TENNI SUS OPEN – 2nd of September 2014. R. Federer d. R. Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. An interview with Roger Federer
Q. For those of us that aren’t familiar, could you discuss some of the changes you made in your regimen to get some of your explosiveness and quickness back?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, it’s pretty simple in some ways. There’s no rocket science behind it, really. As long as you can train you’re gonna feel all right. As simple as that, basically. But because of the issues I had last year I had to be unbelievably careful what I did. We had to cut back on a few things I usually would do but were scared to do. That was not what I wanted to do. Sometimes if that’s what it is and it means don’t run on the treadmill or don’t do jumps or whatever it is, well, there’s other ways you can train that. I’m happy that basically today I can do whatever and I don’t have any more setbacks. Once you can do that, then you really start to feel the benefits down the road. Clearly it’s going to take a few months. Because of my experience with my fitness coach and my, you know, coaching staff, I think we really were able to come up with the right plan. Now I have my confidence back. It’s as simple as that.
Q. What goes through your mind when you watch Monfils play, about his style and what makes him a successful player?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, he’s got easy top 10 potential, you know. He’s a great mover. He’s got a wonderful serve, really, which nobody really talks about because of his athletic movement which stands out so much, you know. His issues have really been just his fitness and his setbacks he’s had because of injury. Then sometimes, you know, maybe not wanting to play sometimes because of reasons only he can explain, you know. I think that’s where he’s been put back in the rankings, and because he’s back in the rankings he’s got tougher draws. From there it’s harder to win tournaments and so forth. It get that much harder. I think I can speak on behalf of so many players: We love watching him play. It’s nice seeing him do well again. He’s going to raise in the rankings now, and maybe that’s exactly the steppingstones he needs to make it back in the top 10.
Q. He says he considers you the greatest player of all time and he tells us this is an opportunity he will tell his children about.
ROGER FEDERER: Okay, great (laughter). Is that a good thing? I don’t know. I mean, I like the guy, you know. We always joke around and we always have a good talk. I think it’s very fair once out on the court. It’s tough but it’s fair. I think our games match up nicely against each other. So, yeah, we played a good, tough match against each other just last week. Yeah, let’s hope it’s going to be memorable for everybody involved, especially the unborn children so far. (Laughter.) I mean, doesn’t mean he needs to beat me 7-6 in the fifth, because that would be huge.
Q. The other night I asked you about yourself as a player today versus, you know, yourself in 2004 when you first won the title. I wanted to sort of continue on from that and ask, As a man or a person at 33, how do you feel different from the 23 year old who won the title back then?
ROGER FEDERER: I felt like probably in 2004 I had to win the title, and I wanted to win the title so badly because I was having — I had two Grand Slams at the time, was world No. 1, was playing very well. I probably had three slams, actually. I Wimbledon as well in ’04. I had not unlimited confidence, but I really felt like as long as you haven’t won at the US Open, you know, it’s going to be a tough one to win if you don’t win this year or the next year, because now I’m playing maybe my best tennis. I’m as confident as you can ever be. I’m happy I played really incredible tennis throughout the US Open in 2004. Didn’t run into I don’t think crazy, difficult matches that year. This year, you know, it’s different. I have already won it, but clearly I would like to win it again. I’ll give it all I have. I definitely feel like there is a big opportunity, and that’s the mindset right now. So I know I can win it and I will try.
Q. Is there a way in which life experience puts the tennis court in perspective for you in a way that might be different from ten years ago?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah. Like I said, it’s just totally different times, you know. I have played probably, what, 800 matches plus by now. I have got so much more experience and know how to handle the pressure so much more. I know how to handle the press room. You know, the days off, the wind, humidity, a guy I have never played against, it all seems easy. But then it’s harder to get it done sometimes, you feel like. But then I’m really in a good place right now, like I was back then, but it’s just so, so different. You can’t compare.
Q. You mentioned a moment ago whether or not Gaël wants to play tennis all the time. Just wondering, all the things in your success, your innate talent or hard work, your health, how important has your want to play tennis been? Where would you rank it in all of those…
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, very high, otherwise I wouldn’t have played all these slams and all the World Tour Finals. I don’t know how many seasons I have played in a row now, but I have always played, you know, from January to November every single year. And of course maybe I missed — on purpose I missed, you know, a month here or one-and-a-half months there, but it’s really not much if you think about it. So wanting to play. I think especially also a strength of mine has been wanting to play through pain, wanting to play through sickness, and wanting to play through times where I’m not feeling well or, you know, I’d rather maybe do something else right now, but I know if I come through this match or this practice I will feel better on the other side, you know. It’s like a storm, really. I think that’s something that for me has been not rather easy, but it’s been something I could deal with quite comfortably.
Q. Why do you think you want to play so badly?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, because at the end of the day it’s like I know it’s one of the things in life I like doing most. I know not every day is going to be fantastic and easy and great, but the majority of the days are going to be like that. Those are the days that are going to make me happy. In trainings, I must say can always find a way to entertain yourself and keep it fun. Playing in a court like this, if you don’t get up for it anymore like this, okay, maybe one match out of the year I understand maybe if you’re a little bit like flat. Otherwise I feel I was very motivated.
Q. You have worn black quite often in the night sessions in New York. How involved are you in choosing? Were you tempted to keep the black racquet to go with it?
ROGER FEDERER: No, but I’m very involved with what I wear, with designs, and especially color wave, as well. Because I think color in some ways is very personal. I might not like some colors to others and some combinations just don’t appeal, but for me, especially since the RF logo, the brand all started to happen, I have obviously been more involved. I always had more input. We try to meet on a regular basis. The racquet, that was always going to change once I definitely chose the racquet, that there was going to be cosmetic on it. That was also my wish with Wilson, that there was going to be a cosmetic change from the black.
