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SONY ERICSSON OPEN

April 1, 2009

Roger Federer

KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

R. FEDERER/A. Roddick
6-3, 4-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just talk about the electricity in the crowd and what that match was like for you? Seemed like an exciting night for everybody.
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I enjoyed it anyway. It was a good match. Crowd really got involved. I think they wanted to see as much tennis as possible, you know, and down-to-the-wire kind of stuff. It was an interesting match. Paragraph.
I think -- or I thought anyway -- that I should have had it under control in the second set. Kind of lost that and was under quite a bit of pressure in the third set. So I'm happy I got through it.
Got maybe a touch lucky at that deuce passing shot. But, I mean, I hit it well and came up with a great shot and match point. So I was really happy.
I think Andy's playing well. It was a good win for me tonight.

Q. What do you think happened in the second set?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I definitely should make the first breakpoint at Love-40. I have an easy forehand, he's at the net. He's not in good position. It wasn't a good approach, and I'm not able to put it away.
He volleys it dodgy over, and I think I tried a lob or something, which kind of a mistake against Andy, you know.
So I think after that he kind of played aggressive. He played well. So I think that one maybe cost me the second set.
After that, 40-Love, to be broken, that should never happen, especially against Andy. I mean, he's a good player, but he's not the greatest returner of all time. It just shouldn't happen, so that was disappointing.

Q. How about the lucky shot there at the end, kind of lucky off the let cord?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, like I said, I thought I hit a good pass. I mean, it was -- the thing is, with this net it's super tight this week, whereas last week it would have been a different net cord, you know.
I remember having a lot a lot of unlucky bounces over the years here with the let cords because those things fly off that net cords like crazy. I could have landed in the back fence, you know. I was happy it stayed in.
But I got a lucky one here too in the finals against Ljubicic. I don't remember match point. It was a good one, too, to get 7-6, 7-6, 7-6, is an important one, too.
But, no, I hung in there. You got to create yourself chances. If you do get lucky on a big point, it just happens. But you got to put yourself in that position, and that's what I was able to do.

Q. You haven't won a Masters Series in more than a year, almost a year and half. Does it feel like a long time to you since you've sort of been in the position to win one of these?
ROGER FEDERER: I don't remember the last one I won exactly.

Q. Cincinnati?
ROGER FEDERER: Against James?

Q. Yeah, James. Exactly.
ROGER FEDERER: Look, I've always actually thought, even when I was coming up, that the Super 9s Masters Series or Masters 1000s are the toughest ones to win almost because you've going to beat so many top guys in a short period of time.
We know the story last year. Struggled during this period of time, which just dominated for a couple of years.
Then clay, we know Rafa was always around when I made the finals. My big opportunity was Rome, but I missed that opportunity.
Then I think after Wimbledon, you know, who knows, maybe I was hurt a bit mentally after the finals and I didn't have rest I usually have. So maybe it was like a lack of preparation. Just like stressing to get over there, which I normally never have to do.
So it was just something maybe unusual for me. I lost two tough matches against Simon and Karlovic. I think if I get through those matches I'm going to go deep into the tournament. Because I wasn't playing bad, actually.
After that we got winter. I played great in Madrid. Beat Del Potro and Tsonga, good players, to get to the semis. I played actually a good match against Murray. I thought I had to win in straight, and ended up losing 7-5 in the third. The Paris I was injured. There goes the year of Masters Series.
So it's hard. But at the same time, it wasn't all that bad, you know. There was reasons why I lost. And the draws are tough. You know, you had guys coming up like Murray and Rafa dominating there for a while. It is just tough to get the tournaments?

Q. At this stage of the career, are they just less important than the majors?
ROGER FEDERER: Not really. I still consider every tournament important to me. I don't like to say it's all about the majors. Of course it's there where the history books are written for me. I'm aware of that. Of course I use the schedule trying to peak for the majors.
But at the same time, there's enough other tournaments where I can do well and want to do well. I have too much respect for tournament directors and fans and media, and I will always give it my best every tournament I play, otherwise I would rather stay at home.

Q. You've beaten Andy so many times. A match like this, is there a potential carryover? Is this something that'll stay with you and maybe bolster you a little bit?
ROGER FEDERER: Here you mean?

Q. To win a close match like this?
ROGER FEDERER: Sure, I think it's going to help me with my confidence. I think it was a decent match. I don't think I played my best tennis tonight, but I served well. I had the short lapses in the second set. I just have to make sure I -- they don't happen, because it happened in the third set against Murray.
Today I got out of it, which was great. I think it's going to really help me build momentum for the next match.
I have a good record against Novak, so I hope I can play well against him again. Here I had to adjust fa little bit to the night conditions, but I thought it was much easier than in Indian Wells where the ball is flying much more during the day, and during night it's way different.
So I was actually able to do the adjustments pretty quickly here tonight.

Q. Talk about Novak. You last played him at the Open. It's been a while.
ROGER FEDERER: US Open semis?

Q. Yes. That's the last time you guys played. Can you take anything away from that match, or this just a totally new situation?
ROGER FEDERER: Um, no. Look, I mean, I also beat him in Monaco. He gave up there. But it's good to have, you know, won the last couple matches against him. In the beginning when he was up and coming, you know, I figured him out pretty quickly, you know. I'm always anxious to play him, especially in the big occasions.
You know, I kind of like his game, you know, to play that kind of style player.

Q. Did you see any of his match today?
ROGER FEDERER: 4-3 in the second? Last couple games.

Q. And?
ROGER FEDERER: It was close. Yeah, it was one of those matches that he dug deep and got through. It was key for him to hold there at 5-4, no doubt, because otherwise I think it would have been a nail-biter for him.

Q. I think you said the other day you feel like you're turning a corner. When you won tonight, it looked plenty important. You screamed and you were happy. Was that just the night and blowing off steam, or did you see something tonight that gave you great confidence?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, you always have to look at the situation. You know, if you serve at 40-Love and hit an ace, it's not the same like when you hit a passing shot and you're breaking to win. It's a bit of a difference.
And you don't break Andy Roddick every day either. So it's always a highlight when you get a chance to break him. That's why I was happy.
Also because I almost, you know, lost the match there for a second when I was down a couple breakpoints in the third set. You know, I was -- this is the type of matches exactly I need right now, you know, in this part of the season.
When I get through those kind of tough matches, sometimes I go on to win the tournament and I don't never look back. I hope that's what's going to happen right now.

End of FastScripts

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