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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 10, 2019

Roger Federer

Wimbledon, London, England

R. FEDERER/K. Nishikori

4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Today I think you seemed it difficult to find your rhythm on your serve, especially the second serve. How do you look back that?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, Kei is a great returner. When he finds his rhythm, he's clear, he knows what he wants to do, he usually comes in with a plan into a match, you know. He's always willing to be aggressive. He can be very dangerous. If you serve the wrong spots at the wrong time, he's able to connect, it's tough.

Beginning was hard for me. Just maybe finding the right serves at the right time. I don't think I necessarily served poorly. It's just the way points were rolling. My decision making in combination with his great shot-making was just a tough combination early on.

I could almost fight back into it. But Kei was a bit better in that first set. For me, it was obviously important for me to start strong in the second. I was able to do that.

After that, Kei saw less and less chances on my serve. And I saw more, so things started really to turn.

Q. We often ask you about the challenge of facing a given opponent. When you're playing as well as you are, how would you describe the challenge you think your opponents have in facing you?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, the problem is I can't think that way too often because then I start playing like I would be playing myself, and that doesn't make any sense sometimes because they have total different strengths and weaknesses than I do.

Sometimes, sure, I don't know, I don't serve the body because I think that might give them the idea to serve body. I'm like, Okay, I'm going to keep serving what I'm serving. I'm not going to give the other guy any ideas.

I think that's silly, too. You just do what you want to do. I think it's always good to go with your own strength solely than to focus on your opponent.

Q. What is working most for you right now?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't know. I feel good on the court. Even if I'm down a set or down a break, no hurry there. I stay calm. I feel like I have the 1-2 punch sort of under control. I'm serving good. I'm going in phases in returning.

It's been very different to play Berrettini in the last match where he's serving big. I was chipping a lot today, I was coming over all the time. That obviously takes some getting used to.

Overall I'm just very happy how I'm hitting the ball. Feel good off the baseline, too, which is clearly going to be important maybe for the next match.

Q. You mentioned earlier playing with a bigger racquet helps you a lot over the last couple of years. Have you considered playing even bigger to neutralize the spin of Rafa or the power of Djokovic? Would you lose control if you played too big?
ROGER FEDERER: Don't know. Haven't thought about it. Probably won't. I'm happy where I am right now. Changing racquets all the time is not the easiest thing in the world, as we know. You can do minor changes. I don't know how much longer I'm going to play maybe. There is so much more left, that I will have plenty of time to change another racquet.

I think so far it's very good how things are working out with my racquet.

Q. What is the biggest challenge of playing Nadal, which will probably happen here on grass again?
ROGER FEDERER: Regardless of the racquet?

Q. Yes.
ROGER FEDERER: I mean, it's not your first day on the job. You know everything about Rafa, like I do, too. I don't think I really need to tell you what his strengths and weaknesses are.

Improved so much over the years on this surface. He's playing also very different than he used to. Haven't played each other in a long, long time on this surface. He's serving way different. I remember back in the day how he used to serve, and now how much bigger he's serving, how much faster he finishes points.

It's impressive to see how sort of healthy he's stayed. A lot of them are saying, Oh, it's the end, by 2008. Similar to me in '09. We're still here. So it's nice to play each other again.

Q. In particular, which of your past matches might have some relevance for Friday?
ROGER FEDERER: Not so much the French Open, I do believe. I feel like conditions were slightly different. It was so windy, as you know. It was just insane. I haven't heard it was going to be the same in a couple of days, so I hope not, even though that would be funny again.

No, I mean, maybe Australian Open final. Obviously, best-of-five set match, five sets. Then again, yeah, I don't know. It doesn't matter anyway. Who cares. It's about how has he played so far, how have I played so far. I hope it goes my way.

It's going to be tough, you know. Rafa really can hurt anybody on any surface. I mean, he's that good. He's not just a clay court specialist, we know.

Q. You spent a lot of time at this place over the years. Have you ever taken moments to notice how many nice flowers there are at Wimbledon?
ROGER FEDERER: I think I do. I always liked the ivy more so almost. I know there's a lot of flowers, especially that sort of first, first week, the practice week. When we wander around the grounds, we get a bigger chance to enjoy them. We see the gardeners working on them.

Afterwards it's very much press room, locker room, arrival Millennium Building. You start to sort of not see them any more. You can see the purple and green, the flowers. It's nice. I like flowers, so good question.

Q. You said in a recent interview that your favorite souvenir is the net from the 2009 final here against Roddick. What have you done with it?
ROGER FEDERER: Still rolled up. I've still been waiting to put it up somewhere. You can't just put it up in your living room, across the window or something. You need to have the right place for it.

It's pretty big, as you know. I was wondering if I could put it in the garage, but I did something else there.

Anyway, it's still there. It's ready to be used. Maybe I could even use it for a tennis court one day I have one, but I don't. But it's definitely special because that was such a magical day in my life.

Q. Has anybody ever compared you to Tom Brady?
ROGER FEDERER: Not very much. I mean, in America maybe. I met him. Great, great athlete. Nice to meet him.

Q. You see tennis players with their teams. You have your family. How much of your time do you spend in your life alone?
ROGER FEDERER: Not much. I don't like being alone. I mean, I'm not afraid of being alone. I don't know, I like being surrounded by my friends, family. It's obviously the best. Yeah, I like talking to people.

Now with four kids anyway, there is a lot of that, which is perfect for me in my life because I'm very happy.

Q. Did you hear about this incredible number 100?
ROGER FEDERER: A fan reminded me on court while I was signing autographs.

Q. There are numbers and numbers. But 100 matches...
ROGER FEDERER: It's special. I guess so. It's been a lot of years I've been coming here, you know. That's given me the opportunity to win a lot naturally.

I didn't think of it while I was playing today. Actually not at all, not once. Then as I'm signing, the guy says, Congratulations for your 100.

Oh, yeah, I didn't know. I forgot.

It's nice, because if I look back at the hundred that have happened, some were so incredibly cool. Today again was a big match going into the semis, maybe facing Rafa -- Rafa, now that he won.

Yeah, a hundred wins here at Wimbledon. Who would have thought? I didn't, for sure.

Q. One of the statistics that tends to blow people's minds in tennis is no active men's player under 28 has even competed in a slam final let alone won one. Given you've won 15 by that age, does part of you think this era of dominance should have been dislodged by now?
ROGER FEDERER: Yes. I mean, I think it's definitely not a - how do you say - regular time in tennis in the men's game because I don't think we would have thought that Novak, me, and Rafa, all of us, was going to be so solid, so dominant for so many years.

I think that, number one, stopped a lot of runs from the younger guys. Number two, I'm not sure, were they as talented as Rafa, Novak, and myself and others? Maybe also not.

I think also the way the points are structured, they're so far right in the draw that you have to go so deep as a younger guy that you also maybe lack your ranking to be top 4 or top 8 easier. I feel like there is sort of different levels to it.

If you're top 32, that's good at slams. If you're top 16, it's good. Top 8 is another step. I feel like it's hard to get into the top 8 and stay there, let alone top 4, just because there's some guys in there that are very tough.

The only way to get in there at the moment, it seems like, if you win a slam. Otherwise you need so many more points in the 1000s. Rafa takes care of the clay there. Novak is in every Masters 1000 on hard court. I float around. You add Murray to it, Stan to it, guys that made their move later on, del Potro to it, you realize there's not that much to get.

I think it's a combination of many things. But it might all change again. Obviously the way the ranking system works, other things -- I mean, I grew up in the bonus points. I don't know if you remember those times. If you beat, let's say, No. 1 in the world, you got a hundred points at a slam, 50 points at another tournament. If you could make big-time results, you could all of a sudden just jump in the ranking much more. The following year you couldn't defend those points if you didn't have exactly the same draw.

It is what it is right now. I just think it's kind of tough to get to the top because Novak and Rafa are still so, so good. It just makes it more difficult like that.

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