Roger Federer Miami Final Press Conference:
Q. Congratulations. Rog, first of all, talk about it's been 10 years since
you won this and your magical run. As a part two, what was the difference
today? I'm guessing your serve and that inside out forehand was pretty
amazing.
FEDERER: Yeah, look, I think it was a close match. Maybe if you didn't see
the match and you were sitting somewhere around the world and you see the
score you're like, Okay, sort of maybe just straightforward and couple breaks
and that was it.
That's not the full story. I thought he had his chances in the first and in
the second. It was close. I think on the big points today I was just a little
bit better. Why, I have no explanation. I just think it fell that way today.
It was more of a fight mode I was in today just trying to stay afloat.
Physically, emotionally it's been a draining week, so I did very well. It was
a special match and it was great to play against Rafa again.
Q. What were your expectations coming into this year after the long injury
break? How are you feeling now?
FEDERER: I can't explain. I told Severin, when I was warming up if I would
you've just played the Miami finals, no Indian Wells, no Australian Open, we
would still be very happy right now.
But I have way more, so that's why I was trying to remind myself just to play
without pressure. Just do it one more time and go out there and be brave on
the big points, you know. I think I was able to do that.
Now I can take a break, because the body needs a break, the mind needs a
break, the family needs me again. I want to be there. Yeah, looking forward
to that now.
Q. The last months you've been pushed and pushed, and obviously your results
are a given. Mentally how have you prepared and what have you learned from
yourself in these last couple of months or in 2017?
FEDERER: Yeah, that I think that the way I'm playing right now is the right
way for me moving forward as well. Of course I'll always re-calibrate every
tournament I go to depending on the speed of the ball, the speed of the
courts, who I play, because I do have options.
I'm happy that I was able to stay on the offensive more or less throughout
this swing here, Indian Wells and Miami. I think once you win a big
tournament like the Australian Open, or any big tournament for that matter,
you can just bank usually on some confidence, you know.
That confidence gets you through a lot of the tough matches that nobody ever
speaks about again. You know, let's make it the quarterfinals here against
Berdych. End up winning that somehow. Nobody talks about it. They only will
talk about the Nadal finals and the rest we know.
I think I am definitely profiting from confidence, and then also from the
right mindset, able to compress all my energy into one single match and not
be distracted by everything else going on around me. So I think it's been a
challenging four weeks because, yeah, you have to be focused for a long time.
I was able to do that and I'm very happy.
Q. You guys have played 37 times, but when you go out there the 37th time
against Rafa, is it still as special, as exciting? How do the feeling change
over the years, or is it the same? Every time you face him does it feel like
it's something special?
FEDERER: No, it's like when you go to work. You don't feel the same every
day. Doesn't matter if Rafa is in the office or not. Just some days you feel
flatter than others. Doesn't matter, though. You might still put in a great
performance.
But you just can't get up the same way emotionally every single time. In the
beginning, look, he was a young player coming up. It was different back then.
I think then any Grand Slam final or Masters 1000 final you play against each
other, the World Tour Finals, that's when the pulse gets going just naturally
because there is a lot at stake. Might be ranking at stake, points at stake,
a rivalry at stake at this point.
But then I don't know how much it's got to do with Rafa itself or the
occasion of being in a finals. So then you have the combination's always the
best.
Yeah, and then sometimes when you're feeling good, like in Indian Wells, all
of a sudden you're more pumped just because you're feeling good and you're
like, Okay, that's a great time to play Rafa; whereas at other times you know
your game is terrible, you're not feeling it, and now it's against Rafa.
You're like, Okay, it's probably going to be terrible. Everybody is excited
and I'm the only guy who is not excited on the other side of the net because
I know what the result will be because my game is just not up to speed. Can't
feel the same way every single time.
Q. How did you feel today?
FEDERER: Relaxed just because I was tired so I didn't think about it very
much. Just like, Okay, go through the warmup, go through everything, and then
once the match starts it's all go. That's when we'll get excited for two or
three hours if I have to, but that's all I have energy for. So that's how I
saw it.
Q. French Open is your next tournament. Eyeing up the grass season here? Is
that the biggest part of that plan?
FEDERER: I think it's more about relaxing right now, making sure I get a
rest. So I think it's more prevention, to be honest. Then I would like to
eventually