DAVIS CUP - USA vs SWITZERLAND

February 11, 2001

Roger Federer

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I don't know, it was very special match today. I was playing okay, I mean, but I think not unbelievable. But I was trying to break his rhythm. I was trying to make him play bad, not give him the rhythm. And plus I was hurt -- hurting. My legs were hurting. I was really fighting. It was such a relief in the end. But I mean, I had to cry. It was such a nice feeling I never had before. Yeah...

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I started to feel it already in the first -- in the first set. I was like, "What is this now?" I was trying to stretch it and, I don't know, it was the upper leg here in the back (indicating), I don't know. It was probably because of last week and all the pressure this weekend and over the last two matches. But I really never thought actually it was really going to bother me. I felt like it was better in the third and fourth set. It was weird.

ROGER FEDERER: Left. Not injury, because otherwise I would have lost. So... (Laughing.) Yeah, it was just pain. I mean I had, I don't know, muscle pain already yesterday and it's probably a combination of everything.

ROGER FEDERER: My total game was good the whole weekend. I can't complain. I'm serving well. I mean I'm feeling well from the baseline, and the winning was -- tiredness is never easy for me. Normally when I get tired, mentally I let go a little bit. This was absolutely not the case this weekend. I stayed focused. The crowd was behind me. That helped a lot. And I really hope to come back here to Basel because this is -- I love this hall, and the people were great at the end, also during the game. Very special for me today, during the whole weekend.

ROGER FEDERER: "Unbelievable" is my only word I can say. I mean this is -- I don't know. It's so hard to explain the feelings that go through your head. It was just total relief, total happiness at one time, and I was so happy for the team, happy for Switzerland to beat such a big country. Yeah, I'm really happy about my performance all weekend. I really don't know what to say.

ROGER FEDERER: I mean it's maybe -- I think I can play better on this surface. Maybe it has something to do with the balls because normally I think I can hit more winners from the baseline, you know. But the balls were pretty, I don't know, heavy I thought. So, I mean, I played Jan-Michael at the Hopman Cup. I couldn't hit many more winners from the baseline. Here it was almost impossible. You had to go to the net or really serve well, so it was a battle today. But I don't know. If I keep playing like this, that's fine. I'm not complaining, so it's good.

ROGER FEDERER: I always would like to play Pete Sampras or somebody, I never played him. He was my idol when I was young. I would like to play guys like them every week, but they not playing the same weeks like I am. So it would be nice to challenge always the top guys. It's always nice to compare yourself to do your very best. So if I keep playing well, automatically I'm going to play these guys. So I really hope to keep going like this and have a good year.