Federer clarified his priority is winning tournaments, not becoming No. 1
Roger Federer made quick work of one of the two very talented Canadian youngsters to make the semis, 19-year-old Denis Shapovalov, winning the match in a commanding two sets, 6-2, 6-4.
It was the first time that both players had faced each other, with the NextGen sensation being defeated by his “idol.” Shapovalov was also asked what his favorite part of the match was, to which he joked, “the warmup.”
The 37-year-old tennis legend spoke about playing such a young player in the semifinals in his press conference after the match.
“I enjoyed it. I think I played very well. I had to. Because I think when you let Denis play, he's got some serious power and he gets rhythm going. He can really put you in uncomfortable situations.
“So I think I did well, and I'm very happy how I played.”
Federer may be one of the oldest players on the Tour, but he certainly has had no problems handling the younger players, including both Shapovalov and Daniil Medvedev in Miami, and Polish talent, Hubert Hurkacz at Indian Wells.
“So, for me, of course it's always a fine balance between giving them a chance to miss, but also, at the same time, making the plays and understanding the scoreline I think is very important for me against young guys. Not overplaying, not underplaying. It's a fine line, but I think I did very well tonight.”
However confident and successful the Swiss maestro continues to be on Tour, Federer does not envision reaching the No. 1 ranking again, and instead is focusing on winning tournament titles. He was asked which aspect he favors at this stage in his career.
“Winning tournaments, because World No. 1 is going to be very difficult. For that I need almost three slams at this level, right now, in the same calendar year… I think it's not reasonable to think that way at 37.
“So I think it was one of my favorite moments in my life last year in Rotterdam when I was able to get back to World No. 1 at 36, having won the Australian and Wimbledon, that being in the same year, and winning the Sunshine Double and all that stuff. It just aligned itself beautifully.
“World No. 1 is so far away, and Novak just won three slams. I think it would be a bit of a joke if I said that was my goal.”
Fed faces John Isner next, another 30-something who dispatched yet another young Canadian talent, Felix Auger Aliassime in the semis to book his finalist spot. Isner is coming into the match against Federer as the defending Miami Open winner, having achieved his first Masters 1000 title here last year. The Swiss player talked about his approach for handling Isner’s famous serve.
“Yeah. He's definitely got one of the serves you can basically not read. It's that simple.”
“I enjoy the challenge… [but] it's not a bad thing to get some rallies going. Obviously he's always going to try to shorten them.
“But what I like about it is just to see the sheer power and accuracy that big guys have on their serve, you know. Take the top five guys on the tour right now. I just enjoy watching them to see how many times can they clock service winners? How many times can they serve their way out of trouble?
“So I appreciate the big servers.”
The Miami Open final is the third straight final Roger Federer has made since losing in the Australian Open fourth round. He won the Dubai Tennis Championships, but lost in three sets to Dominic Thiem at Indian Wells. He is seeking his 101st ATP title on Sunday, just eight shy of tying Jimmy Connors’ all-time record of 109. It is the first time since 2006 that Federer has made the Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami Open finals in the same year. He hasn’t played his opponent, John Isner, since 2015, a match the American won at the Paris Masters event, although Fed still owns their head-to-head stats 5-2.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2WB5piU
No comments