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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2016

Roger Federer

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

R. FEDERER/N. Basilashvili

6-2, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are you feeling after that?
ROGER FEDERER: I feel good, thanks. How are you doing (smiling)?

That was a good match. I'm really pleased how I was able to play. Definitely gives me a bit of a lift in confidence, you know, because this year I haven't been able to play properly yet. I mean, I had some decent matches in Brisbane, but it was all under, you know, sort of a cloud knowing that I wasn't 100%.

But this was a match where I was able to focus, you know, on my game, on tactics, all that stuff. So it was nice to play that way.

Q. I'm sure you've heard that today there's been new stories and allegations about match fixing in tennis. As a lot of it happened under your watch when you were head of the Player Council, what is your latest take on it?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know exactly how much new things came out, to be quite honest. I heard old names being dropped. That story was checked out. Clearly you got to take it super serious, you know, like they did back in the day. Since we have the Integrity Unit, it puts more pressure on them that a story like this broke again.

But I don't know how much new things there is out there. It's just really important that all the governing bodies and all the people involved take it very seriously, that the players know about it. There's more pressure on these people now maybe because of this story, which is a good thing.

Under my watch, I mean, we discussed it early on. I actually never heard about it until it was brought up at a player meeting when somebody came and spoke about it. I was like, Okay, came totally from left field. Had no clue what it was about. Didn't sort of know it existed. I hadn't been approached.

Doesn't matter whether I've been approached or not, I haven't. It's a bit farfetched, all these things. Clearly for a few years now we know this is very serious. Got to do everything about it to keep the sport clean. It's vital, there's no doubt about it.

Q. You made your views clear on not being probably spent enough on doping, anti-doping. Do you think there's enough being done with the TIU, enough resources and men?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know the numbers. Really, you can always do more. It's like I can always train more. There's always more you can do. So a story like this is only going to increase the pressure. Hopefully there's more funding to it. That's about it. Same as doping. Yes, absolutely, got to be super aggressive in both areas, no doubt about it.

Q. You've always called for a level playing field in tennis or other sports. But still perception is so important. How can tennis ask players not to be involved in gambling and yet take one sponsorship deal after another and have big signage promoting betting companies at events?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I don't know. It's a tough one, you know, to talk about one or the other. In some ways they're connected. In some ways they're not connected at all. It depends on how you really look at it.

Betting happens all across the world in all the sports. The players just need to know, we need to make sure the integrity of the game is always maintained because without that, I always would say, why do you come and watch this match tonight or any match, because you just don't know the outcome. As long as we don't know the outcome, the players, fans, it's going to be exciting. The moment that gets taken away, there's no point anymore to be in the stadium.

That's why it's super important to keep it clean. In terms of having sponsors around there, I guess there is a lot of money there. Maybe, who knows, could it be helpful maybe? I don't know. This is a question for more people in suits than a guy in a track suit, I don't know.

Q. If you got wind of someone you knew was offered or fixing matches, would you tell the authorities straightaway?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, well, I guess so. It's important that person, how he's been approached. He needs to feel he's been supported by the tour, or whatever the governing body is, that there's a place he can go and speak about it. It's uncomfortable, not a fun thing. It's not like, Oh, I've just been approached, it's all cool, and we don't talk about it.

I think it's really important that you get supported and get also told how to manage that. So, yes, I guess I would encourage that person to go and say something, otherwise I would say something or I would encourage us to go together or whatever. I would be very helpful in this situation because it's a very tricky situation to be in.

Q. Is there anything inside the ATP that talks to younger players, older players, that gives advice on how to deal with people who approach them about match fixing?
ROGER FEDERER: You have the ATP University I went to. It was a three-day training thing. I had it in Monaco back in the day. I know they still have it at the end of the year. There was a time they stopped doing it. They were more handing out CDs and explaining everything. It was about everything: how you handle the press, how you handle financially maybe down the road, your fitness, the tour in general. They explain how things are done. Then part of that definitely today is this one as well, the doping issues as well. It's just like with the whereabouts you, how important, how serious it is. They educate you there.

So I'm sure match fixing is also a priority in those meetings. All the guys that came up, I don't know exactly the age, like the first to break into the top 100 maybe, or you're close to that, you get asked to do it. You have to come and show up at the end of the year, which is a great thing. I wasn't in favor of them handing out CDs because that just ends up being in a drawer at home. They're taking it serious again like they did with me back in the day.

Honestly, for me it was very helpful to be there. I wasn't happy to go there in the first place, but I made friends there. I felt supported by the tour. I learned things. For me it was more about the press, how to handle that, to see the press as an intermediary from us to the fans rather than looking at the press as the bad guy.

For me it was very educational. I hope it's the same thing for the young guys coming up.

Q. When you're not top 100 or 150, it's tough to stay alive on the circuit without finding other ways. That's probably the reason why, even if we wouldn't accept, it happens. Don't you think the problem should be to find some more money for those people who are not top 100? Challengers, minor tournaments, it's there where they try to fix.
ROGER FEDERER: I completely disagree with you. I think you don't understand. It doesn't matter how much money you pump into the system, there's always going to be people approaching players, or people, any sport. It's all a question of money, you know.

It doesn't maybe happen at the challengers. It's going to happen at the futures. It's going to go away if you offer $1 million for every player to play at every tournament? It's not going to change a thing.

Still might be approached. That's why I think you're wrong there, that more money there is going to solve the issue completely.

I agree we should have more money at futures, challengers, all these levels. But it's not going to solve the issue. The issue is elsewhere, in the player's mind.

Q. Among the allegations in the report was some of the suspected match fixers were Grand Slam singles and doubles players. Is it surprising, that element, that they're saying Grand Slam champions are being involved?
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, it's like who, what. It's like thrown around. It's so easy to do that.

I would like to hear the name. I would love to hear names. Then at least it's concrete stuff and you can actually debate about it. Was it the player? Was it the support team? Who was it? Was it before? Was it a doubles player, a singles player? Which slam? It's so all over the place. It's nonsense to answer something that is pure speculation.

Like I said, it's super serious and it's super important to maintain the integrity of our sport. So how high up does it go? The higher it goes, the more surprised I would be, no doubt about it. Not about people being approached, but just people doing it in general. I just think there's no place at all for these kind of behaviors and things in our sport. I have no sympathy for those people.

Q. Can you talk about your second round, tricky opponent.
ROGER FEDERER: Love to do that (smiling). That's why I came here. But you know how it is.

I think it's going to be very tough, to be honest. I've practiced with Dolgopolov in the off-season in Dubai. Had some great practice sessions together there, this year and last year. I know him very well. This is going to be a different challenge than the first round. This was more of an unexperienced player today, but still dangerous and still a good player.

But Dolgopolov is a different player, a different level. He's been there before. He's got the fitness, the power, the speed, tennis IQ, all that. It's going to be a big challenge.

Curious to find out if it's going to be day or night because that plays a big part in how it plays out. I feel it plays very different day to night, the conditions. Yeah, I'm ready for a very tough match, to be quite honest.

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