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WIMBLEDON

July 1, 2016

Roger Federer

London, England

R. FEDERER/D. Evans
6‑4, 6‑2, 6‑2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Quite a bit of chaos this week, but you've been able to slip into the second week. Are you pleased that's the case? Obviously you are.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I'm clearly very happy because, well, the goal was to get to the second week somehow. Now I won nine straight sets, which is great. Plus with the wet weather that we've seen, the opponents that I had, never quite sure. But I was favored if I would be feeling 100%, great, yes, you would maybe expect that. But I didn't know for myself where I was, so I am happy where I am now.
Rest a couple days. Hopefully step it up a little bit more again on Monday.

Q. How much has it meant and what has been the effect of you being able to be indoors this week while the chaos was raining literally outside?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, it's been a rough spring and summer here. In Halle, I played three out of four indoors as well on the grass. Here now twooutofthree. Stuttgart was very rainy. Out of three matches, I had two interruptions. It's been rough.
I definitely got a bit lucky to play British guys, which put us also on Centre Court. So I'm the only guy I think in the fourth round, which is maybe a little bit of an advantage.
But then again, you know how it is: the better player usually wins down the stretch. There's a lot of tennis that needs to be played to win the tournament.
I'm really pleased of how actually my level has gone up, how round by round I've been able to play better. Yeah, I've gotten through this tough first week in terms of weather.

Q. Maybe this felt like more of a normal occasion than Wednesday. What did you make of Dan and his play?
ROGER FEDERER: He doesn't take much time between points. So do I. All of a sudden, next thing you know, you've played three games and you've only spent five minutes doing it. There can be swings very quickly if you're not careful.
I think I did a good job of actually serving well again. I got off to a great start in all three sets, which put Dan under a lot of pressure right away. He couldn't get through me.
I see here he had no aces against me. That's how I felt. He was always going to have a tough time on his serve because he's not the biggest guy.
You know, like to give myself some credit for that. Then making sure I mixed up my game, make sure I played offensive myself. I thought it was a good match from my side.
Dan is clearly dangerous on the grass. He was just not clearly getting his service winners that he was looking for.

Q. It's a big advantage to be under the roof when it's like this. Do you feel a bit guilty or do you feel you've worked to get these courts?
ROGER FEDERER: No, I feel it is what it is. Like I said, I've been lucky with the draw. Is it good to play the Brits? I'm not sure. It's usually tricky.
The draw, it is what it is. I got lucky to play Brits. Credit to myself for maybe winning as much as I did here in previous years that I do get put on either Centre Court or 1. Maybe I got to go on Court1 next week, maybe have to play four days straight. Who knows.
Yeah, things have gone well for me in the first week. We'll see how they go in the second week.

Q. You obviously know Stan and Juan Martin very well. Can you characterize how tough it really is to come back for Juan Martin, to play at that level he did today?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, no, I can't comment very much on that because he's been injured so long and so much. He's gone through so much change in terms of racquet, and then also just his whole body.
He had to go through an entire, you know, getting used to hitting a different type of a backhand when he comes over it. It looks different. It must feel different.
I guess he's still got the serve and the forehand, which is great. That's what was doing a lot of the damage again today. I think he's been very clever maybe of skipping most of the clay court season, giving himself a maximum chance to be fresh and eager and hungry and ready for the grass. It's paid off.
He played a great match today against Stan, who I've played on grass before. He's tough to play. He has his slice. He's got his power. He can go toe‑to‑toe with Juan Martin when it comes to the power from the back of the court, no problem.
I think it's a huge win for him. It will be interesting to see how far he can go now.

Q. You get, fortunately, to travel around the world, wonderful venues, large crowds. Near the end of her career, Steffi Graf said, Tennis gives me all these fabulous emotions, I need them. Is that something that resonates with you? Do you think you'll be able to transition? Is that still a big part of your motivation?
ROGER FEDERER: It's definitely part of it, yes. I prefer playing matches in front of thousands of people and on legendary courts rather than practicing in front of nobody. But even that I take pleasure from, as well.
I don't feel like I need it necessarily to live, otherwise I feel like I'd be in the wrong place, playing for the wrong reasons. I got a lot of great moments away from the matches and the practices and away from the tennis with the life, with my wife and my family, my friends. The traveling we do there as well, the time we spend together there is equally as nice, if not nicer.
If I can do it hand‑in‑hand, have sort of two lives at once, it's unbelievable. As long as my wife, my kids enjoy it, I'm the happiest guy out there. So also I can play better tennis.
But, yes, it's very cool to play matches like today or the other day. Then of course, winning is more fun, getting another chance to up your level round by round. It's a great feeling. It's a payoff for a lot of hard work also on the practice courts.

Q. We know there's going to be play on Sunday.
ROGER FEDERER: Apparently so.

Q. 25 years since the first time in '91. In 2004 when it happened, were you part of the Sunday rain extra day?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know. I don't remember. Yeah, I don't remember. Did I play on Sunday? I don't think I did.
I remember it happened not that long ago. 2004 was the last time it did happen?

Q. Yes.
ROGER FEDERER: Really? I thought it was more recent.
What I do remember is I once had six days off here. What happened? I think my third‑round opponent, Andrei Pavel, pulled out because of injury. I got Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday off. I was supposed to play Monday. It rained. I played Tuesday. So I had like six days off. I could have gone home, gone on vacation for four days, if only I knew it was going to be that way (smiling).
Yeah, it's tough on the grass. You have a little rain, you got to stop. The covers come on. You got to wait. Maybe it's good again. Take the covers off, rain comes again. A lot of hours go by, even though you could have played on clay. It's tricky.
But you have to check it if I played in '04, on that Sunday. I don't think I did, honestly. But maybe I did.

Q. You get to relax a little bit now Saturday and Sunday when everybody else has to play. Does that benefit you in a great way? Are you thankful for the British weather in that sense?
ROGER FEDERER: Look, I got to focus on my own thing. I know it sounds boring, but it's not my mistake. It's just what happened. I might take a day off tomorrow just because I can (laughter). Yeah, I can. I'm sorry, I can. I have to take them when I can. I'm an old guy.
I'm looking forward to my day off tomorrow. On Sunday I'll practice with more intensity, I guess, to keep that intensity, play points, go to the gym again.
Tomorrow it's relax, and Monday hopefully I'll have great energy when I come back.

Q. Will you see any attractions in London or be home?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, now that I know I'm through, we know the schedule for the next two or three days, yeah, you can start making plans. So please let me go so I can make those plans before everybody is asleep at home.

Q. I'm sure you saw Novak is down two sets.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah.

Q. I think sometimes we forget people aren't invincible. Do we not give enough credit to a puncher's chance, especially someone like Sam?
ROGER FEDERER: I always said it, the first week is tough. I played Sam here last year. He was swinging away big‑time, especially that first set, until I was able to control the match a bit more, he couldn't just blast through me any more.
We saw Novak struggle last year against Kevin Anderson. I remember those breakpoints Kevin had. He played them great. Credit to Novak for getting out of them.
Margins are small. I know we get carried away, we think it's impossible to beat him, all these things. Clearly he's beatable. It's not impossible. He cannot win straight 200 matches in tennis. It's not possible. You're going to have your losses. But he hasn't lost. That's the great thing for him. He can fight his way out of it.
It will be a different day tomorrow. Maybe very windy. Who knows what. Different game.
Still a long way away for Sam to get it done, especially with Novak's track record right now in the slams. Both know that.
Yeah, it will be an interesting match from now on clearly to see how Novak is going to come back from this.

Q. In an interview recently you talked about seeing Mirka train when you were young. Talk about what you learned and what effect that had on you.
ROGER FEDERER: I didn't learn that much because I knew I couldn't do it. I was just watching her train and go like, It's incredible how you can put your head down, train for five, six hours straight without losing interest. I was losing interest within an hour.
I was more just admiring it rather than thinking I could do the same one day, to be quite honest.
I had to go my path. My path was different. It was left and right and trying to adjust and find myself, deviate again. Eventually, you know, I found the joy in working hard and feeling the pain, understanding why I'm going on the treadmill, why I'm going to the weight room.
I needed everything to be explained to me. When finally the penny dropped, it was very clear to me, why I was doing the off‑court work for the on‑court.
Then also I think actually Tony Roche helped me in a big way, just getting my mind right in the sense, sort of old school, just being able to do hour after hour after hour. Ever since, it's not been a problem to do that now.
I actually have my coaching team slowing me down, Severin telling me, It's okay, you don't need to do more than two, three hours straight any more.
When Tony asked me, Can you play seven times five sets? That was the question. I looked at him, I go, I don't know.
He said, You want to be able to answer that question, Yes, with no problem.
That's what I've worked for. Ever since then, I'm confident I can do it.

Q. Was that 2005 Australia?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, in that time when we worked together.

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