adidas International

January 9, 2001

Roger Federer

THE MODERATOR: First question.

ROGER FEDERER: I'm pretty happy with my match. I played solid all the way through the whole match. No ups and downs like I sometimes have. I was serving also really good, pretty solid throughout the match. Wayne definitely didn't play his best match. He was not serving too well, but I stuck to my game plan, and ...

ROGER FEDERER: Add more what?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, definitely. That was always a little bit -- it still is a little bit my problem. My ups can be very good, and then it can be really bad. So I have to make sure that this doesn't happen anymore, and it's gotten much better over the last months, years. So, yeah... It's getting better, and also mentally I'm getting stronger, not getting pissed off too much anymore, so...

ROGER FEDERER: That's right. Luckily, I'm getting older every day.

ROGER FEDERER: I'm 30 now, so I was 24 once. My goal ranking was like top 15, if possible. Possible higher. That is tough. But if I play good through the outdoor season, once will be very possible, so...

ROGER FEDERER: The New Balls Please?

ROGER FEDERER: Yes. Well, it started off in Toronto, yeah, and there I also had to do my first, like, appearance. I think it's a good way to promote young players. And in the beginning I felt maybe I was not good enough to be in the group because there were like guys like Hewitt, Kuerten, Norman. I mean, they've all won like Grand Slams or Finals or Top 10 or whatever. And I was like, what, 16? I was in the same group to do autograph sessions. I felt a little bit -- but now it's better after Sydney, and my ranking is better. And I think that people need to know also the younger players. I think it needs a little bit more time, then everybody starts knowing the new campaign.

ROGER FEDERER: If I what ?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah. Mr. August. I saw it yesterday first time. So...

ROGER FEDERER: If we are sexier than the women?

ROGER FEDERER: As a group?

ROGER FEDERER: I don't want to start a rivalry here, so... (Laughing.) I think it's the women who have to decide this and we have to make, like - how do you say - voting. Ask all the players. I don't want to answer this.

ROGER FEDERER: No.

ROGER FEDERER: Well, if we are sexier than the women?

ROGER FEDERER: How tough is this? I think women are sexier, so... Is that an answer or what? I don't know.

ROGER FEDERER: I don't think it depends on results. It's age that counts in this campaign.

ROGER FEDERER: Twenty-three, twenty-four. So, I mean, I don't know how far it goes before somebody drops out. Maybe Kuerten goes next; I don't know. He's already long time on the Tour. I don't know. All the guys born '78, '79, '80, '81, '82 should be in the campaign. I don't know what the strategy is for the ATP Tour, maybe you should ask them. They know better than me.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah. 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

ROGER FEDERER: Definitely. He's another Swiss player, and you don't play, especially him, especially me from my country, we don't play fellow mans like this every week. So it will be interesting to play him again, see what happened in the meantime. I played him last time in London. It was in winter last year. So it has been already a long time. Yeah. Why not play him here? I'm playing well, so...

ROGER FEDERER: It's not everything okay. Rosset is not playing. So this is the first problem we have. Yeah. It's still not solved. So...

ROGER FEDERER: We get along well.

ROGER FEDERER: We get along well. I mean, I get along with any player. It's not just Marc, also from other countries. I don't have an enemy on the Tour.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah. I mean, let's say the problems are pretty much solved. Marc has decided not to play, I have decided to play. (Inaudible).

ROGER FEDERER: Everyone knows what's happening at the moment. It was not exactly one year ago, where nobody knew who was going to play. Now it's -- I don't know. Talk to somebody else, please.