Roger Federer ha ganado a Bozoljac por 6-4, 7-5 y 6-2 en 1 hora y 42 minutos de partido y da el primer punto a Suiza frente a Serbia en 1ª Ronda de la Copa Davis 2014.

Roger Federer ha dado el primer punto a Suiza frente a Serbia en la eliminatoria de 1ª Ronda de Copa Davis 2014, tras ganar a Ilija Bozoljac 6-4, 7-5 y 6-2 en 1 hora y 42 minutos.

Roger ha jugado un buen partido donde se le ha visto fresco y bien desde el fondo de la pista salvo una laguna mental en el segundo set, donde ha tenido que levantar un 5-3 en contra, pero en lo demás el suizo ha jugado a un gran nivel y ha sido muy superior a su rival, que lo ha intentado especialmente con su saque pero no ha sido capaz de inquietar mucho a Roger.

El partido comenzó con ambos tenistas ganando sus saques sin mayores complicaciones, pero poco a poco Roger fue haciendose con el control del partido y con 3-3 conseguía romper el saque del serbio y con su saque lo consolidaba y tomaba ventaja. Esto fue suficiente y Roger se llevó la primera manga por 6-4.

En el segundo set, era Bozoljac quien empezaba fuerte y conseguía un break tempranero que le daba ventaja durante todo el set, pero cuando con 3-5 a su favor se disponía a sacar para empatar el partido, era Roger quien despertaba y devolvía el break para posteriomente empatar el partido con su servicio. Esto hizo mucho daño al serbio y Roger nuevamente lo aprovechaba y conseguía otro break que era definitivo, ya que Roger a continuación cerraba con su saque el segundo set por 7-5.

El tercer set empezó de la mejor manera posible y Roger quebraba el saque de Bozoljac en el principio y se limitaba a gestionar su ventaja, pero el serbio bajó los brazos y con 4-2 Roger conseguía nuevamente otro break que sentenciaba el partido y con su saque cerraba el set por 6-2 y el partido.

En el segundo partido, Wawrinka ha ganado a Lajovic por 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 y 7-6(7), por lo que Suiza tras el primer dia domina la eliminatoria por 0-2.


Estadísticas del partido:

Roger Federer ha logrado 8 aces y ha cometido 1 doble falta. Ha tenido un 65% de primeros servicios dentro. Ha ganado 84% de puntos con su primer servicio y 69% de puntos con su segundo servicio.

Ha conectado 38 winners y ha cometido 14 errores no forzados.

Ha convertido 5 de las 11 bolas de break a favor y ha salvado 1 de la 2 bolas de break en contra.

Ha ganado 6 de las 10 veces que ha subido a la red.

Previa del partido R.Federer - I.Bozoljac en el 1º partido de la eliminatoria de 1ª Ronda de Copa Davis entre Serbia y Suiza. Viernes 31 de Enero a las 14:00 pm hora local.

PREVIA DEL PARTIDO ROGER FEDERER - ILIJA BOZOLJAC EN EL 1º PARTIDO DE LA ELIMINATORIA DE 1ª RONDA DE COPA DAVIS ENTRE SERBIA Y SUIZA. 

VIERNES 31 DE ENERO A LAS 14:00 PM HORA LOCAL (NOVI SAD), 14:00 PM EN ESPAÑA, 10:00 AM EN ARGENTINA.

Nombre del torneo: Copa Davis

Fecha del torneo: 31/01/14 - 2/02/2014

Categoría: 

FECHA DEL PARTIDO: Viernes 31 de Enero de 2014.

HORA DEL PARTIDO: 14:00 pm hora local (Novi Sad), 14:00 pm en España, 10:00 am en Argentina.

METEOROLOGÍA: Nublado, -4ºC de temperatura, 66% de humedad y vientos de 33 km/h.

TV: Por confirmar

WEB: Sportlemon

PISTA: Spens Sport Centre, Novi Sad-Serbia, 11.500 espectadores. Pista dura, bajo techo.

ILIJA BOZOLJAC (SRB)

Fecha de Nacimiento: 2 de Agosto de 1985.

Nacionalidad: Serbio
Altura: 1,93 metros

Peso: 86 Kgs

Ranking actual: 268º

Mejor ranking en su carrera: 101º (Enero de 2007).

Debut profesional: 2002

Entrenador: Daniel Meyers

Datos de interés del tenista serbio:

Ilija Bozoljac es un tenista de 28 años, es diestro y juega con revés a dos manos. Lleva desde 2002 como profesional.

Actualmente es el 268º del mundo. Llegó a ser el 101º del mundo en Enero de 2007.

No tiene ningún título en su palmarés.

Su mejor resultado en un Grand Slam es 2ª Ronda en el Open de Australia 2007, Roland Garros 2006, Wimbledon 2008 y 2009.

Se ha enfrentado 1 vez  a Roger Federer donde ganó el suizo.

Roger Federer abrirá la eliminatoria ante Ilija Bozoljac en 1ª Ronda de la Copa Davis entre Serbia y Suiza.

Saludos amigos/as.

Este mediodía se ha sorteado el orden de partidos de la eliminatoria de 1ª Ronda de la Copa Davis que enfrentará a Serbia contra Suiza este fin de semana.

Roger Federer abrirá la eliminatoria el viernes enfrentándose al serbio Ilija Bozoljac. Posteriomente Stanislas Wawrinka se enfrentará a Dusan Lajovic.
En dobles, el capitán suizo Severin Luthi ha decidido que lo disputarán Marco Chiudinelli y Michael Lammer. Normalmente siempre lo disputaban Roger y Stan, pero viendo que llegán justos tras el Open de Australia y a priori la eliminatoria no será difícil, ha optado por darles descanso excepto que la eliminatoria se complicase y podrían hacerse modificaciones de jugadores, al igual que el domingo, donde en caso de que la eliminatoria ya esté cerrada, posiblemente jugarían Chiudinelli y Lammer los otros dos partidos individuales.

A continuación os pongo los partidos de la eliminatoria y los horarios:

Viernes 31 de Enero

14:00 pm hora local:
Ilija Bozoljac (SRB) vs Roger Federer (SUI)

16:00 pm hora local:
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs Stanislas Wawrinka (SRB)

Sábado 1 de Febrero

15:00 pm hora local:
Filip Krajinovic (SRB) / Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) vs Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) / Michael Lammer (SUI)

Domingo 2 de Febrero

13:00 pm hora local:
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs Roger Federer (SUI)

15:00 pm hora local:
Ilija Bozoljac (SRB) vs Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)

Roger Federer disputará la eliminatoria de 1ª Ronda del Grupo Mundial de la Copa Davis 2014 entre Serbia y Suiza.

Roger Federer ha viajado en el dia de hoy a la ciudad serbia de Novi Sad para unirse a sus compañeros del equipo suizo de Copa Davis. Los suizos se enfrentarán en 1ª Ronda del Grupo Mundial ante Serbia.

En principio, Roger no iba a disputar la eliminatoria pero finalmente ha decidido a última hora asistir y disputar la eliminatoria, donde aprovechará el gran nivel de forma de su compañero Stanislas Wawrinka, actual campeón del Open de Australia hace dias y número 3 del ranking,  por lo que podrán competir y luchar por unos de los títulos que le falta.

Los suizos jugarán de visitantes ante Serbia en la ciudad de Novi Sad. La eliminatoria se disputará en pista dura bajo techo.
La selección serbia cuenta con las bajas de sus dos mejores tenistas que son Novak Djokovic y Janko Tipsarevic, por lo que estarán muy debilitados y su equipo lo formarán Lusan Lajovic, Filip Krajinovic, Ilija Bozoljac y Nenad Zimonjic.

Por la otra parte, el equipo suizo aun no está confirmado oficialmente, solo están seguras las dos plazas que ocupan Stanislas Wawrinka y Roger Federer, por lo que el capitán suizo Severin Luthi tendrá que hacer un descarte y elegir a dos jugadores entre Henri Laaksonen, Marco Chiudinelli y Michael Lammer.

A continuación os pondré una foto de esta tarde y otra foto de las zapatillas que usará Roger.

Conferencia de prensa de Roger Federer tras su derrota ante Nadal en semifinales del Open de Australia 2014.

Saludos amigos/as.

Aquí os pongo la conferencia de prensa de Roger Federer tras su derrota en semifinales del Open de Australia, donde ha caído ante el español Rafa Nadal por 6-7(4-7), 3-6 y 3-6.

Q.  What was the most frustrating about tonight?ROGER FEDERER:  Probably the lack of chances I was able to create on the return.  'Cause I hung around, you know, the first couple of sets.  So I guess that was frustrating, you know, because I thought I was going to get into more of his service games.

If you get the lead at least in the first or second set, at one point maybe I can also play a bit more freely, you know, do a bit more what I was hoping to do, play a bit more aggressive.

But like that you kind of always have to keep playing to stay with him, to play the score.  But, you know, it was a tough match.  So I guess that was the toughest part today.

Q.  Did you feel like you didn't play as well as you hoped or is it just that Rafael played too well tonight?ROGER FEDERER:  No, I think Rafa played well.  I think he's the way I know him.  He's played me this way many times.  You know, I'm not sure if I served as good as I could have.

But then again, you know, for the first one and a half hours or so, I mean, I didn't get broken, I don't think.  It wasn't all that bad, you know.

I was hoping that my forehand was going to work out a bit better, but it didn't, so that let me down a bit.  Then it was just the lack of, you know, opportunities I created for myself which put the pressure on me too frequently, you know, instead of maybe being able to do that the other way around.

He did a good job.  He didn't make many errors, even though I was trying to hit hard and flat.  I tried to play my game.  Sometimes I did play very well and sometimes I didn't.  But he overall was more consistent.  He deserved to win tonight.  I mean, he was better.

Q.  How satisfied do you think you'll be overall with the fortnight, with the new racquet, Stefan on your team?ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I mean, it's very encouraging, you know, no doubt.  Wish I could have won here tonight and then, you know, given an all Swiss final.  That's something I'll regret, you know, for a long time.

But then again, you know, it was a great start to the season for me.  Would have been nice to win Brisbane, would have been nice to win here tonight, but you can't have it all.

I think this is a very good start to the season for me overall.  I played some really good tennis here.  I still feel my best tennis is only ahead of me right now.  So I'm looking forward to the next couple of months, how they're going to play out for me, and hopefully by April I feel like I'm going to be at 100% again.

Q.  You said on Wednesday that Stefan had some ideas on how you could try things differently against Rafa.  Anything specifically you tried tonight that was good?ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I mean, I tried a few things, you know.  Then again, like I said, I think Rafa does a good job of neutralizing you.

The problem was, like I said, because I wasn't getting into enough service games, you're not going to try out a crazy amount of things on your own service games.  There you need to play tough and aggressive and you just have to be solid.

So I guess at times I couldn't quite do what I wanted to do, but that's because of Rafa.

Q.  I think we heard you tonight complaining to the umpire about Rafa's grunting.  Was it worse than normal tonight?  Do you find it distracting?ROGER FEDERER:  Not when he does it every point.  But it goes in phases.  One point he does and he doesn't.  That's just what I was complaining about.

Had no impact on the outcome of the match, you know, but the level was the same.

Q.  Have you complained before?ROGER FEDERER:  I have, yeah.

Q.  Is Nadal the guy that distracts you the most?ROGER FEDERER:  Not necessarily.  I enjoy playing against him because it's always going to be on center court, it's always going to be a big story, you know, going into the match.

So that's kind of what you train hard for, you know.  That's where you want to be.  It's not where I don't want to be, so I'm always happy when I come out against him because the atmosphere is different and I enjoy the matches normally.

I mean, it's not as cool when you lose in straight sets.  Nevertheless, there's good moments out there, as well.

Q.  He's had a decent record against you in the past couple years.ROGER FEDERER:  A good record (smiling).

Q.  You just lacked that extra kick in your step tonight.  After going down to someone that often, does it start denting your belief that you can beat them?ROGER FEDERER:  No, I don't think necessarily.  I think Rafa did a good job of keeping the pressure on me.  You know, I might have gotten a little tired, you know, maybe in the third set, you know.  But that's maybe just the lack of trying to get back to an absolute 100%.

But overall I'm very happy.  Rafa played well and he played solid.  So, you know, I don't have crazy regrets tonight other than, you know, maybe not having created more opportunities for myself.  You know, Rafa was his usual self, what I kind of expected.

I don't expect him to be worse off just because of a blister or worse off because he's having sort of an up and down sort of performance at this event.

When he usually comes in against me, he always plays solid, if not great.  So I think it was one of those nights again, which I knew was going to be tough.

Q.  Did you feel a bit slower today than the other days?  Was the reason because of your backhand didn't work today very well on the return maybe?ROGER FEDERER:  It's a totally different match.  I don't know how to explain you guys.  It's totally different playing Rafa over anybody else.  Playing Murray or Rafa is day and night.

It's not because of the level necessarily, but it's just every point is played in a completely different fashion and I have to totally change my game.

No excuse.  It's just a fact of what it is.  I try to fight that today, and he    yeah, it's a different match   very different.

Q.  Pete Sampras told us earlier today that he was pretty amazed by your mindset, your freshness at this age.  When he was your age or younger he felt beaten down by the grind.  Having said that, are you excited about this uptick and the whole the vitality of the early part of the year, does that give you a lot of juice?ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I mean, in a way I needed it, as well.  I needed a good moment again because I've been going through a tougher time for some time.  Even though you can say that Basel was better, Paris was better, London was better, the results were slightly better, but the game itself was not necessarily amazing.

I mean, it was solid, you know, but what I like to do is I like to take it to the guy.  I like to be in command.  That's what I was able to do now the last couple of weeks.  So that's very encouraging.

Like I said, that's why I'm not too disappointed tonight because I feel it's been a good start.  I've come from far back.  I didn't have surgery like Murray had or like Rafa the problems had being out for seven months.

I've played with something that has been going on for a while.  This is a step in the right direction, and that's the way I want to go.  I have a belief this could be a very good year for me again.

Q.  What advice will you have for Stan for the final?ROGER FEDERER:  I hope he wins and I hope he gives everything he has.  You know, there's no reason not to believe that he can beat Rafa.  He's clearly got a tough record against him, but many players have that.  There's no difference there.

Pressure's clearly on Rafa because he's got to win this finals.  Stan's in his first Grand Slam finals, so that makes Stan also unpredictable.  He's got to use that to his advantage.

Q.  Clearly it wasn't a difference in the result of the match, but the grunting and also the serial violating of the time rule that Rafa does, do you feel that umpires generally are too lenient with him?  You seem to be waiting all the time.
ROGER FEDERER:  Rafa is doing a much better job today than he used to.  I mean, I'm not complaining much about the time.  But I think I've played him, what, 33 or 34 times.  He's gotten two point penalties over the course of our rivalry.  I just think that's not quite happening.  I mean, we know how much time he used to take.

I'm not complaining about so many things.  But, I mean, either you have rules or you don't.  If you don't have rules, it's fine.  Everybody can do whatever they want to do.

I just think it's important to enforce the rules on many levels, whatever it may be.  On all the players the same way.  Don't give me or Djokovic a free pass just because of who we are.

I think we should all be judged the same way.  Not just a guy on Court 16 because the guy had a brutal rally, you have to give him a time violation just because you can.

On center court, they're always going to be afraid, the umpires, to take those decisions.  I just like to challenge them a little bit.

I don't want to go in the office and complain all the time.  I never do.  I just hope they do their job correctly.  If they don't, what are you going to do?  Sit and watch.  Sometimes you just got to say things.

I didn't lose the match because of that.  It didn't bother me.  I just felt I had to mention something.

Roger Federer ha caído ante Nadal por 6-7, 3-6 y 3-6 en 2 horas y 18 minutos de partido, en semifinales del Open de Australia 2014.

Roger Federer ha caído en semifinales del Open de Australia 2014, ante el español Rafael Nadal por 6-7(4-7), 3-6 y 3-6 en 2 horas y 18 minutos de partido.

El suizo una vez más ha sucumbido ante su ´bestia negra` y sigue sin encontrar el camino para ganar al español. El partido ha tenido el mismo guión que la mayoría de partidos entre ambos, donde el suizo se bloquea mentalmente, no funcionan sus golpes como en días anteriores y se ahoga cuando el español le machaca el revés con bolas altas y pesadas. Roger hoy no ha sacado bien y tampoco ha restado bien como en los últimos partidos, ha cometido muchos errores y no ha mostrado solidez desde el fondo de la pista y la mayor parte de veces que ha subido a la red se ha visto superado por Rafa.

El partido comenzó con ambos tenistas ganando sus saques sin mayores problemas. Así fue transcurriendo el set y Roger gozó de un 0-30 que no aprovechó. Además posteriomente tuvo que salvar varias bolas de break con 3-3 y con 4-4, pero finalmente salió adelante y se llegó al tiebreak, donde Roger se mostró muy errático y acabó pagándolo, se llevaba el set el español.

En el segundo set, Roger empazaba a sufrir para sacar adelante sus servicios hasta llegar al 2-3, cuando ya no pudo salvarse y era Nadal quien conseguía el break y posteriormente lo consolidaba y se colocaba 2-5. Cuando el marcador era de 3-5 y sacaba el español, Roger gozó de un 0-30 que tampoco pudo aprovechar y el español se llevaba el segundo set por 3-6.

En el tercer set, seguía el mismo guión y Roger sufría con su servicio, por lo que era el español quien conseguía break pero Roger trató de aferrarse al partido y en el siguiente juego devolvía el break. De poco sirvió porque Roger seguía sufriendo y encajaba un nuevo break que ponía el partido muy de cara para Nadal.
Se llegó al 3-5 para el español, cuando este nuevamente conseguía el break definitivo que le daba la victoria en el partido.

Tras esta derrota, Roger no podrá sumar su 18º título de Grand Slam y caerá varios puestos en el ranking. Ahora descansará y seguramente apoyará a su compatriota Stanislas Wawrinka en la final del domingo, donde se enfrentará a Nadal y tendrá oportunidad de vengarse.
Roger descansará tras renunciar a la Copa Davis y volverá a las pistas a finales de Febrero en el torneo de Dubai.


Estadísticas del partido:

Roger Federer ha logrado 8 aces y ha cometido 1 doble falta. Ha tenido un 66% de primeros servicios dentro. Ha ganado 65% de puntos con su primer servicio y 50% de puntos con su segundos servicio.

Ha conectado 34 winners y ha cometido 50 errores no forzados.

Ha convertido 1 de las 2 bolas de break a favor y ha salvado 10 de las 14 bolas de break.

Ha ganado 23 de las 42 veces que ha subido a la red.

Previa del partido R.Federer - R.Nadal en semifinales del Open de Australia 2014, Viernes 24 de Enero a las 19:30 pm hora local.

PREVIA DEL PARTIDO ROGER FEDERER - RAFAEL NADAL EN SEMIFINALES DEL OPEN DE AUSTRALIA 2014.

VIERNES 24 DE ENERO A LAS 19:30 PM HORA LOCAL (MELBOURNE), 09:30 AM EN ESPAÑA, 05:30 AM EN ARGENTINA (MADRUGADA DEL JUEVES AL VIERNES).

Nombre del torneo: Australian Open

Fecha del torneo: 13/01/14 - 27/01/2014

Categoría: Grand Slam

FECHA DEL PARTIDO: Viernes 24 de Enero de 2014.

HORA DEL PARTIDO: 19:30 pm hora local (Melbourne), 09:30 am en España, 05:30 am en Argentina (madrugada del jueves al viernes).

METEOROLOGÍA: Nublado, 20ºC de temperatura, 76% de humedad y vientos de 26 km/h.

TV: Eurosport, ESPN y algunos más

WEB: Sportlemon

PISTA: Pista Central "Rod Laver Arena" del Melbourne Park (Melbourne-Australia), 15.000 espectadores. Pista exterior dura, con techo rectráctil.

RAFAEL NADAL (ESP)

Fecha de Nacimiento: 3 de Junio de 1986

Nacionalidad: Española

Altura: 1,85 metros

Peso: 85 Kgs

Ranking actual: 1º

Mejor ranking en su carrera: 1º (Agosto de 2008).

Debut profesional: 2001

Entrenador: Toni Nadal

Datos de interés del tenista español:

Rafael Nadal es un tenista español de 27 años, es zurdo y juega con revés a dos manos. Lleva desde 2001 como profesional.

Comenzó a jugar con 4 años. Todos le conocen como "Rafa".

Es aficionado al fútbol y al poker.

Actualmente es el 1º del mundo. Es su mejor ranking

Tiene 61 títulos en su palmarés: Destacan 13 Grand Slams, 26 Masters 1000 y una medalla de Oro Olímpica. Tiene también 8 títulos de dobles.

Su mejor resultado en un Grand Slam es campeon en Roland Garros 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 y 2013, Wimbledon 2008 y 2010, Open de Australia 2009, y US Open 2010 y 2013.

Este año lleva un balance de 10 victorias y ninguna derrota.

Se ha enfrentado 32 veces a Roger Federer con balance a favor del español por 22-10.

Roger Federer ya entrena y prepara su partido ante Rafa Nadal en semifinales del Open de Australia 2014.

Saludos amigos/as.

Quedan horas para que el clásico del tenis vuelva a darnos otro nuevo capítulo. Roger Federer y Rafael Nadal se vuelven a ver las caras por 33ª vez (dómina el español 22-10) y esta vez será en semifinales del Open de Australia 2014. Precisamente él último enfrentamiento entre ellos en Grand Slam fue en semifinales de Australia 2012, donde se impuso el español en 4 sets por 7-6, 2-6, 6-7 y 4-6.

Roger Federer está jugando bien y se ha mostrado sólido durante todo el torneo, donde ha sido capaz de vencer a dos grandes jugadores como Murray y Tsonga. En cambio el español ha mostrado algunas dudas en sus dos últimos partidos ante Nishikori y Dimitrov debido a una gran ampolla en la mano que provoca que el español tenga que colocarse una protección en la mano, haciéndole perder sensibilidad en sus golpes y en su saque, aunque para este partido no debería ser ninguna excusa.

Roger Federer descansó en la mañana del jueves y por la tarde ya entrenó junto a su entrenador Stefan Edberg, donde Roger estuvo peloteando con el francés Michael Llodra, jugador zurdo que estuvo sacando con Roger al resto.
El suizo ha comentado que su entrenador tiene varias ideas en mente para aportarle en su partido contra Rafa, por lo que será interesante ver como afronta Roger el partido y si porfín no le pesa el jugar contra el español.

Por su parte, Rafael Nadal también entrenó con normalidad en la jornada del jueves junto a su entrenador y tio Toni Nadal, que afirmó a los medios que Rafa completó el entrenamiento sin protección pero en el partido tendrá que llevarla con toda seguridad debido a que con el roce la herida puede abrirse y supondría más riesgo. Aun así, se rumorea que Rafa usará una protección más ligera para que le aporte algo más de sensibilidad.

En cuanto a Roger, en mi opinión si quiere tener chances ante el español, Roger deberá mostrarse sólido desde el fondo de la pista, especialmente con su revés, ya que el español toma siempre la tactica de golpear con bolas altas y pesadas al revés de Roger, ocasionando mucha molestía.
Además Roger tendrá que sacar muy bien y presionar mucho al resto, ya que Rafa está pasándolo mal a la hora de sacar. Otra buena alternativa será subir a la red en alguna ocasión, aunque siempre con cautela ya que el español es especialista en lograr passings cuando sus rivales suben a la red, pero tenemos que confiar en Roger.

A continuación os pondré fotos del entrenamiento de Roger en la jornada del jueves, pero antes aprovecho para deciros que Stanislas Wawrinka es el primer finalista del torneo. El suizo ha vencido en semifinales a Berdych por 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) y 7-6(4), por lo que en caso de que Roger gane a Rafa, puede haber una final suiza en el torneo, algo histórico para el país helvético.

Conferencia de prensa de Roger Federer tras su victoria ante Murray en cuartos de final del Open de Australia 2014.

Saludos amigos/as.

Aquí os pongo la rueda de prensa de Roger Federer tras su victoria ante Murray por 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(6-8) y 6-3 en cuartos de final del Open de Australia 2014.

Q.  Did you get worried when you lost the third set after all the opportunities you had or were you feeling tired, angry with yourself?ROGER FEDERER:  No, I mean, it's like one of those things where it would have been nice to close it out, it being that solid match that you played, you know.

The thing was not only that I served for it, but I had 6 4, 5 2 in the breaker.  Maybe could have won on one of the points and then probably would have gotten it home for sure.  There's so many things I could have maybe done better.  Maybe got slightly passive.

You sit down and you're still in the lead.  You don't know if momentum is still on your side or on his side now.  Only the next few games will decide that.  So it was important to get the lead straightaway again.

I could sense that, you know, he was struggling shortly after that.  But then again, you don't know how serious is it.  Is he just doing it now and he's going to be okay later when it matters.

I've been in these positions before.  For me it was just a matter of staying calm and forgetting about it a little bit because, you know, the match was great until that point when I couldn't get it done really.

Q.  Formulating the game plan is one thing, but executing it is another.  Are you impressed with how you've been able to execute the last couple games?ROGER FEDERER:  Well, no, I've been feeling really well.  Physically I know that I can do it.  And then because I'm feeling good physically, then I can really think about tactics I want to play, how aggressive or how passive do you want to play.  I have all these opportunities now.

I've been hitting the ball really well for some time now, so it's just nice that it all came together in a big match against Murray like this.

Q.  If there had been the odd subtle change in your game, it seemed you were able to turn defense into attack, reaching balls you may not have been able to reach a while ago.  Is that your back feeling good and the racquet as well?ROGER FEDERER:  I mean, the racquet's not going to do the running for you.  But I know what you mean (smiling).

I definitely think that's what I used to do so well, you know, the transition game from defense to offense.  I definitely sensed that today, you know, I am back physically.  I'm explosive out there.  I can get to balls.  I'm not afraid to go for balls.

Of course, you know, last year at times you couldn't do it, but important is that I can do it now.  I'm looking forward to the next match.

It was a great game on many levels today, not just physically.  Also just mentally it was tough.  Then I really played some good tennis.  I was very happy.

Q.  How did you see the ball that you went in for?  Murray had a long debate with the umpire about whether the ball was up.ROGER FEDERER:  A long debate is a bit extreme, exaggeration.

Q.  For him it was pretty long.ROGER FEDERER:  Really?  I've seen worse.

Honestly, I don't know.  I thought I probably got it, especially the way it bounced on the other side.  It felt like I got under it.  At that point I might even have my eyes closed.  It's like it's so extreme that I really don't know.

They showed it twice I thought on the replay.  It looked good.  I just told the umpire, How can they show this and create this controversial moment potentially?  It's not really what you want to do.

I hope it was played the right way.  If it wasn't, I'm sorry.  But it's an umpire's call.  I've been burnt by these calls before.  I can't remember the score, but clearly it was a big one.  I think I ended up breaking him in the game.

I don't know.  We'll have to check the replay time and time again.

Q.  You have a new racquet, a new coach, a new level of fitness.  Could you talk about how they all come together?  It's not a new Roger Federer, but is it energizing and invigorating for you.ROGER FEDERER:  It's really a big pleasure for me being back in the semifinals.  I think I've played semis here all the way since '03 or '04 maybe.

For me it's an amazing result for me again to be in the semis.  This one feels different because of the tougher times I've had in slams, Wimbledon, at the US Open.  It's nice to be back in the semis and defend my points from last year.  Not that it matters at my age.

But it's nice to play a nice tournament.  Plus what I really love is another Swiss is in the semis as well.  It's the first time in history.  So that's a big deal.  I was really happy for Stan last night, because he's been putting in an amazing effort for the last years and didn't always get compensated.  That's the big news for me.

I didn't think about it all the time when I was playing, but it was definitely inspiring tennis by him last night.

For me, it's as well a dream run, and I hope I can keep it up against Rafa.

Q.  What would you say about the all Swiss final?ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, the moment you start thinking about that we're taking the same flight home.  So, yeah, look, I'm worried about my match clearly, but I'll definitely watch his first.  Hopefully he can make it.  Then he can put the pressure on me that way.

It's a great problem to have.  Geez, I mean, he played so well.  Not just now against Novak, but he's done it so well in this tournament.  He won Chennai.  Great season last year.  He's really also getting the respect he deserves in his country now and also on the tennis tour.

It's nice seeing it turning around for him.

And for me, yeah, I hope I can make it to the finals.  Clearly when you're in the semis you start dreaming.  There's no doubt about that.

Q.  When you're watching Stan's matches, are you just watching it quietly or do you find yourself occasionally coming out with a, C'mon?ROGER FEDERER:  How much can I say here?  I don't know.  I'm not sitting there all quiet, no.  At the end I was standing up, hands in the air like him.  That's what it was, you know.

When he wins big points, yeah, I guess you do fist pump.  I high five with Mirka.  So it was good fun last night.  We watched the entire fifth set together.  Before I was watching more by myself.  It was amazing.

Q.  Given Rafa has had a good record against you in recent years, especially in slams.  Do you take any comfort in the fact that he is struggling a little bit with his left hand, which means he can't serve quite as well as normal?ROGER FEDERER:  Then 210 bombs are coming my way again.  Who knows.  He's been tough to play against, no doubt.  I'm happy I get a chance to play him in a slam again.  I don't remember the last time we played.

The head to head record is in his favor.  I'm looking forward to speaking to Stefan, because when we spoke together, you know, when he came to Dubai and we spoke about the game, we clearly spoke about playing Rafa, as well.

He thought he had some good ideas, so I'm looking forward to what he has to say.  Clearly with Severin, he knows him inside out.  I'm looking forward to hear what the boys have to say.  We'll prepare.  I hope I can get a win.  We'll see.

Q.  You said before that you're physically back.  Do you think you're also mentally back?  Tonight you had 17 breakpoints and you transformed only four.  Why?ROGER FEDERER:  I mean, the majority came in the fourth set, in the beginning.  I think I was 1 1 and 1 1 in the first two sets.

Look, yeah, it was a great match.  I'm happy.  I don't care about the breakpoints.  I really don't.

Q.  After losing the third set, did you think he had the form to take you to five?ROGER FEDERER:  No, but you never know.  I mean, when you go deep, past the three hour mark, past three and a half hours   I don't know how long we played   you just don't know.  It's a bit of the unknown sometimes.  You go through phases where you feel better or worse.

I don't know if he's not feeling so well with his back or if he's not feeling so well because he physically couldn't train as much as he wanted to.  It's that unknown factor which is stressful.  It's difficult to handle.  Plus I kept missing opportunities.

But I tried to stay calm.  I've been in these positions before.  I think I did well at the end.  Would have been nice to get the early break and then hopefully serve and go up 3 Love on the first change of ends.  That was a bit of a pity.

But I guess I know exactly what he's going through, because that's how I felt sometimes because you couldn't work out sometimes.  You get tired throughout the match.  It's just not a good feeling to have because you start doubting yourself and then things get tough.

Q.  You mentioned age in a previous answer.  Do you think people get too obsessed with your age and they don't look at the player?ROGER FEDERER:  Not sure.  You know, I don't read everybody's articles, honestly.  I actually don't read much at all so I don't know exactly what's being said.  I just sense it when I'm being asked questions time and time again.

The whole retirement question started like in '09.  Here we are five years down the road and I'm getting asked less.  So that's a good thing.

Then I think it's okay to talk about age because, yeah, I'm not 22.  But most of the guys now are between 26, 7, 8 now and have a lot of miles in their body now.  So I'm not the only guy.

Yeah, things don't get easier.  But at the same time they might become more enjoyable.  Maybe I can play with less pressure.  Maybe I just love it.  I still love competition.  Still feel maybe there's something big around the corner.

You know, I'm just trying to find out and see if that's the case.  I do feel it is.  But only time will tell if it's possible or not.

Q.  As somebody who has been an ambassador for the game for a long time and also on the Player Council, what do you think of the tournament not penalizing David Ferrer for shoving a linesperson during his quarterfinal?ROGER FEDERER:  I didn't see it.  Speak to him.  Give him a timeout (smiling).  No, I mean, who cares?  It happens, you know.

Q.  You mentioned about Murray.  He thought you played particularly well in the first two sets.  Are there one or two points you can identify in his performance that gave you the clue that he wasn't fully recovered from the back operation?ROGER FEDERER:  I think in the beginning he played well.  Physically he was fine.  It seemed like, at least.  Maybe at the end of the third only did I sense maybe for a second, but the problem was the scoreline was so difficult right then that you cannot focus on the guy's body or how he's feeling.

You're playing point for point.  Unfortunately I didn't serve well when I had to.  I sensed he might be struggling on some serves, but then again he did better when I thought he would struggle.  It was one of those things.

Once the ball was in play he played quite aggressive.  He actually played well.  Then right off the bat in the fourth set I realized, you know, he's not that fast maybe.  Things are getting a bit difficult for him now.  Not knowing if it was actually back or just fatigue because, like I said, maybe he couldn't work out as much as he wanted to.

You started feeling that as the match went past three hours, all that.  That's when I started to feel it the most.  In that Love 40 game at 1 0 in the fourth.  That's why it was so more disappointing not to take the opportunity there, because you don't know if it's like, Oh, maybe one game, then he's like back to normal.  You're like, God, I can't believe I missed that opportunity.

But he did struggle more or less throughout the fourth.  But he was dangerous, you know.

Roger Federer ha ganado a Murray por 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 y 6-3 en 3 horas y 20 minutos de partido, en cuartos de final del Open de Australia 2014.

Roger Federer se ha clasificado para semifinales del Open de Australia 2014, tras doblegar en cuartos al británico Andy Murray por 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(6-8) y 6-3 en 3 horas y 20 minutos de partido.

El suizo ha vuelto a dar una lección de tenis y ha jugado de forma magistral, con una solidez increíble y una clase al nivel de los mejores años. El único fallo ha sido que tuvo muchas opciones de llevarse el tercer set y la victoria de forma rápida pero finalmente acabó cediendo el set y esto provocó que tuviese que jugar más rato de lo previsto, pero aun así Roger siguió como un campeón y se hizo con la victoria ante un rival que ya conocemos su calidad, pero hoy Roger fue superior y volvió a brillar como un genio.

El partido comenzó con ambos tenistas ganando sus saques sin problemas, pero Roger poco a poco se adueñó del partido y pronto conseguía el primer break que le daba ventaja y lo consolidaba con su saque.
A partir de ahí, Roger se mostró muy sólido con su saque y no dio opciones al resto, por lo que el break inicial fue suficiente para llevarse el primer set.

En el segundo set, ambos tenistas ganaban sus saques sin problemas hasta llegar al 4-4, cuando Roger nuevamente aprovechaba su oportunidad y conseguía un break para posteriomente cerrar el set con su servicio por 6-4.

En el tercer set,  Roger tuvo opciones de break iniciales pero no pudo convertirlas hasta llegar a mitad de set cuando lograba el break, pero cuando se disponía a sacar para cerrar el set y el partido, era Murray quien reaccionaba y devolvía el break para llevar el empate al marcador.
Ya no hubo más break y todo se decidió en el tie break, donde Roger tuvo varias bolas de partido pero finalmente acabó cediendo y era Murray quien se llevaba el set.

En el cuarto set, Roger tuvo bola de break en todos los saques de Murray, pero el británico se defendía con uñas y dientes una y otra vez, pero cuando el marcador era de 4-3 a favor de Roger, al fin conseguía quebrar el saque de Murray y con su saque cerraba el set por 6-3 y con esto la victoria.

En semifinales su rival será nada más y nada menos que Rafael Nadal, por lo que promete ser un duelo apasionante, donde Roger tendrá que mantener el nivel para tener opciones de victoria.


Estadísticas del partido:

Roger Federer ha logrado 10 aces y no ha cometido ninguna doble falta. Ha tenido 64% de primeros servicios dentro. Ha ganado 78% de puntos con su primer servicio y 64% de puntos con su segundo servicio.

Ha conectado 54 winners y ha cometido 42 errores no forzados.

Ha convertido 4 de las 17 bolas de break a favor y ha salvado 1 de las 2 bolas de break en contra.

Ha ganado 49 de las 66 veces que ha subido a la red.

Previa del partido R.Federer - A.Murray en cuartos de final del Open de Australia 2014, Miércoles 22 de Enero a las 19:30 pm hora local.

PREVIA DEL PARTIDO ROGER FEDERER - ANDY MURRAY EN CUARTOS FINAL DEL OPEN DE AUSTRALIA 2014.

MIÉRCOLES 22 DE ENERO A LAS 19:30 PM HORA LOCAL (MELBOURNE), 09:30 AM EN ESPAÑA, 05:30 AM EN ARGENTINA (MADRUGADA DEL MARTES AL MIÉRCOLES).

Nombre del torneo: Australian Open

Fecha del torneo: 13/01/14 - 27/01/2014

Categoría: Grand Slam

FECHA DEL PARTIDO: Miércoles 22 de Enero de 2014.

HORA DEL PARTIDO: 19:30 pm hora local (Melbourne), 09:30 am en España, 05:30 am en Argentina (madrugada del martes al miércoles).

METEOROLOGÍA: Soleado, 18ºC de temperatura, 48% de humedad y vientos de 20 km/h.

TV: Eurosport, ESPN y algunos más

WEB: Sportlemon

PISTA: Pista Central "Rod Laver Arena" del Melbourne Park (Melbourne-Australia), 15.000 espectadores. Pista exterior dura, con techo rectráctil.

ANDY MURRAY (GBR)

Fecha de Nacimiento: 15 de Mayo de 1987

Nacionalidad: Británica
Altura: 1,90 metros
Peso: 84 Kgs
Ranking actual: 4º
Mejor ranking en su carrera: 2º (Agosto de 2009).
Debut profesional: 2005
Entrenador: Ivan Lendl

Datos de interés del tenista británico:

Andy Murray es un tenista británico de 26 años, es diestro y juega con revés a dos manos. Lleva desde 2005 como profesional.

Comenzó a jugar con 3 años. Es aficionado a la música y al fútbol.

Actualmente es el 4º del mundo. Llegó a ser 2º del mundo en Agosto de 2009.

Tiene 28 títulos en su palmarés: Destaca el US Open 2012, Wimbledon 2013, 9 Masters 1000 y una medalla de oro olímpica en 2012. Tiene también 2 títulos de dobles y 2 challengers.

Su mejor resultado en un Grand Slam es campeón en el US Open 2012 y Wimbledon 2013.

Este año lleva un balance de 4 victorias y ninguna derrota.

Se ha enfrentado 20 veces a Roger Federer con un balance a favor del británico por 9-11.

Orden de juego del Miércoles 22 de Enero en el Open de Australia 2014, (Cuartos de final).

Saludos amigos/as.

Aquí os pongo el orden de juego del Miércoles 22 de Enero en el Open de Australia 2014.

En la jornada del miércoles se disputará el décimo dia de torneo, donde se jugarán los partidos de cuartos de final por la parte alta del cuadro.

Roger Federer se enfrentará ante el británico Andy Murray en el cuarto turno de la pista central "Rod Laver Arena", a las 19:30 pm hora local (Melbourne), 09:30 am en España, 05:30 am en Argentina (madrugada del martes al miércoles).


ORDEN DE JUEGO DE MIÉRCOLES 22 DE ENERO EN EL OPEN DE AUSTRALIA 2014 (Cuartos de final).


ROD LAVER ARENA

11:00 AM
Simona Halep (ROU) [11] vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) [20]
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [5] vs. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [2]

 Not Before: 14.00pm
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [1] vs. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) [22]

19:30 PM
Andy Murray (GBR) [4] vs. Roger Federer (SUI) [6] 
Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) Matthew Ebden (AUS) vs. Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) [2] Rohan Bopanna (IND) [2]

Resultados cuartos de final del Open de Australia, Martes 21 de Enero de 2014.

Saludos amigos/as.

Aquí os pongo los resultados correspondientes al Martes 21 de Enero de 2014 en el Open de Australia.

En la jornada del martes se ha disputado el noveno dia de torneo, donde se han jugado  los partidos de cuartos de final por la parte baja del cuadro.

La gran sorpresa del dia ha sido la derrota de Djokovic.


Resultados cuartos de final del Open de Australia 2014, Martes 21 de Enero.

Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)[8] d. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[2] 26 64 62 36 97
Tomas Berdych (RCH)[7] d. David Ferrer (ESP)[3] 61 64 26 64

Orden de juego del Martes 21 de Enero en el Open de Australia 2014, (Cuartos de final).

Saludos amigos/as.

Aquí os pongo el orden de juego del Martes 21 de Enero en el Open de Australia 2014.

En la jornada del martes se disputará el noveno dia de torneo, donde se jugarán los partidos de cuartos de final por la parte baja del cuadro.

ORDEN DE JUEGO DE MARTES 21 DE ENERO EN EL OPEN DE AUSTRALIA 2014 (Cuartos de final).


ROD LAVER ARENA

11:00 AM
Na Li (CHN) [4] vs. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) [28]
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) [14] vs. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) [30]

Not Before: 14:30 pm
Tomas Berdych (CZE) [7] vs. David Ferrer (ESP) [3]

7:00 PM
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [8] vs. Novak Djokovic (SRB) [2]
Alex Bolt (AUS) / Andrew Whittington (AUS) vs. Daniel Nestor (CAN) [8] / Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) [8]

Resultados octavos de final del Open de Australia, Lunes 20 de Enero de 2014.

Saludos amigos/as.

Aquí os pongo los resultados correspondientes al Lunes 20 de Enero de 2014 en el Open de Australia.

En la jornada del lunes se ha disputado el octavo dia de torneo, donde se han jugado todos los partidos de octavos de final por la parte alta del cuadro.


Resultados octavos de final del Open de Australia 2014, Lunes 20 de Enero.

Rafael Nadal (ESP)[1] d. Kei Nishikori (JPN)[16] 76(3) 75 76(3)
Andy Murray (GBR)[4] d. Stephane Robert (FRA) 61 62 67(6) 62
Roger Federer (SUI)[6] d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 63 75 64
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)[22] d. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 63 36 62 64

Conferencia de prensa de Roger Federer tras su victoria ante Tsonga en octavos de final del Open de Australia 2014.

Saludos amigos/as.

Aquí os pongo la rueda de prensa de Roger Federer tras su victoria en octavos de final del Open de Australia 2014, ante Jo-Wilfried Tsonga por 6-3, 7-5 y 6-4 en 1 hora y 52 minutos de partido.

Q.  Essentially the perfect match.  Do you see it the same way?ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I mean, I'm very pleased.  Don't think I got broken today.  That against a great player.  So, yeah, I'm extremely happy how things went for me tonight.

I was able to play my game, offensive, mix it up, come to the net.  Yeah, I was surprised that things worked out for me.

Q.  Really surprised or...ROGER FEDERER:  To a degree (smiling).  I mean, been in the quarters before.  But, you know, still this was the kind of match I was hoping to play maybe against Jo in Paris in the quarters.  I got a hiding that time.  I struggled all the way through the entire match.

Okay, it was windy and Jo was playing well.  But still, you know, I would assume that I would find my way into the match at one point and I never did.  That's maybe where I felt maybe my game is off slightly.  The hit I took in Indian Wells was more than just a slight setback.

So this is nice being back in the quarters, because I haven't been in one, you know, for two now, Wimbledon and the US Open.  So I'm back on a streak of 36, so we'll see where it goes now (smiling).

Q.  You came into the net 36 or 37 times, and you won about 86% of those points.  Something you discussed with your coach leading up to the match?ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I mean, I'm sure you talk about it.  The question is can you then do it.  Does Jo allow you to?  Is he serving too big?  Are you going to serve and volley?  How is he returning?  It depends a little bit how the match goes.

I was hoping I could play a little bit aggressive.  So I think it worked out better than I thought it would.  You know, I was good at net.  I was consistent.  I was solid.  I was quick.  I had the right mindset.

I think the plan definitely worked out well for me tonight.

Q.  Do you think the big match tonight, another big one coming up Wednesday night, do you think these are the occasions where Stefan can really add something to you?ROGER FEDERER:  Yes.  I mean, it's not going to hurt.  Yeah, it could be very helpful.  I don't know yet.  It's not Wednesday yet.  It's not Tuesday yet.  That's maybe where we'll talk about it a little bit, the Murray match.

You know, it's just a different perspective.  He did things his way back in the day.  I'm sure things were different back then.  But still you can take so many things from his experience.  I want to say maybe try out a few things that worked for him, try out a few things that he thinks would work out for me this time around.

Sure, we'll discuss it, assess it, but he's here now more for just support, making me feel comfortable, giving me right advice, prematch, post match, discussing it with Severin my coach.

We're still going through the motions a little bit here.  We're still trying to get a feel for how we want it to be exactly.  How much should we talk?  How much is too much?  He's doing really a nice job, and he was happy with my performance tonight, which makes me clearly very happy, too.

Q.  As the higher ranked player is Andy Murray the favorite for this match?ROGER FEDERER:  I think we're both coming into this match with a good feeling.  We're both coming into this match, though, with some doubts slightly.  I don't know how he's feeling.  I haven't seen him play much, to be quite honest.

I didn't see anything in Doha.  I didn't see anything in Abu Dhabi.  Hardly anything here.  But what I'm hearing is that he's fine.  That's very positive.  That's what I was hoping for Andy, that when he did come back, he was 100%, not halfway, limping, not feeling great.

It's good to see he took care of his draw, and here we are again.  I'm looking forward to the match, I must say.  Yeah, I wonder how it's going to play out.  Was it here the last time we played?  That was a great match.  So I hope we both can reproduce something similar.

It will be interesting, because we had an interesting year last year with some ups and downs.  It's a good start to the season for both of us already.

Q.  Many years ago Peter Lundgren said to push you to the net was like throwing you in the water with sharks.  I would like to know if now you changed because of Tsonga's backhand or because of the new racquet or because of Edberg's influence?ROGER FEDERER:  I used to serve volley against Sampras in 2001 at Wimbledon.  That was like 13 years ago, man.  It's not like I've been standing way back in the court like some clay courter.  I've always tried to come in.

I was actually coming in a lot at the beginning of my career because I didn't feel I was good enough off the baseline against the great baseliners that were still in the game in my time:  Hewitt, Ferrero, Safin, Nalbandian, Agassi.

I always felt like, God, these guys have such great backhands.  They have such an easy time finding my backhand.  I'm coming in because I don't want to rally back there.

Eventually in 2003 I probably realized I can actually also hang with them from the baseline and beat them.  That's when everything changed.  Conditions got slower.  I improved from the baseline.  My movement got solid.  I was fit.  That's then when I went on a run.

But I've always enjoyed coming to the net.  Clearly as a junior you always think twice if you want to come in or not because you're little, you're weak.  It's easy to get lobbed.

As you grow, you need someone who tells you it's actually okay to be at the net.  That's why as a junior you shouldn't care too much about your results really.  You want to play how you want to play in the future.

I'm happy I learned a lot of volleys throughout my career with all my coaches, but I think Tony Roche taught me the most when it comes to the volleys.  That was a good stretch with him, talking about the volleys.

Q.  The other day Novak said he thought the mental aspect of the game these days was the most difficult to overcome.  Rafa said it was the physical.  Where do you stand on that?  Obviously earlier in your career you had a lot of emotion, and then you quickly put that away.  Is the mental side the more difficult to overcome?ROGER FEDERER:  I honestly think it depends on the player's character, doesn't it?  Me, it took me longer, the mental side.  The physical side was something I think nobody should have any regrets because everybody can work hard.  That shouldn't be an excuse, a guy not being fit or for a guy not giving everything he has, running for every ball.

Sure, at times you need to pace yourself, all that stuff.  But everybody should be able to move well, because there is no such secret, like a certain way of practice that's going to make you fast.  Everybody does it different.

Spanish do it different to the Americans.  Americans do it different to the Australians.  I don't know what the Swiss do, but we do something.  Everybody does something different when it comes to that.

Then the mental part is something that only over time do you embrace the big moments; center courts; live TV; the pressure of being that next best guy and people thinking life is easy; you're going to be world No. 1 anyway; you're going to make a lot of money.

How is that to overcome?  I think that can be very difficult for some, plus the traveling and all that, the pressure.  But for me, I don't know, it was not crazy, but it did take a toll on me because I was supposed to make a break so early.  I was supposed to become world No. 1 at some point.

At the same age, guys like Safin, Roddick, Lleyton, they all did it before me.  So sure, I was questioning myself in the process as well.

I think coaching is important in the beginning to teach you the proper technique, because if you have flaws in your technique, that's something maybe that's very hard to change down the stretch.  So I guess it depends in phases where you look at it.

Q.  Back to tonight's match.  Your movement was sublime.  Your execution was exemplary.  You even challenged well.ROGER FEDERER:  Who cares, you know?

Q.  Did you feel the energy flowing out there tonight?ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I definitely felt momentum was on my side, no doubt.  I started the match well.  Did I break first game?  I think I did.

I felt, All right, things are working for me tonight.  Let me try to run away with it in the first set.  I had some missed opportunities midway through the second set.  I think I had twice Love 30.

Thought I could have done a bit better, but Jo did well to hang around and serve well when he had to.

Yeah, so that second set was key, I thought.

Then the third, I felt like, Okay, if I can get off to a good start in the third, which I did, things were going to look good.  But with the scoring system in tennis it's just never quite safe.  I was looking all nice at 4 2, Love 40, and then here we are at 4 3, 30 40, and again I'm like, Ahhh.

You know, of course it's all turned around.  Maybe I'll be in the breaker or he'll break me again and we'll go into four sets.  Things were definitely going well for me tonight.  I'm happy I got the job done in three, because I did play for most of the match   almost the entire match.

Q.  Your opponent tonight from France, and America had a lot of players start the tournament but none are around.  Would you rather have strength in the draw or one or two players that could really go deep?ROGER FEDERER:  I don't understand.  Sorry.

Q.  A philosophical question.  Is it better to have strength in numbers?ROGER FEDERER:  Strength in numbers for a country?

Q.  Correct.ROGER FEDERER:  What are you talking about, world No. 1 or world No. 7?  It's a bit of a change.  If it's world No. 1, I'll take world No. 1.  But the strength in numbers is great because no matter if one guy gets injured, one guy moves out because of age or retires, you have somebody else.

But clearly you want someone who is able to win tournaments, 250s, 500s, 1000s, Grand Slams.

Sure, for Davis Cup it's great to have multiple guys so you can exchange and depending on the surface you can put whomever.  But if you're talking about world No. 1, I'd probably rather have that guy.

Q.  You mentioned doubts about you and Andy coming into this season.  Clearly beating Tsonga like that will take away some of them.  To what extent is Wednesday's match for both of you to address that?ROGER FEDERER:  For me personally, I've overcome it.  I don't have doubts anymore.  I know I'm going definitely in the right direction.  I've had a great off season.  I had a strong end to the year.  I couldn't have worked harder in the off season.

Then Brisbane was good.  I played singles and doubles.  Here, this is the type of win I needed.  Clearly if I lose 0 0 in the next round I'll have doubts again, but I'm going to try to not make that happen.

Q.  The most significant test coming up?ROGER FEDERER:  This is a big test for me.  I don't need Murray to have a further test.  The draw is a very testing draw.  I know it's tough.  It's not easy for anybody right now at this stage of the tournament, because you don't want to have any hiccups right now.

I hope I can continue playing at a high level.  What I've shown over the last three to four months to myself is that I'm more confident, that I know I'm most likely going to play okay in my next match, which wasn't always the case midway through last year when I didn't know how I was going to feel actually during the match.

I feel like I can think ahead.  I can think tactics.  I can think many things out there.  Everything else but my body, and that's very positive.  I've overcome a lot in the last few months.

Q.  What does it take for anyone to beat Murray, Nadal, Djokovic in a row?ROGER FEDERER:  Well, you need to be able to come through some matches quickly probably.  I mean, sure, you need to be mentally and physically ready for five sets, five sets, five sets, if that is the case, if you're talking about slams or Masters 1000s.

It's a tough thing to do.  Clearly you need to change your game depending on the players, because Murray plays different to Djokovic, Djokovic plays different to Rafa, and Jo and so forth.  You are always also a bit dependent on how good their form is, how good is yours.  Can you do it three or four times in a row.

It's a tough thing to do.  I don't know if it's been done before.  It's definitely a tough task.  Then again, if you don't embrace that challenge, you might as well not enter the draw.  You might as well stay at home and watch other guys battle it out.

That's what I like.  I like playing the best, for me personally.  And you need to take it to them.  You need to play aggressive against the top guys, me included.  You don't want to wait for stuff to happen.  I think that usually is good for success.

Q.  One of the TV commentators was saying that the new racquet was helping you for certain shots, like the return.  Do you agree?ROGER FEDERER:  Yeah, I mean, I think so.  I did return really well tonight.  I had good timing.  I was also reading the serve well, not like other times.

Last year I had a really tough time in slower conditions against Jo.  Just couldn't get my racquet on it.  Probably I was maybe overall feeling bad.  I don't know.

But tonight things were just clicking.  It was smooth for me.  I do believe I have easier power with the racquet on the serve.  It might help me on the return, as well.  I hope it is the case.

I still need to put many more matches and hours on it, but so far so good.  It's a great start to the season with the racquet, with my body.  Everything is going really well.  I'm very happy.