Roger Federer reveals how he reacted to Rafael Nadal withdrawal
In an interview to Tennis TV Roger Federer revealed how he reacted to Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the Indian Wells semifinals. "It was definitely a little of a surprise even though I saw Rafa struggling against Khachanov in the quarters and I heard he was warming up while I was warming up as well and I heard he was hitting the ball fine but then again hitting the ball and running for the corners is a whole different thing, and only he knows about the pain he feels in his knees so when I got back from the practice court Rafa texted me saying like he would not be able to do it and the reaction was one of a disappointment for both of us, for the fans and for the match not to happen, then the second reaction was, Okay, what do we know. The third one is Okay, how do we prepare for tomorrow because I am in the finals after all here in Indian Wells with a chance to win this big tournament, so it's a huge opportunity for me to back in another final, it was tough to draw, great players, I am happy that this week has been so successful."
Asked how much having won here five times in the past could help him, Federer replied: "I think it helps me a lot. In any another place that you have won in the past always feels like, I would not say home but how to do it, how to get it done, and I feel like the second, third or fourth time around is easier. It's not like you are trying to break it down the wall the first time and from that standpoint it's definitely an advantage but I am not the youngest guy out there, Thiem has never won it he definitely wants to give all he has, so for me it's really about good mindset, using this sort of day off physically to be really fresh for tomorrow."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2TQg6jP
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