July 18, 2017 by admin

Amazing level, amazing feeling: Federer

London, Roger Federer, winner of 8 Wimbledon titles and 19 Grand Slam titles overall, told media that he was surprised he won the title without dropping a set, and also that the win has not changed anything for him in terms of his goals for the year. Excerpts:
In 2001 when you beat your idol Pete Sampras here, did you ever imagine achieving all this?
No, I didn’t think I was going to be this successful after beating Pete here. I hoped to have a chance one day to be in the Wimbledon final and have a chance to win the tournament. Winning eight is not something you can ever aim for. If you do, you must have so much talent, and parents and coaches who push you from the age of three, who think you’re like a project. I was not that kid.
What are the changes you made after leaving the tournament last year?
Honestly, it was all based on health. It was not about the game itself. I wanted to put myself in a good physical state so that I could compete with the best and play seven times five sets. That was my goal and achieved that. When I showed up here at Wimbledon, I was actually already very happy.
Is there anything particularly special about getting to 8th at Wimbledon?
Yes, it’s very special. Wimbledon was always my favourite tournament, will always be my favourite tournament. And my heroes walked the grounds here and walked the courts here, and because of them I think I became a better player. So to make history here at Wimbledon means a lot to me. Funnily enough, I didn’t think of it throughout the day or the through the trophy ceremony. I was just so happy that I was able to win Wimbledon again, because it’s been a long road, an exciting road. It’s been tough at times, but that’s how it’s supposed to be.
After the success this year, will you reassess your goals for this season?
Not really. I was always going to play more in the second part of the season. I wasn’t going to skip Asia or the American tour, European indoors. I was always going to play as much as I possibly could.
Your former coach Stefan Edberg always said that you could win another Grand Slam title. Did you continue to believe this over the years?
I truly believed. For me it was also important that my team believed as well. So it wasn’t just me trying to carry the team, I needed the team to carry me most of the time. When you’re doubting yourself, they reassure you. If you’re feeling too good, they make sure you come back to Planet Earth, put you in your place. I did ask them, everybody in the team, if they thought I could win Majors or against the best on a regular basis. The answer was always the same from them. They thought that “if you’re 100 percent healthy and you’re prepared and eager to play, anything is possible”. They were right. I had the same feeling.
Can you speak about what makes you so great?
At this stage, it’s consistency, not shying away from the big stage. I’ve always been a big stage player, I always felt I played my best at the biggest courts. I felt that I dreamed pretty big as a kid. I believed that things were possible that, maybe, others thought were never going to be achievable. I trained really hard and very cleverly over the years, from my first coach to the coaches today. The same thing with fitness, all the way to today. Every step of the way I had the right people — my wife, my parents — who always kept me very grounded, kept me the person I’m still today. Then in the game, I was blessed with a lot of talent, but I also had to work for it. Talent only gets you that far, really.
At 35, you won without losing a set. Does that surprise you, your level of play?
Yes, honestly, I’m incredibly surprised how this year is going and how well I’m feeling and how things are turning out to be on the court. I’m surprised that it’s this good. I knew I could do great again one day, but not at this level. You would have laughed too if I’d told you that I was going to win two Slams this year. Yeah, it’s incredible. I don’t know how long it’s going to last. I always remind myself that health comes first… And if I do that, maybe thing are actually possible that I didn’t think were.
Health permitting, is it possible that you could be playing here at 40?
You would think so — if health permits and everything is OK, you can take 300 days off and just prepare for Wimbledon, and put yourself in a freeze box and come out and train a bit and are not injured! But playing Wimbledon and winning Wimbledon are two separate things, don’t forget that. The problem is that not by playing too, you take a chance because matches are the real measure (of your level of play). You can practise and feel good, but when the pressure comes of the matches, the nerves… You can’t recreate that in practice.
What keeps you going?
Well, I love to play, I have a wonderful team. My wife is totally fine with me still playing. She’s my No. 1 supporter, she’s amazing. I love playing on the big stages still. I don’t mind the practice, I don’t mind the travel. Because I’ve playing less, I get more time. I feel like I’m working part-time these days sometimes, which is a great feeling. — Agencies
Roger sore after night of binge drinking
Roger Federer woke up on Monday with a bad hangover after a night of celebration. “My head is ringing,” Federer said today. “I don’t know what I did last night. I drank too many different types of drinks I guess. But after the ball we went to a bar and there was about 30 or 40 friends there.”
“We had a great time. I got to bed at 5 and I woke up and I didn’t feel good. The last hour I have finally felt somewhat OK again,” he said, and added: “But we had a good time.”