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BNP PARIBAS MASTERS

November 3, 2015

Roger Federer

Paris, France

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. Obviously another very good week for you in Basel. What is it about this end of the year you like so much? How are you feeling about your general game?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, it helps playing at home, number one. Number two, it's one of my priorities of the year to play well there. I also align my schedule accordingly that I play well in Basel.
Indoors historically has always been good for me. The beginning of my career I guess where I had most success, in Toulouse and Rotterdam, some other tournaments. So I always feel comfortable.
For me, the season is only a full season if you play all seasons. I have always made it a priority for me as well the yearend.

Q. You're in a long run of tournaments at the moment. Did you think at any stage this year that you might not be able to play four in five weeks?
ROGER FEDERER: Not really, just because I was on vacation after Davis Cup for 10 days, was on the beach with my family, had a great time, was able to unwind. I did the same last year, maybe even a bit longer because I knew the yearend was going to be longer this year with the Davis Cup final.
So from that standpoint, especially losing early in Shanghai, the year end now is not going to be a problem really. It's a couple of events left. That's it.

Q. Obviously a Grand Slam title is your goal, but at the start of the year, would you have taken six titles and felt that was a good year for you? Was that your expectation level?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, obviously depends what titles, how do you win, who did you beat, how you are personally feeling. And considering of how I'm playing, who I was able to beat and all these things, I feel like I have played a very good season.
I have said in interviews before a few weeks back after Novak, you know, was able to turn it up. Winning Wimbledon, US Open, that definitely changed the dynamics, made him the player of the year. Didn't leave that much left. Didn't leave so much more for us other players.
But I was able to beat him twice and win six events. Besides that, I make two slam finals. Considering, I think I'm playing a very good year. I'm also playing good tennis, feeling good about my game. My body and my mind is all in the right place.
It's been a fun year so far. And I think, you know, looking at Paris and London, obviously now there is huge goal for me coming up in London. I will take it in my stride after Basel and I hope confidence is going to carry me far into the tournament here this week.

Q. I know years ago you said you would play until you're 35. I know a lot of people didn't know if you would be able to do that. Now I read that you may be looking beyond Rio. Is that right? Are you looking to '2017?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I never said I was going to be done at Rio. I just said that was like my next long‑term goal I had. It's not around the corner, but it's not that far off anymore.
I always sort of plan over a year ahead. Basically '17 is locked up. That's the way I got to plan if I feel like I'm going to still be playing for some time. As long as I don't know when the end is, that's how you plan, into infinity if you like.
Yeah, you never know. But, of course, Rio is one of the goals for next year, like so many other tournaments, as well.

Q. I remember you saying last year that you actually regarded your offseason as almost the period after the Australian Open and that you, because ‑‑
ROGER FEDERER: Right. Not next year. I play Rotterdam.

Q. I was going to ask you that. What's your feelings about the coming next two, three months? What are you going to do after World Tour Finals?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I will rest again and spend some time with the family. That's what I need and want to do most once I'm done playing the tournaments. Then after that, well, I start practicing again, play some of the IPTLs. Two of them are in Dubai where I'm going to be based out, so that's going to be easy. It was a lot of fun last year. I really enjoyed it.
Also I will go to India and Singapore for one each, so looking forward to that. But after that, I have probably two weeks of practice throughout Christmas. And then obviously I've got to change around my schedule. The idea was to make it a bit different this year than it was last year. I don't like to play the identical, duplicate schedule, you know, back‑to‑back years. I find that it's not so much fun.
I'll change it around and I will take a break at a different stage. I don't have a clear idea when it's going to be, but I have to nail it down in stone how it's going to look like. I have a bit of an idea and I think it will be a good schedule as well next year.

Q. That doesn't sound like much of a break between World Tour Finals and Doha. Are you playing Doha?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I'm playing Brisbane. Same week. But you can manage it, you know, because I will have, after the Australian Open, a week off, Rotterdam, week off, Dubai, Davis Cup, still have to decide what's going to happen there. But you always have the week off before Indian Wells.
You can also rest in a period like this. It's not in a full block, but it's a wave you can manage well, as well.

Q. You mentioned that Novak is the player of the season. Just in view of the way he's knocked out this last month of the season last couple of years, do you think it will take a kind of heroic effort for somebody to stop him this year?
ROGER FEDERER: He's already won. I don't know how much more there is for him to lock up.

Q. Not for No. 1, I mean, to stop him adding two more tournaments.
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, the weak things are always the hardest ones to control. What are you going to do? One guy needs to get hot and that's it. Sometimes, how do you say, the draws help. But in the shape that Novak seems to be in, even though I haven't seen him play since the US Open, I guess, yeah, it's going to take a special performance by someone.
There is a lot of guys playing really good tennis. It's not easy just to keep on running through Masters 1000, and World Tour Finals, in particular. He knows that. I think we know that, as well. That's why we are all here trying to win as well.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in French.

Q. It was not easy to come here in Paris. You had traveling problems?
ROGER FEDERER: I'm here.

Q. You were not blocked somewhere yesterday because of the fog? Does this make your preparation more complicated here?
ROGER FEDERER: No, no problem. I was not stressed yesterday. I had plenty of time to make my way here. Today I had time for practice. I was even able to come here and do press. It's quiet, so I'm happy that I'm here.
The most important thing is that now I feel I'm able to recuperate well after Basel and quite quickly. This is important if I want to play a good tournament this week. I will focus on the first round, of course, but if I want to go further, I really need to be relaxed as soon as possible.
Of course you can only relax up to a certain point. But once the tournament starts, then it's different.

Q. So what do you think of this new Bercy, as we call it?
ROGER FEDERER: I didn't see very much of it. I'm still trying to find my way through. It's like a labyrinth. Last year also I was lost in the corridors.
But, yes, I feel that fresh air has been taken in, and it looks nice. But I didn't see everything yet. Anyway, it's good to have two extra practice courts. This is good. We don't need to go somewhere else. For us players, it's really pleasant.
I know that they always try to do the best tournament possible. But before, it was a bit more complicated for them, I guess.

Q. This is the end of the season. Basel, the Masters. So what does this particular tournament in Paris represent for you?
ROGER FEDERER: This is an important tournament. It's always a tournament that I really enjoyed winning a few years ago. I know it always comes just after Basel. I played 16 times in Basel in my career.
I play often here in Paris, too. But I have been 10 times in the final in Basel, so it always affects my preparation when I come into this tournament in Paris. So I do the best I can.
Here the conditions are very different. It's slower. There is more bounce, more effect on the balls. So I have to adapt very quickly to these different conditions. That's why the first rounds are always tough for me in this tournament.
But it still is an important tournament for me. Of course Basel is more important, of course, but this doesn't mean that I don't care about Bercy. It's important to me.

Q. Of course there is still this tournament and the Masters to come, but how do you assess your season? In spite of all your victories, you are very far from Djokovic.
ROGER FEDERER: I believe this was a very good year. I played good tennis. It was very nice this year. I played well. I would have loved to win the US Open or Wimbledon this year or other tournaments. I was not in the final.
But mentally and physically it was rather easy year. This is always good. If I look to the future, I believe this is a good thing, and the year is not over yet. So making a total assessment of the year is a bit difficult just before the first round here in Bercy.
But it's tough to win a lot more with Novak that is in such good shape. But there are occasions when I was able to beat him, too. I was competitive against him.
And as to the ranking, I think he deserves the spot of No. 1. When you win Grand Slams, if you win two of them or even three, it's impossible for another player to catch up to you. I'm not saying there are too many points involved in a Grand Slam, but there are many, anyway. And this is the way it is. This is the way the ranking is done.

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