In Roger Federer's words: 'Clay is my weakest surface, although I have..'

Roger Federer was a man on the mission in the first part of 2002 season, reaching the first Masters 1000 final in Miami and winning the first title at that level later in May in Hamburg to find himself in the top-10. Still, the young Swiss lost the form after that, leaving Roland Garros and Wimbledon with no victories under his belt and struggling ahead of the US Open as well, both on and off the court. In New York, Roger found at least some form to book the place in the fourth round, beating Xavier Malisse 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in two and 13 minutes for the third straight victory at the last Major of the season.

Following a slow start, Federer found the rhythm to bring the triumph in four sets, starting to feel better on the court and hoping for more of the same in the rest of the event. Speaking about his abilities on different surfaces, Roger admitted he feels the most comfortable on indoor courts, where the conditions are always the same. He also mentioned how tough it is to master grass, hoping for more good runs on it in the years to come. Despite that Hamburg title and some other results, Federer named clay as his most vulnerable surface and the one where he has to improve his game the most to stay competitive.

"I would say my favorite surface must be indoors; my first successes came on it. I always loved to play indoors because the conditions are the same all the time. On the other hand, the grass is unpredictable as we don't play much on it. I think I still need a few more years on the grass until I can really say how good I am. I know the surface is good for my game because I have an all-around game. I think I have some good results on outdoor hard court. I'm not struggling with the wind and the sun anymore. That's got for sure something to do with my footwork; I have improved that over the years as well. Clay is my weakest surface. All our Davis Cup rivals will choose clay, even though I maybe have the best results on it so far. On clay, I can make the most improvements, especially as I don't play enough on it in comparison to outdoor hard and indoor surface."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3eOcKWh