On Saturday he was still in action in Paris and reached the round of 16 against Dominik Koepfer. On Sunday, he declared forfait against Matteo Berrettini, which was criticized harshly around the world. Meanwhile, Roger Federer is already training on grass, where he is aiming for his 11th tournament victory in the German hall next week and then his 9th Wimbledon victory in London.
Federer appeared in front of the media on Friday, and unsurprisingly, he also had to comment on his forfait in Paris. He had justified this not with an injury, but with his caution and the plan not to take any risks before the lawn season.
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“It was clear that afterwards all the experts would come out of the holes and give their opinion,” he said. “But I am absolutely convinced that it was the right decision.”
“Even before the game against Koepfer, we asked ourselves whether this match was still needed.”
Roger Federer
Federer revealed that he had even considered a forfait before the third round game against Dominik Koepfer. «Even then there were question marks, and we wondered whether that match was still needed. But I thought I could still try it against him. ” After the marathon game against the German, he knew that it would be difficult to play another game in Paris, and he announced it right away. “I know how my body reacts and I wanted to communicate openly. It was a situation that is very rare in a Grand Slam tournament. “
In the team, the decision not to play against Berrettini was made quickly. “I don’t want to go into all the reasons, because my opponents don’t have to know why I didn’t continue playing.” After more than 1500 games on the tour, he also felt that he didn’t always have to explain himself. “I hope that I have some bonus here and that people trust me.”
“The body has recovered well, but the knee needs special care.”
Roger Federer
After the three games in Paris, he practically spared his right knee, which had been operated twice last year, for four days, and on Thursday he trained very carefully in Halle and only trained for half an hour. “The body has recovered well, but the knee needs special care.”
Although the knees are exposed to special strains on grass, he is confident about the tournaments in Halle and Wimbledon. “The good thing is that I know how my knee will react and what my options are,” admitted Federer. “After the tournaments in Doha, Geneva and Paris, I more or less know what will happen.” You have to go to work carefully and protect the knee as best as possible. “But I don’t think anything insanely negative should happen.”
The experiences from 2016, when he was also not in top form and in poor condition, hampered his knees and back and he broke off the season after Wimbledon, would also help him. “Nevertheless, I reached the semifinals in Stuttgart, Halle and Wimbledon. In any case, I’m ready for such a situation in my head. ” But in principle he doesn’t even want to think about the knee, but rather take match after match and try to play freely. The goal this year is not to win the tournament – the main thing is to get to Wimbledon healthy. «But of course it would be a great feeling to win here. But the opponents are strong. “
The praise from coach Ljubicic
As always, it was easy for him to start the grass season in training, according to the 39-year-old. His coach Ivan Ljubicic told him on Thursday that it was amazing how cleanly he hit the ball again. “I’ve been coming to Halle for twenty years and everyone knows how much I enjoy lawn tennis.” His successes at this tournament would have paved the way for his triumphs at Wimbledon.
Federer is once again accompanied by his family in East Westphalia. After Wimbledon, however, because of the tough quarantine regulations in England, he will only travel with his two coaches and the physiotherapist.
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