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Saturday, June 9, 2007
Roland Garros Pre-Final
By Roland Garros Official Site
An interview with: ROGER FEDERER
Q. Well, what can you tell us that we don't already know? ROGER FEDERER: Practice was good. Q. Was it? ROGER FEDERER: All good. No changes since yesterday.
Q. Can you put this match in perspective, just in terms of your overall
career, how much it means to you, the degree to which you think about
that sort of thing, the historic resonances here? ROGER
FEDERER: Well, for me, I think it's an easier situation this year than
last year. Because last year was the first time I was in this
unbelievable situation to be holding all four Grand Slam titles at the
same time. And I also just, you know, winning the French Open for the
first time, this year, you know, I lived through this last year. So I
think, once you've experience something, the second time around is
always easier. So I feel I'm just more relaxed this year
around. And I know the importance, so I just hope I can play a good
match tomorrow now. Q. How do you prepare yourself on such important games?
ROGER FEDERER: I always prepare the same way for every match I play.
Doesn't matter if it's a first round or a final. You have the same
procedure you go through. You know, you arrive at the courts, practice,
warm-up, eat, stretch, tape. So you do the whole thing over and over
again. And you just think about the match a little bit more, maybe,
because the occasion is so big. And against Nadal, for instance, you
need more of a game plan, of course. Q. And mentally?
ROGER FEDERER: No change. You know, I'm ready for good crowds; I'm
ready for a tough opponent. I'm ready for rain, if it has to be, and
I'm ready for a five-hour match, so it's no problem.
Q. Can you do a parallel between the atmosphere and the cities between
London and here, Wimbledon and Roland Garros, the atmosphere, the
biggest difference between the two tournaments for you inside yourself?
ROGER FEDERER: Is that Center Court in Wimbledon's always
full. And here, sometimes, the problem is that the VIPs, they only come
for one or two matches a day. So that's the problem, because the VIPs
take all the seats around the court, whereas at Wimbledon, there's only
the Royal Box and the other seats are always taken, so from fans, not
from VIPs, which makes it a great atmosphere. I'm not saying
here is not good, but you have to hope the VIPs come as well, or the
sponsors. So it's more on a couple of matches a day where the
atmosphere really goes up. Q. And the cities, Paris and London?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I don't spend much time in London. I'm always at
Wimbledon, usually. I only go to London a couple of times during the
tournament. But I know Paris much better than I know London, but both
are very nice. Q. Could you compare that
comparison or continue that comparison, rather, and talk about Ashe
Stadium and Laver in the same context? ROGER FEDERER:
Well, I mean, I think Arthur Ashe and the Australian Open, Rod Laver
Arena, both have the unique thing with the night session, obviously.
It's electrifying in the night, you know, to play there. I
think the Australian Open has a very good atmosphere, as well. Just
there you have the backboard that's very high up, you know, so the fans
seem quite far away. Whereas Arthur Ashe seems a wonderful tennis court
to play in, because then the fans really come close to you. In the
back, you have the backboard so you see the ball nicely, and playing in
the evening of both is a dream. So, I love playing on all
Center Courts around the world. And Wimbledon was the first one that
really hit me, you know, in terms of being the nicest one ever because
of the atmosphere. But since playing so many matches everywhere now, I
don't know which one's my favorite anymore. Q. Do you ever wake up and say, My God, I'm the best player of all time, or do you realize how good you are?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I'm not the best of all time, so, I don't wake up
this way. But, no, it comes more like maybe during vacation sometimes,
or, I don't know, when I'm just traveling and I'm going from one place
to the next. And I can't believe I'm traveling to another tournament.
It's so nice, everybody's expecting me. I'm No. 1 in the world. So it's kind of a nice feeling, but not really, the moment I wake up I'm too tired to think of such things. THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please. Q. This should be a very open match, and the odds are 55% in favor of Nadal, 45% in favor of you.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I never money on anybody, so I never know how they
do that. In Hamburg, the situation was even more extreme, because he
had won me in Monaco, he won Indian Wells. But I think I restored the
balance. I played well here. I've not lost any match since the
final here last year in Grand Slam tournaments. So I'm very happy I
reached the final. And we'll see that tomorrow. And I don't want to say
who is the favorite. Q. The two last sets in Hamburg, is it kind of a standard for you, for your tactics?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, a bit, yes. But you don't want to think that if I
play the way I played in Hamburg, I'm going to win again. One, because
I can't play exactly the same way; and second, because I guess he's not
going to make exactly the same mistakes again. But it's true, it gives me confidence. I know that if I play well, I can dominate the match.
Q. The way you play him, from a tactical standpoint, has it evolved
between the first time you played him and the match in Hamburg?
ROGER FEDERER: Yes, of course. In Miami, I didn't know him. I had never
played him. He was still very young. Just arrived on the tour. So I
thought, Okay, that's the left-hander going, let's see what he does.
And now I'm more worried, because I know how he plays. So I
have refined my tactics to play him, especially on clay. And this is
where I've tried many things, returns from the baseline, from the net,
et cetera. So I know what works with him and what doesn't work when I
play him. And it's a great benefit for me to know all of this.
Q. This morning I asked the question to many people here in Roland
Garros, and 90% of people want you to win. Are you aware of this
support? ROGER FEDERER: Well, no, because I'm not the one
going to walk out on the street and ask people. But it's true that
since last year, I started feeling that Roland Garros, all the people
here, want me to play well. And it's always a bit like this, you know,
when somebody's won many tournaments in a row, like Nadal, people want
somebody else to win. And people like me here, and it's always nice to
hear. Q. If you win Roland Garros that means
you will have won the full Grand Slam tournaments, the four Grand Slam
tournaments in a row. Do you realize that you have a date with history,
the history of sport tomorrow? ROGER FEDERER: Yes, of
course. It was the same last year, and I could feel such a pressure. I
really wanted to win that match last year against Nadal, because I knew
what it meant for my career, for myself. And it's just the same thing
one year later. But, I have more experience now. I'm more
mature. I can better manage the situations. The opponent is the same,
and a final in a Grand Slam tournament is never easy. And playing Nadal
on clay is always difficult. But I know I have played well. I've
already achieved a lot this year and I'll try to do my best to win this
year. Q. Before the final, will you see him
before the match? You'll meet in the locker rooms, will you say a few
words to each other or will you just keep silent? ROGER
FEDERER: Well, yes, we'll see each other. He usually comes in earlier
than me and practices earlier than me. Then we'll go to the locker room
and we'll be together. But I don't think we'll talk a lot tomorrow
before the match. I think we've spoken to each other -- well, I know
we've spoken to each other in the previous days, but just before the
match, we want to focus on the match. We do our own things.
And, you know, the locker room is very big here, so it's very easy not
to see each other. You just stay in your part of the locker room. I
don't think we'll speak to each other except to say hello. Q. Do you wish each other good luck before you start?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, that's what we usually do when we stand by the net
after the pictures have been taken. We both greet each other and say
good luck.
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