TELECOM ITALIA MASTERS

May 11, 2003

Roger Federer

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

ROGER FEDERER: Yes and no. I mean, you know, it's always terrible when a match starts this way. You don't win your breakpoint out of one of the first five or so, it gets to your head mentally. I always played well till the breakpoints, then I felt like I didn't understand why, you know, because I thought I was staying aggressive. And just didn't go my way, you know. To have to lose the set the way I did, you know, is very disappointing. Also, I'm leading in the second and the third and I lose all the sets. So this match has been extremely disappointing in that respect, yes.

ROGER FEDERER: What was the beginning of the question again?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, because he never looked for the outright winner, you know? He plays very patient. Yeah, it's little bit boring, you know, I feel, you know. It's just the same all the time, you know. Doesn't matter if you hit a good or a bad shot, you know, the ball comes back the same way basically. So you have to kind of understand or accept also sometimes that a good shot won't mean you're gonna be in a better position. And sometimes that worse balls, you can be in the same position. So you kind of have to watch out a little bit how you play.

ROGER FEDERER: What do you expect? I been playing all the time - same as Ferrero, you know. Body starts hurting at one point, you know. Mine already hurt middle of the week, you know. I also have my problems, you know. So, of course, I felt some pain somewhere, yes.

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, first of all, I have to go there. Secondly, I will go there. Thirdly, I will play there. Because I'm a defending champion and I don't pull out just because of reasons...

ROGER FEDERER: You don't even feel you lose eight games in a row, you know? It feels like it's just not going your way, you know? I felt I lost so many points today which I had nothing to -- I felt like I did the right thing, you know. But just I'm walking off this court and I feel like it was meant to be that he had to win today, you know? It's really strange feeling I have today, because everything, in the right moments, went exactly his way - balls on the lines, saves he made, you know, become a good dropshot, all this kind of stuff on big points, you know. It's very tough to accept this, you know, because I really tried hard in the second and in the third to come back, and also in the second to be ahead. Just became frustrating, you know. I really had to keep my head together. And then plus the fatigue and, you know, the pain in the body, it's just not so easy, you know? And, of course, he played a good match. I have to say this in the end, you know. So he deserves to win, I guess, even though it's not so nice to say that, you know.