“I guess in a faraway place it did cross my mind: How could I ever top this?” he said by telephone from Prague. “But then again, the joy was so big, and I kept on watching the reaction of my team when I won the match point in Australia and how they were jumping for joy. Unbelievable. So much fun. I feel like I want to go through it again.”
Federer said the upper leg injury that troubled him throughout much of the Australian Open — requiring treatment on and off the court — remains a concern. “I’m still not back in practice at 100 percent,” he said, adding, “I have to be careful.”
“This one definitely has had maybe the longest effect of any of the Grand Slam wins in my career,” he said. “I’m so happy because I didn’t have to play in the following weeks. It’s really allowed me to reflect and enjoy. In the past in 2003, when I won Wimbledon for the first time, I was in Gstaad the next day practicing and stuff. It’s very different this time. I’m still riding the wave, still feeling like I’m on cloud nine.”
“I call it Norman,” he said of the trophy. “I’ve had dinner with Norman, spent a lot of time with Norman. I know it’s just a replica, but that’s all right.”
“That’s where I got my idea to take Norman into the mountains,” Federer said. “I don’t know if Ernesto ever did it, but I thought it was such a cool idea. To come from a faraway place like New Zealand or Australia and bring the trophy all the way back to the most important part of your homeland.”
“We tried a few different things up there, with the racket and a ball and Norman,” Federer said, laughing. “I just thought it was super fun. I know it was super cheesy, but the fans just love it.”
Does he feel now that this victory was meant to be?
“Honestly, I felt the French Open was more meant to be,” he said referring to his first and still-only French Open title in 2009. “I had to work for this one.”
“There were tough matches with DelPo and Haas of course,” Federer said, referring to his five-set French Open victories over Juan Martin del Potro and Tommy Haas in 2009. “But this one didn’t feel like it was meant to be in that same way. I felt I was too fresh in the mind, wanted it too badly in the end, felt too good in the end about everything and riding that wave of the comeback with nothing to lose. I felt it was more one of those things. It was such a surprise. Meant to be doesn’t come with nothing to lose. This one was different than any other one I’ve ever experienced.”
“The goal, when I took my break of six months, was doing this for the next couple years, not just for one tournament,” Federer said. “I understand people who say, ‘Oh, this would be a perfect moment to go.’ But I feel like I’ve put in so much work, and I love it so much, and I still have so much in the tank.”
I think I returned very well for a first round. I was able to get my second serves in deep, was able to go on the offensive quickly, Didn't have to move that much. It was very quick rallies. So we'll see how that's going to turn out. But obviously couldn't be a better first round for me here in Dubai.
“I just didn't know Donskoy. So many times I just didn't know what his patterns were. I didn't know what his preferences are. If he does hit a big forehand down the line, is that normal or is that just right now? Is he going to do that on big shots, big points or not?” Federer said after his shocking loss at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. “All that stuff got me a little bit tense, and I could never quite play freely, which is quite surprising, considering how I played in Australia.”
“I had my chances. I should somehow close it out. Don't know how it got away, but he did very well. It's a rough one, for sure,” Federer said. “But tennis is this way. Margins are small. [A] fast court like here, you can't find much rhythm. Next thing you know, you're struggling.”
“I just think it's still the beginning of the comeback and [I] have to take the positives out of playing again at a tournament where I feel I'm quite healthy and I'm happy I got over the injury I sustained at the Australian Open,” Federer said. “I just never really got going tonight and sort of felt heavy. But, look, those matches happen frequently, where you just have to somehow find a way to come through. Tonight I just didn't. I was convinced that if I came through tonight I was going to feel better tomorrow. It's OK.”
Very happy. The knee is a thing of the past, which is great. I don't even have to think or talk about it. So I thought the match went really well. I’m very pleased with how it went. And moving on to the next round, it’s going to be a different matchup, so I’ve got to adjust again. I admire those guys who make the breakthrough later on and find a way and not lose love for the game early. It’s nice to see him do well now and beginning to play against great players on the big courts. That’s been so motivational for those guys to keep going. All of a sudden, age just becomes a number.
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