PSG coach: "Everyone thinks Roger Federer has always won, it's not true"

Roger Federer is one of the most popular athletes even outside of tennis. The Swiss champion has just reached the Australian Open semifinal, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic after saving seven match points in the quarterfinals. The 20-time Grand Slam champion faced Rafael Nadal in a charity exhibition in Cape Town in front of nearly 52,000 spectators.

Before Wednesday's Coupe de France match with Dijon, Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel compared his team's difficulties to Roger Federer's perceived dominance in tennis: "You have to accept the context. I said after [being eliminated by] Manchester United, 'guys, we will try again next year'. The group stage, the last 16, that's how it is. It's the same for tennis. Everyone thinks that Roger Federer has always won, but it's not like that.

We are confident, we have improved. We have a good group. I am grateful for this chance. The first game was never a problem, everyone will talk about the second game. It is sport and it must remain sport. We can also say that it is our fault, with the matches against Barcelona and Man United. We lost these matches there and we cannot wait for everyone to be super positive.

For me, that does not change. We are here every day with the team, we are very happy to be in the last 16. It's a dream for everyone to play in the Champions League with a club like PSG. We always remain positive, you can only influence the context by giving everything you have. It's up to us, we don't let ourselves be influenced from the outside."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2SjgxBo