US OPEN

September 10, 2005

Roger Federer

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, looking forward, obviously. What better final could I wish for? An American in a US Open final. So it's great. I'm looking forward to it.

ROGER FEDERER: It's been all right, you know. I've been winning my matches, and against good players. So when I needed it, it was there. But I think overall, definitely wasn't my best serving. But, you know, you cannot expect to serve aces and service winners all the time. But today, definitely had to survive more tougher moments than in the past against him.

ROGER FEDERER: No, it doesn't.

ROGER FEDERER: Which set was that again?

ROGER FEDERER: Beginning of the second.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, yeah, I remember that.

ROGER FEDERER: No, that wasn't in my mind. I was just a little disappointed, you know, to give away a service game leading 40-Love. I mean, that rarely ever happens, you know. So maybe I went into that game at 40-Love a little bit too casual, who knows. But he had to still hit some good shots to come back. And, you know, he did, so that's his quality. But I wish I could have stayed ahead. I think I had the break twice in that set, didn't I? So that was, for me, in a way a tough one to accept, you know, being up I think 4-3 and being up 2-1, then being down 5-4. Suddenly then, well, we all know how many things I had to save then. But in the end I'm basically also quite lucky to have won the set. I wish I could have played more consistent throughout the match, but, you know, today was tough. I thought he played better than in the past.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I would say so.

ROGER FEDERER: I'm not really surprised. All the matches he went into, he was the favorite in my eyes. Obviously, five-setters, you know, it's down to the wire in the fifth and you better be playing your best right then. I mean, he was very close against Blake and the other ones I thought he was pretty much in control. So, I mean, it's always, I think, you have to pay a lot of respect to do that. You back it up one after the other. He deserves to be in the finals, absolutely. But I know when he enters, if he plays against lower-ranked players than him, normally he's take going to walk out as a winner.

ROGER FEDERER: That was the plan in the first place.

ROGER FEDERER: Phone call, I don't know (smiling).

ROGER FEDERER: I'm through to the final, you know. We both have to win, but something like that happens. But what have we got, three more hours of rest? So, I mean, could be crucial, I don't know. I don't think so, but... Well, I mean, it's not also the TV that should decide on things like that. So you can ask the players or just the tournament should not even ask anybody and just put up who they think is the prime-time match. It's always hard, you know, two Americans, you get the No. 1 and No. 3 in the one section. It's their call. I'm not really angry.

ROGER FEDERER: Maybe his last match, yeah, but the not the last eight. He played, I think, a good match today. It was close. This match could have gone either way, I had the feeling, especially in the first, in the second, in the third and in the fourth, really. So I'm happy I came through on top because this was a difficult match.

ROGER FEDERER: Just had to save more breakpoints, you know. I had to go through some tougher moments. That's obviously hard, you know, on your mental part because you always got to focus and focus and focus. That's not so easy, and especially against Lleyton, you know, he's going to get the balls back. Physically, it wasn't a problem, but just it's hard after a while, obviously.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I like that (smiling). But if I hit it ugly, too, and I shank it and it goes up for a lob winner, I take that too, you know. For me, it's the result that counts. Maybe if it looks graceful; that's nice.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, it's a little bit -- you're always a little proud about yourself, but maybe for two seconds and not much longer than that.

ROGER FEDERER: It was different. Doesn't really matter how I feel right now, to be honest. There's just one more match to go. Same for Andre, you know. We give everything we have left, and we both hope we gonna play good, I think. I hope I can play better than him, obviously. But interesting match, for sure, you know. He's got the crowd behind him and the biggest center court in the world. I expect myself to play a good match if I want to have a chance.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I think it's the third time we'll play here, on the same court. Last year we played during the day, during the night, in the wind, no wind. So basically we had it all. I think the weather forecast should be all right. It's been fantastic all the time. I expect a tough match, you know. He always makes the opponent run. I'm ready to run, so (smiling)... And defend myself and play aggressive when I have the chance.

ROGER FEDERER: You mean for the entire tournament or just for the final?

ROGER FEDERER: I'll play the same way as I play today, no change.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah. No problem (smiling). I'm not feared at all from that. Davis Cup is tough. I've experienced a lot throughout my career, I have the feeling. So it shouldn't be a problem (smiling).

ROGER FEDERER: You got to ask him. For me, it's hard to answer, but I think, you know, he was awfully close today, much closer than he was in the last few matches. I think it should give him some confidence. Every time I beat a quality player, a top player or a former No. 1, it's for me always still something special even though it's maybe the eighth or ninth time I've beaten him. But for me, those matches are huge, you know. They keep me -- they give me shots at winning Grand Slams, staying No. 1 in the world for maybe some longer time. So for me, this match was today extremely big. Especially I survived some really tough moments.

ROGER FEDERER: Not really, no. We know each other's games.

ROGER FEDERER: I didn't understand. I'm sorry.

ROGER FEDERER: Yes.

ROGER FEDERER: Tomorrow?

ROGER FEDERER: (Smiling). Well, depends how you look at it, huh? Where you're from. Well, it's hard to say, huh. I mean, it's a very different setup, right. Young against older. A guy whose career is towards the end, another guy's been dominant. So depends if you like dominance or not, so (smiling)...

ROGER FEDERER: No, it's not another match, obviously. It's very special. I mean, last year was already incredible, I thought, to play Lleyton in the finals. Now it's Andre. I think it's even more emotional, more -- there's more in it, you know, especially in the finals. It's not like the quarterfinals last year. So already that was special, I thought night session against him. So this is, I guess, one of my biggest matches in my career. So I better be playing well.

ROGER FEDERER: Sorry?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, that was big. I was in this horrible group, I thought, for me. Came through the first match against Andre saving matchpoint. That was for me extremely big. That maybe also was a turning point in my career. I've got an incredible record right now in the States, I've hardly lost a match in the last two years. So this is fantastic, you know. I think, you know, the fans here, they enjoy watching me. Obviously always depends on the occasion, how much they're into it, what kind of match was before, what kind of match is after, what time of the day it is. But honestly, I feel I have great support here in this country, and I'm happy to see the reactions after last year's US Open. I was always looking forward very much to how will they react to, you know, Swiss winning the US Open and me coming back, and will anything change, will they recognize me more, will they back me up more. I really have the feeling they do. So I don't expect that at all tomorrow, so they should be on Andre's side so... I hope it's not only Americans in the stadium, though (smiling).

ROGER FEDERER: That's how it goes, huh.

ROGER FEDERER: I don't know. That was luck, I think.

ROGER FEDERER: Not pure luck, but there was a lot of luck involved, I think. Because five set points normally don't come out. I was in some rough situations there, and obviously I was serving all right, but in the end I think he should have deserved that set. But tennis can be tough sometimes.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I pretty much enjoyed it. It's always a dream for somebody to come to New York somehow, you know, because the city is so great. I came here as a junior first time in '98. I loved it, you know. I thought, you know, I achieved everything I wanted; I made it to New York. I always played well, too, so I never really had this bad memories of playing bad here. I've always, I think, won a couple of rounds. I always got a sense for -- a feel for the city as well. So I never really disliked this event or this city, so I'm happy I'm spending some time here again this year.

ROGER FEDERER: Maybe some history would be nice in this country. For me, you know, in Europe, we have such great, let's say, cities with incredible history that I know much more about. Obviously, you know, you have an incredible amount of space here, so you never feel cramped - except New York. Okay, this is now a special city. But I think the people are very friendly, you know, open to tourists and everything. So I think that is very nice. Europe, obviously, it's quite different. Like it's different to Asia again, you know. I think that's nice, the changes we have in the world. It's in a way a big place, but now with the traveling it makes it quite easy to go and visit them all. I enjoy that.

ROGER FEDERER: What is that?

ROGER FEDERER: Which means...?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, sort of depends where you go. Go in the countryside, I don't think nobody would think Roger Federer would be walking around in the countryside right now, so they wouldn't make the connection. But now that they know I'm in New York, obviously maybe more people have a look if there's tennis players or whatever. But, I mean, it's getting rough now all over the world, I have the feeling more and more, with the success. But so far it hasn't been bothering me, which I'm happy about.