Roger Federer reflects on Miami titles, calling that vs Rafa special one
"So the other three were.. well, the one with Rafa, I guess, was very special in many ways. I felt like it reflected who I have become until that moment. Was that 2005? 2004? 2006? It's a blur. You know, being able to fight back, being able to find a way to win, I know I got lucky in that match, but then ended up playing unbelievable tennis in the fifth set and all that. I feel like it was a big moment for me in my life, in my career there, that match. The final against Ivan Ljubicic was just during the time where I was dominating so much and winning so much, that how long could I keep it up and how many times could I beat Ivan in a row?
All these things were happening. I don't know if it was in the time where I was beating all these top-10 players or winning every final I entered. It was just a matter of just extend whatever you can and for as long as you can. And then, of course, the win here two years ago, maybe as much as it didn't come for a surprise for people for me it still did, because I felt like the tank was empty. I had a tough week here against Berdych and I think Kyrgios too. Before that match, I just said, If I had only played one final that whole year, take away Australian Open, take away Indian Wells and just made final of Miami, I probably would have taken that.
That's the mindset going into the Miami finals was that year two years ago. And then I played another great title match, I remember, it was incredibly humid, it was super hot. Rafa had his chances and somehow I just squeezed it out. That was a beautiful win for me. And this one feel like also I didn't expect it, to be honest. Because I knew the problems of the year I had last year, that I went through a similar situation losing in a very close final in Indian Wells and coming here again and seeing what could happen. New venue, didn't know what to expect there. I mean, almost losing against Albot in the first round here.
These Masters 1000 events are hard to win. They are a test for me, especially later in my career. So I know these guys don't come around very often, so when they do, it's a bit of a surprise for me. That's why this one feels cool in many ways."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2uEUdpq
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