm delighted to
be in the semifinal here at Roland Garros.
Q. The 12th semifinal in a Grand Slam on a back-to-back basis. Is it
important in terms of statistics or do you think that this record will
be broken? ROGER FEDERER: I try to come up with my best
career. If I can break some records, I mean, that's fantastic. But I
would say that I want to stay focused on each match, each set, each
point, each game. So it's a matter of details. So I don't want
to think about records, especially here at Roland Garros. I'm happy
with the way I play at the present time. And in Grand Slam tournaments,
I mean, things are okay for me. That's good because people can watch
the best players in the world. And if you lose, it's a little bit
disastrous. So I didn't encounter this problem, so I'm very happy with
it. Q. Next match might be against Nikolay Davydenko, what can you tell us about this next match?
ROGER FEDERER: It's going to be a tough match. I mean, he produced a
fantastic performance against Nalbandian. He's made headway over the
past few years. Because I played against him in Milan a few years ago.
He was a good player. But, he was not fantastic, because he had some
shortcomings in his game. His serve was not very good. And he
has a strong mindset now. And I think that he can play on all surfaces.
Maybe he is struggling a little bit on grass, but it would be a little
premature to say he's a better player on grass. But on clay, he's going
to be a tough opponent and I've never lost against him. I mean, that's
what I think. So it's going to be a good test for me, I mean,
that's clear. Because he plays very well, and he is in the process of
defeating Cañas, so it will be an interesting match.
Q. In the second set, where were you? Where were you? What happened
exactly? And what was the element that took it off a turnaround in the
situation? ROGER FEDERER: I had to change something after
the second set. Should I continue the way I played in the second set? I
mean, I would have lost the match, and I would have been thrashed, and
I didn't want to be thrashed. So I had to change my tactics, as I told
you. In the second set, I didn't play very well, but Robredo
produced a good performance in the second set. He is a good clay court
player. And my serve was a little bit patchy, and he didn't make a lot
of mistakes and errors, and he used his forehand. And then in the third set, my forehand was better and I was able to level the game. Q. Is it a source of concern to you? ROGER FEDERER: Not for me, it's not a source of concern. Might be a source of concern to you, but not for me (laughing).
Q. So you're going to play against Davydenko, Nikolay Davydenko. This
is a player that you fear because he is aggressive and he never gives
up? He never throws in the towel. Are you afraid of this match?
ROGER FEDERER: It doesn't change anything. Last year I played against
Nalbandian, and the year before I played against Nadal. So I was
playing hard hitters and they know how to fire the ball, and they move
well on the court. I mean, they are very fit. When you reach
the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament, that's always the case. I
mean, you have to play against tough opponents. It's important to
change the game, to vary the game, and I did that in the US Open, in
the semifinal. I served well and I was able to vary my game. And then I
was able to take control of the game from the baseline. But you need to start from scratch, all the time. Q. He's going to put a lot of pressure. He will hit the ball at the top of the bounce. So what do you think? ROGER FEDERER: I'm ready. Q. So you won't play Cañas. Are you relieved?
ROGER FEDERER: No. I mean, I produced a good performance against him in
Miami, so I have no concerns, basically. So now I will focus on
Davydenko, not on Cañas, that's perfect.
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