Roger Federer struggles in first Miami Open match but ‘finds a way’
Roger Federer narrowly escaped a defeat in his first match at the Miami Open, against tough opponent Radu Albot, losing the first set but ultimately rallying to break the Moldovan player in the third set, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The sun glare at the new Miami Open venue has been bothering some of the players, but Federer said the new space is working for him, and noted positive similarities between the old venue, Key Biscayne, and Hard Rock Stadium.
“It's always going to feel very different in a massive place like this. Yeah, it was definitely different, especially very different to Key Biscayne last year.
“I'm happy I was able to find a way tonight. It was a good atmosphere at the end. I thought it was quite electric, how it usually is in Miami. I'm happy that hasn't gone away.”
The 37-year-old legend elaborated on the noise level, the issue with the shadows on the court at the new venue, and how he dealt with the glare. Overall, Federer had nothing to complain about with the stadium park at Hard Rock, and felt that the tournament is generating a buzzing atmosphere.
“I mean, a very key element of our sport is you can hear a pin drop, right? Here it's not so much the case. When somebody hits the ball, it's not as clear maybe, which then can feel almost like it's a little bit of an empty space.
“I didn't feel like it was totally something out of the ordinary where I had no clue where my boundaries were, like I've had maybe at some other courts from around the world in the past. I've gotten used to it quite quickly.
“Yeah, the shadows, they didn't bother me. The glare was very short. Other than that, yeah, it's a big place. I mean, the side stands are huge. It goes far away. It's unusual to have it that way. I would have thought maybe they would put it in the corner, the stadium, instead of on the long side. Still it was a good atmosphere. It's steep on the three sides.”
However, the three-time Miami Open winner struggled with his focus throughout the match.
“I felt like I was in two minds, how you play sometimes in a first round. You're looking to take on the ball, but then sometimes you also know you just cannot go big all the time. You also have to hold back.
“Sometimes you feel like it happens always at the wrong times. You pull the trigger at the wrong times. You're going safe at the wrong times.
“That has something to do with how I thought he played his game. He seemed very clear to me, and I wasn't. In the heat of the moment, I started forgetting stuff also that my coach told me. I felt like all the important points, points that could have led to something interesting for me, I played poorly because I was in two minds.”
Being the great champion that he is, Federer found a way to squeeze out the win regardless. He talked about what he did to dig deep and his belief, allowing him to close out the match with the win.
“Margins are slim. Then you're down. When you're down, you got to play differently. At the end it's just about finding a way. These are the matches that are so key during the year for any player, is when you're not sometimes playing your best, when you're in search mode, that you find it somehow, you squeeze through, play better than the next round. It's a different opponent, different conditions, different everything. Now you can look back and think maybe having played as much as I did in the first round actually maybe helped me.
“I thought actually how I protected my serve, after getting broken in the first game, was actually very good. There's definitely really some good elements there in the game, but I did struggle obviously. I'm very, very happy that I found a way.”
On Monday Roger Federer plays Filip Krajinović who just shockingly ousted his compatriot Stan Wawrinka in three sets. Fed’s won both their previous matches, both on hard courts, last year.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2FppYHU
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