Roger Federer could be forgiven for getting carried away with his expectations for the tour following his run to an historic 18th major title at the Australian Open in January. Once again the Swiss maestro shined at the highest level of the sport, but it isn’t stopping him from looking at the bigger picture.
The memory of his Melbourne triumph is still fresh in Federer’s mind. In what was his first competitive tournament for six months, he dismissed a trio of top-10 players on route to his 28th grand slam final. Awaiting the Swiss was his nemesis Rafael Nadal, who he prevailed over in an epic five-set match.
“I still feel like I’m on Cloud Nine,” Federer told the media on Wednesday. “Things are terrific, and I’m happy if I made a lot of people happy, because I know I’m not just playing for myself these days. There’s so much more to it.”
This month, Federer graces his presence at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the first Masters 1000 event of the year. It will be only his third competitive tournament since Wimbledon after a troublesome knee injury ended his torrid 2016 season early. A four-time winner of the event, fans from around the globe will travel to the Californian desert to watch the 35-year-old in action. The attention is something Federer has grown to be accustomed with, but he has already issued a caution ahead of his latest campaign.
“I don’t feel like you throw everything overboard just because you won the Australian Open,” he explained.
“I still try to see it in the most relaxed way possible, understanding that it did start off with a bang in Australia and clearly people will expect me to back it up and all that stuff. I really don’t see it that way. I feel like I’m on the comeback, and no expectations.”
Federer’s grounded viewpoint has been enhanced by his baffling loss at last week’s Dubai Tennis Championships. Facing Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy in the second round, he crashed out after failing to convert match points in the second set and squandering a 5-1 lead in the decisive tiebreaker.
A repeat of the Swiss players missed opportunities is something that the Federer camp can’t afford in Indian Wells with him being drawn in the so-called ‘group of death.’ An astonishing draw has placed the former world No.1 on a collision course with Rafael Nadal in the fourth round followed potentially by Novak Djokovic.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve gone through so many draws. I came here to Indian Wells to play against those guys. So it doesn’t matter if it’s a semi, a final or actually a fourth round,” Federer said about the brutal draw.
Federer is seeded 9th in this year’s BNP Paribas Open. Granted a first round bye, his opening match will be against either Israel’s Dudi Sela or France’s Stephane Robert.
Rough. 😵#Federer potential route at @BNPPARIBASOPEN
R1 BYE
R2 #Robert/#Sela
R3 #Johnson
R4 #Nadal
QF #Djokovic
SF #Nishikori
F #Murray pic.twitter.com/oPODhtOgGa— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) 8 March 2017
