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WIMBLEDON

July 4, 2016

Roger Federer

London, England

R. FEDERER/S. Johnson
6‑2, 6‑3, 7‑5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Another couple of records achieved, 14th quarterfinal, matching Martina's victories in Grand Slams. Do those type of milestones mean anything to you now that you've achieved so much?
ROGER FEDERER: It's probably going to be something I'm happy I achieved looking back when it's all said and done. I didn't even know I was playing for that. So it's great news, very happy about it, but it's not something I ever chased. Never thought I was going to have such a great career, you know, here at Wimbledon ever since I turned up here in '98.
Yeah, I think it's going to be nice looking back one day and know I played so many quarters here at Wimbledon.

Q. There is discussion about who is best, in football Maradona, in racing Schumacher. In tennis...
ROGER FEDERER: For me there is clearly a discussion, because we'll never quite know anyways. I think with amateur tennis we had before, going into professional tennis, the Grand Slams are getting somewhat more important over time. More players traveling to all the slams, not skipping Australia anymore. It's all changed in the last 25 years, I'd say.
Before they also had different rankings, which was an average ranking over the tournaments you played, so you wouldn't play on your weak surface. Now it doesn't matter anymore, just the best 18 tournaments count.
So it's changed in tennis over the years. It makes you play differently in different types of tournaments throughout.
Obviously today probably we chase more the records than they used to in the past. Keeps us on tour longer. I think we're doing more to stay more injury‑free. There's so many guys that did so many great things. Some were unbelievably young when they achieved some great things, some were on the older side when they achieved great things.
Yeah, then there's streaks and stuff. Whatever you look at, I think it's a very open debate.

Q. You played all your matches so far on Centre Court. Probably you will play all your matches there. What does that mean to you?
ROGER FEDERER: I love it (smiling). More, please. I don't know what to tell you. I wish I could play every match of the season here on Centre Court at Wimbledon. That's not how it goes.
Here you have to be lucky with the draw sometimes. I was lucky in the first week to play two Brits in round two and three, which I'm sure also kept me on Centre Court.
I'm not sure if I'm going to be on Centre moving forward, but maybe that Novak lost, it's going to give me help to get back on Centre in the second week, sharing Centre with Murray the second week.
Court1 isn't bad either. I'm cool playing there, too. If I have a preference, of course I'll always take Centre Court.

Q. You've achieved so much in your career. If there was one thing, one more goal in life as much as tennis, what is it? Or have you done the lot?
ROGER FEDERER: In tennis?

Q. One big goal you want to achieve, tennis or in life, what would you say it was, or have you done the lot?
ROGER FEDERER: In life? In life there's so much more to come. In tennis, tennis there's not that much more. I hope there is a bit more in tennis. I hope I can win Wimbledon one more time. That would be nice.
In life, gee, I need to speak to my wife about that one, not with you in the press (laughter).
I don't know. I'm looking forward to a lovely life with my kids and my wife, travel, I don't know, unbelievable moments.

Q. What has she told you to achieve then?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, it's something we want to achieve together, so...

Q. It hasn't been an issue for you so far at Wimbledon. We've seen a lot of matches going into extended final sets. Is it time for Wimbledon to perhaps think about playing tiebreaks in final sets rather than 19‑17, whatever?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know. I don't know. Maybe they could make a tiebreak at 12‑All. Yeah, it is rough for not only the players playing, but also the players that follow that court.
I think it's super cool, and that's the match I was watching, what was it, yesterday, Isner‑Tsonga? I didn't care about any other match that was being played other than that match.
It is very cool if it goes 12‑All, 14‑All, 18‑All, 20‑All, further and further. The chances get slimmer and slimmer to win that next round. Like the Open, they have a breaker in the fifth. They can make a compromise and make a tiebreaker at 12‑All. Play another six service games each.
Usually it doesn't go to that, anyway, to 12‑All. If it does go there, you had your chances to break or not to break, so you're happy maybe to be in a tiebreaker.

Q. You established or tied an incredible record for wins today. In the past you said you learned more from losses or mistakes. Can you point to a loss or two, a mistake early in your career which you really learned something from?
ROGER FEDERER: I think there was a bunch of times I walked away from a tournament thinking, What the hell have I been doing? Why did I lose this match? Why did I behave that way? Why did I play so poorly?
I think it was just some moments at times, even in the juniors, where I didn't necessarily play bad, but I probably lost at some point, and then I kind of thought about it, what I need to change and improve, adapt.
It just kind of came in phases, you know. Usually they always happen in the second part of the season. The first part of the season is to build momentum, keep going. Then at the end, around August, September, October, you know, the season starts to unwind and you're preparing for next season already again.
That's usually sort of when the US Open was over, or shortly before the Open, after Wimbledon maybe, in the juniors I thought, Okay, what do I need to improve for the following season?

Q. You've had quite a straightforward run to this point in the tournament. How much of a step up in class is Cilic now?
ROGER FEDERER: I practiced with him when I arrived here at Wimbledon. He was playing great. 1‑2, 1‑2, 1‑2, serving, boom, forehand, serving, boom, backhand. He's very aggressive. He blew me off the court at the US Open. I know what I'm getting into.
He's really tough to play. He's really improved his serve in the last few years, especially since US Open. I've never seen him serve that consistently well. He can clearly do it here at Wimbledon, too.
I think the weather's also getting a bit warmer, so the conditions are faster, rather than playing indoors, which might help him, too.
But I'm happy about my game as well, that I've been able to rise now to the occasion and play a really good match against Johnson today. I think it was by far my best match. I'm confident also going to the Cilic match.
I think it's a tough one. He likes grass. He's won Queen's before, I think, and has done well here. I'm looking forward to a tough one here.

Q. That's the only time he's beaten you. What do you remember most from that match at the US Open? What was the difference for him that day?
ROGER FEDERER: Everything he touched went in. I don't know. It was all right, here is a chance, boom. Maybe here is another chance, boom. That's kind of how it was for three straight sets.
I didn't play poorly in any way. It was just all on his racquet. It was very seldom that I was blown off the court like that.
I had some chances. But every time I had a small chance, either he served another big serve, or on the return I don't want to say he went for broke, but it was unbelievably impressive how he finished that tournament, quarters, semis, finals. I don't think he lost a set. It was unbelievably impressive.

Q. You missed the French Open just a few weeks ago, the first Grand Slam you missed in years. Coming to Wimbledon, what are the things that you miss the most about Grand Slam tennis and what are the things you miss the least?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, a slam can take a while. Sometimes it's a bit of a wait, you know. Sometimes you feel like the tournament has gone by in a flash, and sometimes you just feel like it's endless.
I think it depends on how the matches went, how happy you are, how everybody is doing at home, how your overall feeling is with your mind, your body, all these things.
Clearly I missed being in Paris, but at the same time for me, it was really important to make the most of it, of those two, three weeks. Having a bit of a run here on the grass, now I'm happy it's paying off.
Yeah, so, right now I enjoy everything about Wimbledon, and really happy to be back at a Grand Slam.

Q. What are you doing to relax in between games? A lot of players have been off to the West End to see musicals, Wicked and Matilda, even Beyonce. What have you been up to in your spare time?
ROGER FEDERER: Not that much, to be quite honest. I've been tired. I've been resting, watching some football, playing with my kids in the yard, doing treatment, watching tennis. I think it's important right now to be in that mindset.
My friends, my family, everybody around me did all the Beyonce, Matilda, all the stuff I wanted to do, too, but just not right now. Right now I have other goals than doing that stuff.

Q. It was bad enough when Cilic blew you off the court. Now he has Goran in his corner.
ROGER FEDERER: Goran was already there. Nothing changed.
I love Goran. I played against him. It's so funny, I played against most of the coaches, you know (laughter).
Yeah, you know, the funny thing is we played in the Indian league together with Cilic, and Goran was on the team. He was fighting so hard. I loved every moment we spent together. I even played doubles with Cilic there in the fall.
He's done a wonderful job with Marin. I think he's a very easy guy to work with. But he got him to the next level. I think that's a credit to Goran and Marin listening, believing in himself that he could play this big.
I don't know if he himself believed he could actually win a Grand Slam, especially in his fashion. A lot of credit to himself, but also Goran for getting him there.

Q. You obviously still remember that defeat at the US Open vividly. Does it still hurt? Also, do you go easy on your kids in football in the back garden or are you a competitive dad like you are on court?
ROGER FEDERER: I was just disappointed, you know, in that match that somehow I couldn't get into the match more. It's okay to lose in four sets. These things happen. It's okay to get blown off the court. I think it was easier because he did play that well. It was somewhat windy I remember, too, but he was just going big whatever he was doing.
So that was my disappointment, that I somehow could not get into it. I think up a break maybe in the second or the third, maybe in the third. If I could have just maybe extended the match a little bit, make him doubt himself a little bit, me gain momentum, who knows what could have happened.
But I never kind of got there. I never fully played freely in the match. But that was to his credit for just keeping cranking out serves and big returns.
Yes, I take it very easy on my kids. I'm not competitive in any way. I like when they win. I don't care if I win.
Thank you, guys.

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