AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 26, 2004

Roger Federer

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

ROGER FEDERER: Well, you know, I took things out which were good for me in Davis Cup, you know, in Shanghai. We haven't played too often since I'm basically in the Top 10. Since, we always had great matches. This time I've played better than him, and he got the two other ones. But the real difference, I don't really know. I can't tell you (smiling).

ROGER FEDERER: Obviously, I was unhappy. I knew to come back from a set down against him would be very, very difficult. But I was not playing well. I wasn't serving well. So I knew if I can change all that, I can, you know, see what happens. That's exactly, you know, the reaction I wanted. Maybe I got a little lucky with that foot fault call, now, looking back. But I still felt like I started to play better and better in that second and especially third set afterwards. I was playing much more aggressive. Still not serving great, but was enough. Looking back, I'm very pleased I've come back from a set down.

ROGER FEDERER: I was chasing the lines too much in the beginning. I was letting him take control of the points and I was doing all the running. You know, maybe, who knows, little nervous also in the beginning just to feel the way around. He got that break in the beginning. Could have been 2-love for me, too, you know. So that was a bad start for me. He took advantage of it, because he served well in that first set.

ROGER FEDERER: No, I didn't. My friend told me that somebody yelled that. But there's been other comments, too, before that. I had worse comments than that in Davis Cup so I can live with that one.

ROGER FEDERER: Big revenge, yeah. Like I said on court, this is very big for me and my career. I'm chasing No. 1 in this tournament and, you know, this year, it's me the bad guy who, you know, puts Lleyton out of the draw, you know. Get a lot of press, obviously. But my goal is to go further, not just to beat Lleyton. Tomorrow I've got to forget what happened tonight and start from zero again.

ROGER FEDERER: Last time I beat him, so I'm confident (smiling).

ROGER FEDERER: Oh, it's definitely different, you know. Already the serving is totally different. He's got more of a kick serve. Lleyton's got more of a slice serve. That already changes a lot of how the points are set up. I feel like Nalbandian maybe looks more for the angles and the backhand down the line, where Lleyton just is happy with regular cross-court, you know, deep. So, yeah, it's gonna be totally different match even though they're similar players. You know, against him, I've got a revenge, too, from last year because that was a tough match, too.

ROGER FEDERER: He had some talent himself, you know (smiling). That's nice to hear from him. He's gave me a lot of praise over the years, but he's also criticized my game, which he's allowed to, you know. Depends how serious you take all this, what he says, or other players or experts. I think I've coped well with it so far. You know, it's nice to hear those things. So you also got to accept when sometimes people don't talk well about you.

ROGER FEDERER: I guess so, you know. This is not my -- that wasn't my situation. He wasn't a bad coach, Peter. The opposite. So, Agassi, he should know. He's got enough experience.

ROGER FEDERER: No. It's the one they're selling now in the store.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, that's right.