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XXIX OLYMPIC GAMES

August 12, 2008

Roger Federer

BEIJING, CHINA

R. FEDERER/R. Arevalo
6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You will play Tomas Berdych. Time for Olympic revenge?
ROGER FEDERER: I guess in Olympic terms, yes. We've played almost everywhere since. You know, it was our first match four years ago. And we've played on many occasions - some very good matches against each other, some less good, you know, when he was maybe a little tired or injured, Wimbledon, Paris.
But I always thought he had a great talent. To this day, I don't think he still has lived up to his potential yet, you know, because I think he has got a great game. So obviously I'm aware of the danger tomorrow.

Q. These games are a lot about Michael Phelps. Have you seen any of his races and what do you think about him in general?
ROGER FEDERER: I only saw highlights when he won the relay, for instance. But I've never met him before. You know, I've been in, how do you say, like awards shows, nominated in the same category, Sportsman of the Year in the Laureus, for instance. Obviously what he's doing is quite incredible. He's been doing it also now for many years. He had a great Olympics last time around. You know, to come back next time and basically do the same thing again, or maybe even better, it's quite incredible.
And he's doing it in different competitions, you know, different lengths. So he's obviously very impressive and he's one of the greatest athletes out there at the moment.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the crowds here. Sometimes they start cheering if there's a particularly long rally before the point is over. Jankovic was annoyed by that. Hewitt thought it was great. What are your thoughts about the crowds here?
ROGER FEDERER: I think they're good, you know. I think they're really getting into the whole tennis thing. Same thing in Shanghai. You know, they get excited for different reasons, you know, here in China, it seems like.
Like you said, sometimes before the point is over, sometimes on a double-fault where you're like, okay, double-faults happen. But they're like, oh, no, how bad for the other guy, or something like that. So it's actually quite a unique experience. It's a different cultural experience, in a way.
Honestly, I enjoy it. I've played great in Asia. At times they're reserved and then at times they really get excited. I think it's especially night sessions here, I think, are obviously even more special than the day session. I think they feel like this is the big stage, you know, with the lights and everything.
It was a nice experience tonight.

Q. What do you think about Arevalo?
ROGER FEDERER: Obviously, for me a very interesting match, you know, in such an tournament in my life to be playing a player with a very low ranking in a very big pressure situation for me. I have nothing to win, only to lose.
It wasn't easy today. But I think Rafael, he did well. I think he played like a clay courter to me. You know, he kept the ball in play, played it with a lot of spins. Really, I felt like he believed in his chance, which I think was key in terms of mental approach in a match like tonight, where he could easily go into this match and hope, Okay, I hope I play a good match, a few games, and I'm happy, you know. But I think he wanted more.
I hope for him that he will be -- I'll see more in the future and he'll reach really the big men's tour.

Q. You're getting a fair bit into the tournament now. How do you assess the way you're playing, the form, before playing Tomas Berdych?
ROGER FEDERER: I thought my first round was very solid. You know, didn't have any lapses, served well, had a great second set, and then against a dangerous player. That was a good match.
Tonight, I can't really rate this match too much. It was all a matter of getting through, you know, hopefully not getting a fright or anything, which I didn't. So it was just an okay performance, you know. I had to play to win, not to please anyone. And it's kind of tricky to play this way.
But it was a good way to also maybe get used to center court at night in case I progress in the tournament. Tomorrow I think I play second from 4. So that might be under the lights again.
I think for this reason it was good. I'm pretty happy with my form. But I think tomorrow will be a bigger test. I can tell you again more tomorrow then.

Q. We see you week in, week out. We know what your achievements are. The same goes with Tiger Woods. The name Phelps being mentioned, where would you place him among the elite sportsmen like yourself and Woods? Would you put him up there on the same level even though his name will really come to the fore once in every four years?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, like you say, yeah, it's a bit more difficult to follow than maybe golf or tennis because maybe swimming doesn't have the world stage like we do or Formula One does or even Moto GP. It's a little bit maybe more difficult for them. But they shine really a lot during the Olympic Games, which is their big advantage.
It's hard for me even to really tell exactly what he did the last few years. I just know he's been very good. You know, he's been winning almost everything. But I don't even know how many races they swim a year. So I think that, like, in between sort of the most famous sports and the sports that just show up, you know, sort of once every four years.
But I think swimming is a beautiful sport. You know, I think it's definitely one of the big sports here at the Olympic Games, still considered bigger than tennis, which I agree with. You know, but I think if you have a solid Olympics like he has twice or three times, it's correct you're mentioned as one of the best athletes out there at the moment. I think he's achieving that right now and he's writing history maybe. I hope he does it because I always think it's exciting, you know, when you break records.

End of FastScripts

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