Last Updated on January 13, 2019
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer in an interview with the press service of the Australian Open spoke about his preparations for the tournament.
– Earlier you reported that you made changes to your pre-season training. Did any of them touch the games on the ground?
– Did not make adjustments for the ground. Preparation was in the usual mode. The most important thing was to understand how much the body is ready for exertion after rest. Everything went perfectly. It seems that I even exceeded the program – I added a few new workouts. In general, I was lucky, because throughout my career during the off-season I did not have any difficulties that influenced the start of the season.
I can say for sure that I did not keep the soil tournaments in my head, because I have not yet made a final decision on this matter. In general, the off-season went very well. Perhaps it was noticeable at the Hopman Cup. However, let’s see how everything goes at the official tournament.
– Performance at the Hopman Cup added confidence to you?
– Everything went perfectly. For the second year in a row I successfully played in Perth. Local competitions are a great opportunity to roll into the season. I like to play with Belinda in mixed doubles. The fans are just great, there is always a pleasant atmosphere on the court, and you don’t need to adapt too much after the fees in Dubai. The Hopman Cup influenced my results during the Australian Open. I didn’t expect to win the last two tournaments.
– Last year, you said that you do not believe in final success, it seems as if something will happen. How do you feel now?
– I do not want to deeply analyze what happened in the offseason and at the Hopman Cup. I may be too absorbed in thoughts instead of concentrating on tomorrow’s match. But this is exactly the most important thing now.
I remember that in 2017 Istomin defeated Novak. That meeting, I watched almost completely. I also had heavy fights with Denis. He knows how to play fast coverage.
Nevertheless, now I am confident in my abilities, so the opponent will have a hard time. This thought pleases. However, anything can happen in key episodes. So I would not want to run far ahead.
