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SONY OPEN TENNISMarch 20, 2014Roger FedererMIAMI, FLORIDA THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Beginning of the season, return to the top 5 of the ATP ranking.  How does it feel for you? ROGER FEDERER: It's nice, but I'm more happy to be healthy again, and I'm playing good tennis. That then leads the ranking into the right direction. Yeah, I have been playing well now for the last seven tournaments. Started at the end of last year, and now I feel I found a good level, a good form. But as you know, you have to keep on working and keep on trying hard. It always resets. Every tournament it starts from scratch. I don't get like the old wildcard into the semis or anything like that. Doesn't exist. I have to put in the hard work and hope I'm going to have another successful tournament here in Miami. Q. I want to ask about the racquet. I was talking to Patrick McEnroe the other day and he said he saw a noticeable difference, easier power. Took a while for to get used to it, but he thinks it's made a difference. Has it made a difference, or is it just something else in the mentality? ROGER FEDERER: No, I mean, clearly you've got to be healthy to be able to play good tennis and get to the balls. If you're not going to get to the balls, then you won't be able to hit it and then the racquet doesn't matter. I need the quick feet, and I think I found that again. Then in terms of the racquet, it's been actually very exciting. You know, it's something I have been talking about to Wilson for a long time. I have really been waiting for that moment to try, switch, see if it worked or not. I went through that phase a little bit last year, and then especially at the end of the year. I trained the entire month with this racquet in December. I was feeling really good. The question is: Can you pull off the shots you need at, I don't know, 4‑all, 30‑All in the third set? Those kind of things you don't think of the racquet. That's the case. Like you say, I feel I do have easier power. It's actually a big switch, bigger than people think it is, because it's a much bigger head frame, it's wider beam, and I really enjoy this new racquet. I think it's definitely also part of the reason that I am playing so well right now. Q. Great athletes overcome everything. There will always be a point no matter how healthy your body is that it inevitably will not let you be great anymore. ROGER FEDERER: I don't quite agree with you that the body inevitably has to give in. Clearly if you're playing tennis at 50 years old, sure it's a different story, but nobody wants to play till 50. You want to go play doubles with your friends, anyway, and not be ridiculous out on center court like this. It's about what does your mind say? It could be so many things. Where is your life at? Maybe sometimes it's just like nice to do something different. Because you want to do it as long as you really enjoy it, and I guess part of it is also being a little bit successful helps in the process. But the body, you've got to maintain it and make sure you do the right things, don't overtrain it, don't overplay, because injuries are not fun to get over, you know. It's difficult, rehab. It's frustrating. But it's what the professional athletes go through. Thankfully I have never been hurt really badly, six months, nine months, a year or more and out of the game. I never really had to deal with that. You're probably asking the wrong guy, because even with injuries I have actually been able to keep on playing. It wasn't a whole lot of fun, but I didn't have to sit out for a lot of months in a row. So actually never really had to go through that until now. Q. Your game style, you have been attacking a little bit more at the net. How have you been able to adapt to that? Physically is it a little bit more easier or a little bit more tough? ROGER FEDERER: I think the courts I have been playing on this year, I think the tournaments I chose to play were actually quite fast. Brisbane I didn't know was that quick. It was very fast. Australia, they sped up the courts a little bit, so that was easier to attack the net a little bit, and you were getting benefits if you made your move to the net. You were being rewarded with aggressive playing style. Dubai historically always has been a quick place to play tennis at. And then now Indian Wells is the first one that's more slower. Then here in Miami, this is going to be the slowest of the year so far. So it's definitely going to be a little bit of an adjustment for me, as well. But I think it's more because of the surface I have been playing more aggressive. Already last week I haven't been able to come to the net as much as I wanted to. That's something I need to make sure I work on, that I do keep an aggressive playing style from the baseline. But you also have to be able to grind away because that's going to anyway come about when clay court season comes. Q. You have spoken about how well you're playing this year and also from late last year. Other players are saying the same sort of thing, that it's like the Federer of old. How much better do you think you can get from the way you're playing right how? ROGER FEDERER: Well, I just think the confidence is going to make the difference maybe at this point, because my body is there. Clearly will always be helpful to put in a training block where you are training very hard, can improve your potential a little bit, where your stamina is better, where your confidence and your endurance and explosivity is there. You name it. Your strength overall. I think at the end it comes down to confidence with most of the players. Q. Talking about being fit, my question is about Juan Martin Del Potro. Are you worried about his future? How important is dealing with those kind of situations? ROGER FEDERER: I'm worried for him in the sense that I hope he's going to be okay because he pulled out again. This is the third week in a row. Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami. It's not nice to see. I'm sure he has to rethink where he goes from here now, because that's not something you want to keep on doing. You'd rather rest or play in pain, or if it's too painful just have no choice. So I wish him a speedy recovery. I wish the best for him. I mean, in a crazy world, the good thing is he has already gone through injury before. He knows, you know, what it's about in a way. It's just about staying mentally strong now and doing rehab and staying in shape at the same time. I wish him the best, and I hope to see him on tour soon. Q. I know you're expecting your third child. I'm not exactly sure when. ROGER FEDERER: Nobody knows except my wife. Yeah. (Smiling). Q. Will that alter or affect your schedule do you foresee in any way? ROGER FEDERER: We'll see. I mean, I don't know. It's clearly a top priority for me. Being there and being supportive at one of the most incredible experiences of my life to be at the birth of Myla and Charlene. That's why I wouldn't want to miss it for the world. Depends how things are going to go. And, yeah, so far I can keep on playing. After that I will go back on tour when the time is right. We'll figure it out. Q. Do your little girls know more now what daddy does? ROGER FEDERER: Yeah. Q. That you're a tennis player? ROGER FEDERER: I don't know if they ‑‑I don't think they have the idea of what jobs are in particular, that you go and work for money and stuff. It's a bit deep for them (smiling). But they understand that I play a lot of tennis (smiling). They see me walking in and out of hotel rooms for matches and practice, so they get the difference now. They understand that. Q. When is the baby due? ROGER FEDERER: Only my wife knows, I told you. If I knew, I wouldn't tell you (smiling). Q. A fashion question for you. You have your own line. Plenty of people at every tournament every week are wearing it. What's that like for you, that process of picking out the colors, the style? You have your sort of elegant style on court. And then what would be your No. 1 fashion advice for any guy out there? ROGER FEDERER: Well, normally, look, it's great to see fans wearing the RF cap, you name it, or Nike in general. It's like a tag of approval maybe in a way that they enjoy what I'm wearing. They feel like they're connected to me, which I do feel is the case. The hard part is deciding today what I'm going to wear for US Open next year. It's kind of hard, you know, sometimes to put myself in the right mind and mindset to know, Am I going to like, you know, stripes in one‑and‑a‑half years? I'm not sure, you know. Right now I maybe do, but maybe one‑and‑a‑half years maybe not so cool. That's the hard part when we work together with Nike. But I really enjoy the process, and it's nice to be part of it rather than just getting stuff and then not liking or loving stuff. It has that element where you can be part of it. My advice probably is you've got to make sure you wear the clothes and not the clothes wear you. It's quite simple in a, way but don't wear something you totally feel uncomfortable with, but, you know, take some chances. Play around a bit. I felt very uncomfortable in suits when I was younger, so what I just started doing was wearing suits when I was going to dinner. I used to overdress a little bit so I got used to wearing suits. Now wearing a suit is like wearing a track suit for me. So it's all good. Q. You do such a job at your foundation in South Africa. Do you think the children, do they follow your progress and tournaments you win? Do they know... ROGER FEDERER: I don't think so. I don't expect it. Q. That you're a child? ROGER FEDERER: I don't think they know the gossip. It's not important, really. They don't even know, need to know who I am. All I want is that they can profit from the money we raise and from the work the community does and that me being involved is helpful to kids to have a better education. Same for teachers and the rooms where they study, that the material is good enough. That's what I care about. If they know who I am, what I do, if I'm successful or not has zero relevance for what I'm doing. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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