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May 15, 2008
Hamburg AMS Third Round
By Hamburg Masters Official Site
Press Conference with ROGER FEDERER
Federer - Soderling 6:3, 6:2
Q: Must be very satisfying to play that well?
FEDERER: Yes, I was happy with the match today. I controlled
things well from the baseline. I thought I served well today when
I had to. It was hard playing against him. I knew the danger.
He's got a big game and a particularly big serve when he wants. I
think I returned his serve pretty well and scrambled well today
which was important. All in all it was a great performance.
Q: How different are the conditions here to when you won it
last year?
FEDERER: The same I would think.
Q: Not faster because it's drier?
FEDERER: Was it raining last year? I don't remember. The
beginning was rough I remember. I played under the roof and after
that conditions were pretty normal again. So, I would think the
same.
Q: The most amazing hit, you hit after the match, 40 m up to a
small fan club with a Swiss flag. Was it intentional?
FEDERER: Of course it was (laughs). I didn't try to hit it out
of the stadium and all of a sudden it landed in somebody's hand.
No, no, no. I wanted to hit it to the kids. I was happy too, it
got there.
Q: What is it about this place that brings out your best year
after year?
FEDERER: I feel comfortable with the surroundings here, the
city, the centre court, the dimensions of the court, the
atmosphere is always very nice here. Some people might think the
structure above is disturbing, but actually it's not at all. I
don't even think about it when I'm playing. For some reason I've
always done well here since 2002. Before that I actually
struggled and did not like the tournament so much. But once I got
to spend some time here, play some more matches on centre court,
I started to enjoy it really a lot. It's been my most successful
Masters Series event. Again this week, I am playing well, so it's
great.
Q: A lot of players complain about how the conditions are a
lot different to Roland Garros. Are they?
FEDERER: It's clay after all. I don't know what is closest to
Roland Garros if it's Monaco maybe. Because in Rome it varies so
much with the court you play on. Practice courts, which barely
have any clay on them, whereas centre court this year was rather
soft. So, centre court in Monaco is maybe most close to the
French Open. But it depends again on the day. The lines are
different at the French Open, they are more like chalk than real
plastic lines. It is a bit different. But all in all it remains
the same, you slide and hit. It's not like on a hard court.
Q: Is the bounce lower too?
FEDERER: No, it depends. I thought the ball bounces here too
pretty high. It depends on the conditions quite a lot.
Q: At what stage did you decide to continue longer with Jose
Higueras?
FEDERER: First we said one week, just meet and greet. The
second week I thought while he is here anyway, let's see and get
some more time together through Monaco. Towards the end of Monaco
I asked him to come along to Paris as well. Then I also spoke to
him that I would like it to continue for the year. Now we haven't
looked when and how. He still has to make up his mind but he
seemed very positive. That's sort of the plan. He will come to
Paris and we'll discuss everything there.
Q: When did you decide that you wanted it to go for a
year?
FEDERER: Towards the end of Monaco.
Q: I read it was because you feel you communicate well. Is
that the principal reason?
FEDERER: No, it was difficult at the beginning because I was
only playing matches and not practice sessions. That made it hard
on both of us. He would tell me some thing and the same day I had
a match to play and you don't want to try out too many things in
a match. That's why matches are also there sometimes to see
whether things work. He was very careful in the beginning not to
screw up my game in a way. That's why he needed more than a week
to see how does he need to work with me, how is it with me, the
communication got better and better. We had some
misunderstandings in the beginning because he thought one thing,
I thought the other thing. So it was just important to get
through a good couple of weeks. And we did. Now I am looking
forward to see him back in Paris.
Q: So, it had nothing to do with wanting to win the French? It
had nothing to do with having been without a coach for so
long?
FEDERER: More with that maybe. It's been almost a year without
a coach. I've been waiting, looking around. The last thing I want
to do is hurry in to a decision. So, I took my time. When I was
in the States I was just thinking again. I had time where I just
told myself, what's the situation after Australia, what's the
situation after Dubai, after Wimbledon, if nothing were to
happen. So I always thought again about it. I guess when I was in
the States I thought about it a little bit more, looked at the
possibilities and thought Jose would be a good coach for me at
this stage of my career. So, now we'll see how it will go. So far
it has been good and I'm happy about the choice.
Q: You play so effortlessly. Do the matches on clay do they
take their toll on you?
FEDERER: Not so much anymore to be honest. It used to be rough
when I used to play almost 12 matches in 13 days sometimes, when
we did not have byes and best of 5 finals. I feel very good, my
body feels good, I have no aches and pains. I don't feel, I've
been on the road for a long time even though I have been. I'm
playing a lot. I feel very fit, very match-tough again which was
lacking maybe at the beginning of the year. I don't really think
it takes its toll on me at the moment. Maybe after the French
Open you feel it a little bit. Now, my mind and my body wants to
get through this clay court season as good as I can and then look
forward to Wimbledon. And then I know I will have a rest. So, you
just go forward. And honestly I don't feel a thing, which is a
good thing.
Q: …
FEDERER: I feel good here. I like the centre court and its
dimensions. Some centre courts are completely different, but here
there's always a good atmosphere. I also like the town. Germany
is not that different from Switzerland, so everything is very
normal for me, good restaurants. It is really really nice here,
so I like coming back. And all the successes help of course to
keep that up.
Q: What do you get to see of Hamburg? Do you go to town?
FEDERER: Sometimes. This time I arrived here late, so I had
less time. But over the past years I always got to see a little
and went to town. I always try and go out a little.
Q: Don't the people recognize and bother you?
FEDERER: They do, but so what. There are worse things.
Q: So, how do you have to look for Roger Federer, with a cap
and sunglasses?
FEDERER: It depends on my daily form. I try not to do that
because it stresses myself to go out in a cap and sunglasses. So
I prefer going to the street like this and just mix with the
crowd. That's no problem.
Q: How much do you miss Walter Knapper? He was more like a
fatherly friend for you. Probably Charlie Steeb hasn't hugged you
yet. Do you feel a difference?
FEDERER: Sure. Walter Knapper and I have had a good
relationship for the past few years. So it's a shame he's not
here this week. He ran the tournament well in the past years, but
I often see him on tournaments. I saw him in Monaco and also in
Indian Wells we talked. But also Charlie is tremendously happy
that I am here. If I need something I know that Charlie would do
everything for me, but as I'm not a difficult case I don't make
life difficult for him.
Q: …
FEDERER: Yes, a bit surprised. Before the match, I would have
favoured Ferrer a bit. He has a positive record against Verdasco.
I practiced with Verdasco on the first day for two hours. He
played very well. I know he has the game to be dangerous and beat
the best. Tomorrow I have to be careful and make a little
adjustment from righty to lefty. So hopefully my first match
against a lefty will help me.
Q: Why didn't you go to the Players' night?
FEDERER: There is a Players' Night every week and I don't go
there anymore. Maybe it was fun at the age of 20, if I wanted to
go I would go, but now I rather go and have some dinner in
peace.
Q: Two matches and two hours on the court. For outsiders this
might seem as if you were underchallenged?
FEDERER: I thought the match today was quite dangerous the
Soderling played. But I was able to control him more or less. He
has a strong serve but I returned well. However, I had to work in
the defensive so the feeling is a bit different from the first
round where I could play aggressively and my opponent had a
weaker second serve. So I knew I always had a chance with my
return. That was different today. I am happy with the way things
are going and I like such matches. You can never have enough of
such matches.
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