19-time grand slam champion Roger Federer embarks upon the new season eager for more record-breaking success, but aware he can’t get too carried away.
The 36-year-old is hoping to replicate his heroics from almost 12 months ago. At the start of 2017, he returned to action following a lengthy injury absence. It was a dream comeback for the Swiss player, who won the Australian Open. Setting him for a season that has elevated him back to second in the world on the ATP Emirates rankings.
Federer will begin his Australian summer campaign next week at the Hopman Cup. An annual exhibition event that features mixed teams. A former winner back in 2001 with Martina Hingis, Federer is under no illusion about the tough task that lies ahead of him.
“It’s totally different this time around,” he told hopmancup.com.
“I had a great off season. I mean, I did have a good off season too last year but I just wasn’t sure what to expect.
“Now expectations are higher but at the same time I try to remind myself just don ‘t think it’s normal and realistic to aim for the same things I did this year in 2017.
“I’ve got to try and keep it cool. Try my best and see what happens but the preparation’s been good so far. We’ll see how things go.”
“I had a wonderful time (in 2017). I can’t wait to see all the fans again because they came out in big numbers … I do feel incredible support in this country.”
There’s no place that @rogerfederer would rather be at the start of 2018 than in Perth for #HopmanCup pic.twitter.com/CnjzBpo118
— Hopman Cup (@hopmancup) 27 December 2017
Held at the Perth Arena, Federer fans gathered in their masses to watch him play in the Hopman Cup this year. He made three appearances during the tournament, breaking the attendance record for a tennis match in Western Australia every time. The record currently stands at 13,917 from his showdown against Richard Gasquet. France defeated Switzerland to reach the final.
The mania proved to be a good luck charm for Federer ahead of the Melbourne major. Something that he hopes will also bring his the same amount of good fortune in the new year when he takes part.
“It worked out perfectly this year, (winning) at the Australian Open,” said Federer. “Of course, that’s a good omen. I hope that winning or losing the Hopman Cup is going to be good for me.”
One advantage of playing in the Hopman Cup is that there are no points on the line. Relieving the pressure applied to players. Instead, it is national pride at stake with a total of eight teams participating.
“Obviously looking ahead to Melbourne, I really hope that Hopman Cup’s going to give me everything I need here,” Federer said about his expectations for the event.
Similar to 2017, Federer is paired up with Belinda Bencic. They have been drawn in Group B along with players from America, Japan and Russia. The winner of each Group progresses to the final.
List of 2018 Hopman Cup teams
Group A
AUSTRALIA: Thanasi Kokkinakis, Daria Gavrilova
BELGIUM: David Goffin, Elise Mertens
CANADA: Vasek Pospisil, Eugenie Bouchard
GERMANY: Alexander Zverev, Angelique Kerber
Group B
JAPAN: Yuichi Sugita, Naomi Osaka
RUSSIA: Karen Khachanov Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
SWITZERLAND: Roger Federer, Belinda Bencic
USA: Jack Sock, Coco Vandeweghe
