Swiss world No.3 Roger Federer is once again chasing after history at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
The 36-year-old is targeting his fifth title of the season when he takes on Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final. Overall, it will be his 142nd ATP final since the 2000 Marseille Open. Should Federer triumph at the Uniprix Stadium, he will officially become the joint-second most decorated player in the history of men’s tennis with 94 titles. Only Ivan Lendl (94) and Jimmy Connors (109) have won more titles than him.
“I have reached levels that I never thought I would be able to reach, winning so many titles. Each title you can add is like a thrill.” Federer told reporters on Saturday.
“I am playing tennis to try to win titles. I always said that the ranking, if you’re not No. 1 in the world, doesn’t count really. It’s secondary. Now I’m lucky because both are in sight.”
A win in Montreal will move the Swiss player closer to the top of the world rankings. Next week’s Cincinnati Masters is set to be a showdown between himself and Rafael Nadal for the world No.1 posistion.
Federer’s achievements, including 19 grand slam titles, are ones that he once thought was beyond him. Reflection upon his junior years on the tour, he never expected himself become a powerhouse in the sport. In fact, he wasn’t sure if he would win one ATP title, never mind 93 so far.
“I thought I might be able to maybe on the tour win one title. When you’re 14, you’re a junior, you just don’t come and say, I will never lose a match any more, and the others can try and beat me. It’s not like that.” He explained.
“Everything is very fragile. You don’t know if you’re going to be able to make it into the top 100, in the top 10, or whether you can win a title.”
The ‘life changing’ moment
Accumulating almost 20 years worth of experience playing on the professional circuit, the 36-year-old believes fatherhood changed his perspective of the sport. It didn’t by any means weakened Federer’s desire to win. If anything, it only added fuel to the fire. What it did was make him realise that there is more to the sport than constantly monitoring his own performance.
“I believe my life changed in 2009 when I had my girls. After that, with the ranking, you are checking the scores, the points you have to defend every week, every day. But after you start calming down a little. I can’t say you only play for pleasure because you need to have that ambition to win.”
Now the father of four finds himself contending for the year-end No.1 ranking. A sharp contrast to 2016, where he missed six months of action to nurse a knee injury. This year Federer has so far only lost two matches on the tour. It is a comeback the defies the logic of age and retirement. After physically repairing himself, it was a win over Nadal in Melbourne that elevated his mentality to the next level.
“Beating Nadal in the final gave me a lot of security, knowing that everything I did in the off-season and in rehab was working. As an athlete, I felt a lot better. Also in my mind. Psychologically, it helped me. I am able to play more freely.” Federer explained.
Federer will face Zverev in the Rogers Cup final on Sunday at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT).
