Roger Federer: 'I didn't come back to play a second round in the middle...'

In mid-March, Roger Federer made his highly anticipated return to Doha, ending a year of hiatus. The Swiss phenomenon folded Dan Evans in three sets in the second round, before surrendering to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarterfinals, also wasting a match point in the decisive set. Despite having shown his infinite class, the 39-year-old from Basel highlighted some gaps in terms of physical strength. This is how he explains his decision to return to training by giving up the tournaments in Dubai and Miami. The 20-time Grand Slam champion had announced he would take part in a few red tournaments ahead of Wimbledon, but at the moment it is unclear what his exact schedule will be. The former world number 1 does not appear in the entry list of the first major event on earth, the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo, staged in April with numerous big names at the start (Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic should return to the Principality) . In a long interview granted to the French magazine 'Numéro Homme', King Roger revealed the details of his return to the field.

Roger Federer on his return

“I didn't come back to play the second round in the middle of nowhere,” Roger Federer says in a detailed interview with the French magazine “Numéro Homme”. On the contrary: "I want to win big tournaments and beat the best players in the world," emphasizes the 39-year-old. He has by no means lost the belief that he will be able to catch up with the world's best. “I think I know what to do to get there. It's a dream on the one hand, and logic on the other. A logical dream. I work very hard, although I don't talk about it much. I hope people understand how hard I work. Otherwise I wouldn't have made it that far,” says Federer. In the past, this also means ticking off setbacks as quickly as possible. “I learned most from my defeats. The most important thing is not to give them too much emotional significance, ”explains the 20-time Grand Slam winner. The better he succeeds, the easier it is for him to get up again. “Some think day and night about mistakes they have made. I analyze very quickly. That helps me keep going." And that to this day. Even after the painful final bankruptcy at Wimbledon 2019, when Federer cannot use two match balls against Djokovic, he can process better than many of his supporters. «Fans talked to me about this defeat on the Internet for weeks. It still happens to me today. I wonder what else they are thinking about. But I understand it,” says Federer. Federer would like to get hold of the 21st Grand Slam title, which he missed at the time, in the future. But he doesn't think there are too many ways to do this. Because even for the insatiable Federer, the end of his career is constantly coming closer. And so the current world number 6 says: "I'll make one last try to see what's left in the tank." 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/31KhFlu