
19-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer is planning to keep his 2018 expectations in check as aiming for the heights of 2017 will be unrealistic.
Federer had not expected to progress beyond the quarterfinals of the Australian Open when he made his comeback from a six-month injury layoff in 2017, but went on to win the tournament by beating his nemesis Rafael Nadal. However, twelve months after his unexpected victory, Federer has arrived in Australia as the clear favorite to win his second consecutive title at Melbourne Park.
“It’s totally different this time around,” the former World No. 1 told reporters on his arrival in Australia.
“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.”
“It’s kind of a surprise because I didn’t expect to, at 36 or 37, to play as good as I am today,” he said.
“It’s really about staying healthy and enjoying myself, and being very precise about how I practice and what tournaments I play.”
“It was a bit of a reset for my mind, to take things more relaxed,” Federer said.
“I think that’s something we’ve really worked on in the off-season is to play aggressive, take control of the point on my serve.”
“At this age, I have a lot of pleasure doing what I’m doing, because if I didn’t enjoy it I would not do it anymore,” Federer said.
“I’m going to be very careful of selecting the tournaments I’ll play, and I think anything I win from here on forward is like a bonus.”