Federer Hopes For Better 2014
Federer Hopes For Better 2014
Roger Federer may have ended his season with only one title, his lowest mark since 2001, but he was encouraged how he finished off his 2013 campaign. The Swiss experienced back trouble for much of the spring and summer but over the past three weeks was able to contest Basel, Paris/Bercy and London. He reached a final and two semifinals, including at the ATP World Finals, where he fell to Rafael Nadal. He is looking forward to 2014.
“I think always the end of the season carries over in some way, shape or form, good or bad, “the 32-year-old said. “Clearly you look at the whole season as a whole. But then again, it’s just about hard work, about relaxing a little bit, recover from all the inflammations you might have in your body, because those also need to disappear a little bit because you try to start the next season as physically good as you can, sort of mentally refreshed, I’d say.
“You’re going to look back a little bit, but once you actually start the off‑season, I think you’re just happy to be playing tennis again after a bit of a break. Then you kind of start sitting down on what would you like to work on, where do you feel like your game’s got to go. That’s really only later in the later stages of practice. Towards the end is where you maybe start talking about future opponents and that stuff. In the off‑season, you take a break from all that stuff, the tactical maneuvering.”
Federer is most pleased that he was able to best the likes of No. 5 Juan Martin Del Potro twice in Paris and London, and also knocked off Richard Gasquet. He hasn’t had success against the other members of tennis so-called Big 4 this season – Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – but at least he feels competitive again. The 17-time Grand Slam champion has very high standards, but he is also realistic.
“Beating two top‑10 players is a good thing for me after not having beaten any for almost seven or eight months,” he said. “Considering the back issues I’ve had, I’m pleased that I’m pain‑free for a long period of time now with a lot of tennis. That’s definitely also going to give me confidence physically and also mentally. Clearly Grand Slams are going to be part of my highlights, hoping to sort of make sure I play my best there with some selective other events that I consider important to me, some of the Masters 1000s.
“Then hopefully I have something left for the World Tour Finals at the end of next year because that’s clearly a goal. Then just some personal goals because there’s a big gap, as well, between Australia and the French Open. I just still have to decide what the goal is there, then I’ll just attack and try to play good tennis.”
Federer has not decided what his schedule will be in 2014, although he says he will play a ’full’ one. Some players have been very competitive into their mid-30s, but in the past two decades, few have been able to win multiple majors past the age of 30. But the Swiss has always been confident and doesn’t feel like he’s slowed down, so he’s setting the bar high for himself once again.
“Winning five titles or something, I guess, something exciting, leaving the tournaments as winner,” Federer said of his goals. “That’s what keeps things exciting. Rankings, if it’s not world No. 1, then I’m not that interested in. Even though you kind of look at it, it would be nice to stay in the top four, top eight, that kind of thing, for seeding purposes more than anything else. Other than that, it’s either world No. 1 or tournaments or big tournaments in general.
Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, ATP World Tour Finals, Juan Martin Del Potro, London, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News
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