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BNP PARIBAS MASTERS

November 4, 2015

Roger Federer

Paris, France

R. FEDERER/A. Seppi
6‑1, 6‑1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. What's it like to be in a zone where you play just magical stuff?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, it's definitely a great feeling, plus I didn't expect it. Practice yesterday was difficult. You know, I thought it was way different to last week. Then I had a good practice and warmup today. I was like, Ah, I think I start to feel the conditions and feel what's going on.
. I walked on court and I think I returned the first two or three serves, I was like, Oh, feels great. Maybe I'm a bit overexcited. I felt like I was just seeing the ball very well and it's a great feeling because you feel like whatever you do, you will find a solution somehow, especially on the return games. You're never a panic mode.
On the serve you're consistent. You know, you wish only every match was like that. It's not reality, unfortunately.

Q. Playing John Isner today, he played pretty well today.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, obviously it's always a tough match. He goes through a lot of close matches. He's used to that kind of stuff. We're not used to that many tiebreakers and 7‑6s in the third. So for us, we need an extra concentration I think when we play someone like him.
It was the case at the US Open, had to come up with some great shots at the right time to win that second‑set tiebreaker and have to wait for a long, long time to break him. We will see how it goes tomorrow.
But obviously indoors here in Paris he's played well historically here, I'm aware of that, and I know it's not going to be easy. I need to make sure I focus on my own game, obviously, and see what I can do on his serve. There is only so many opportunities. I'm aware of that.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. I have a question that has nothing to do with the match. I wondered whether you followed the case with Rossi? What do you think of this?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I heard this, but from very far away. I just heard it in passing. I don't know what happened.
It happened in practice, right?

Q. It was during the race.
ROGER FEDERER: I think Valentino started from far back.

Q. Well, he started back because he was disqualified.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I don't really know what happened. I heard things, but I don't know the details. Of course those rivalries are intense, but you don't want to hurt someone, of course. Not really. No, I don't know what happened exactly. I don't know how things are between them.
Valentino always was an inspiration. I could see how he kept winning. He was able to reinvent himself all the time. He's the person who is most famous for motorbikes.

Q. 47 minutes. Did you promise your children you would be back for dinner?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I'm too late now.
But it's very pleasant to play matches like this one. Of course I like great battles, playing two, three, four, five hours. But 47 minutes is always very pleasant. You need to focus a lot for the very short time you are on the court, not to make any mistakes.
I'm very happy with this mental performance. I remember the first round in Basel, I also won 6‑1, 6‑2. I'm satisfied I'm able to do that.
Anyway, it was a great pleasure in Bercy here. The atmosphere was fantastic, and I think the new Bercy is a beautiful stadium.

Q. You said it was tough during the practice yesterday. Was it because the court is slower than in Basel or something else?
ROGER FEDERER: Yes, that, too. I don't know how to explain, but you're on the court you play, instead of being at 1 meter, 85, you feel you are at 1 meter, 40. You can't really do what you want. Balls fly, and after you are on the court and you have 2meters.
Well, that's the kind of feeling I had yesterday. So I didn't want to warm up just 25 minutes. I wanted to hit for 40 minutes, longer warmup, almost a practice so that I could really feel the ball during the match, and it worked out well.

Q. You talked about it in English, but can you talk about Isner. He beat you in the past already. The conditions are good for him, too, here.
ROGER FEDERER: My impression is that any kind of condition suits him. When he's fit, he can play everywhere. So historically here, he played well. So when I saw the draw and I saw I had a possibility of playing him in the second round, it's the kind of draw I don't really like to see. Now, I'm the one who has to find solutions tomorrow.
The first thing is to keep very focused on my serve games, and then I hope I will be mentally and physically fresh. So it's a very good thing I had a short first round against Seppi here. This can only help. In the US Open, it was a major challenge against him, three sets, extremely tight. So it's a tough match tomorrow.

Q. Did you see the shot of Benoit Paire, this sort of dropshot that bounces backwards? Did you see it?
ROGER FEDERER: Yes, I think it's incredible. All the players would like to do a shot like this one. It happens sometimes once in your whole career that you are able to do something like that. Benoit is the kind of player who tries those type of shots, and after, it's beautiful for him, for the opponent, and for the media. And for the crowd, of course, they love it. They like entertainment when they watch a tennis match.
It's good when you have players like Benoit who can do something a bit unusual. Sometimes it works or sometimes it doesn't work as well. But as you said, that shot was beautifully filmed. You could never think it was going to go over the net. And when it bounced back like that, it was fabulous.

Q. Is that kind of shot technically very difficult to achieve?
ROGER FEDERER: I didn't see the point. It was a volley or a low volley?
As you can see, you have to open your racquet a maximum, but not too much, because otherwise the ball goes behind you and you look stupid. So normally we don't want to try that kind of thing. So you really have to open the racquet.
What is difficult is always to stop the speed of the ball. Slowing down the ball is something very difficult. He was stretched. It was low. Everything came into account. And the angle he found was fabulous. On top of it, he put an effect into it, well, to control it. Also he knew if he hit it well, it would be possible. It seems crazy, but this is how it came out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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